Links with sacred ritual and with the social and political system All plays were written for the annual spring festival of Dionysus Held in large, open-air theatre built into natural slope of the hill Hel 14 – 15,000 spectators on wooden benches
Performances took place during daylight hours Orchestra – a circular area with an alter in the center Skene – building in back of orchestra which served as the setting for all plays Proskenion – framework in front of the skene
1 st plays were performed her in Athens at the beginning of the 5 th century So popular they soon spread throughout Greece
According to Greek Mythology, he was the son of Zeus – only god born of one god and one mortal parent He was the god of wine, fertility, and revelry
Raised by satyrs, killed, dismembered, and resurrected Other gods had temples, the cult of Dionysus met in the wood It was believed he could liberate and inspire man. It was also believed that he could endow man with divine creativity. Therefore, he came to be considered a patron of the arts.
Established as a festival in honor of the god Dionysus. Featured competitions in music, singing, dance, and poetry Most remarkable winner was Thespis.
Of or relating to drama; dramatic: thespian talents Thespian: of or relating to Thespis
1. performed for special occasions (Athens had 4 festivals worshipping Dionysus) 2. competitive – prizes were awarded, actors and playwrights competed 3. choral – there was singing and dancing, composed of men (3-50) 4. the stories were based on myth or history
The play The actors the chorus
Comedy Tragedy Satyr plays
Late entrance into the festivals 1 st comedies were mainly satirical and mocked men in power Master of comedy - Aristophanes
Late point of attack Violence and death offstage Frequent use of messengers to relate information Usually continuous time of action Usually single place Stories based on myth or history, but varied interpretation of events Focus on psychological and ethical attributes of characters, rather than physical and sociological
Dealt with love, loss, pride, the abuse of power, and fraught relationships between men and gods Typically main character commits terrible crime without realizing it 3 great playwrights – Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides
Thespis priest that walked away from the chorus during a presentation of a story and, instead of singing, began to recite words and create extra dialogue FIRST ACTOR and PLAYWRIGHT
Large Theater: too large to depend on facial expressions or vocal inflections to convey characters Had to rely on physical gestures and their ability to declaim the poetry of the script Stylized character masks – could easily be seen by all audience members – also help project the voice
3 actors to play all roles, including female ones – no females on stage, masks helped with this Chorus included about 15 actors who represented townspeople and other groups Chorus remained in the orchestra and sang, danced in ritualistic/formal patterns and commented on the action No stage directions written down
Same as Greek daily wear Both men and women draped themselves in robes of finely woven wool or linen – much variety was possible Variety of colors, elaborate embroidery Held in place with pins, laces, or belts Sandals (both men and women) – calf high boots (soldiers) Top robe and switch of the mask could completely change a character in minutes