English 10 Literature Lesson #1 Mr. Rinka Sophocles & Greek Theater and Festivals

Who was Sophocles?

Sophocles Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC) lived near Athens. It was a time of cultural and economic success. He was born into a wealthy family & highly educated. He became a writer & wrote 123 tragedies.

He often won 1st prize at Great Dionysia festivals. His works are entertaining & reflective of Greek life and values: Divine Authority v State Authority Change from Despotism to Democracy Negative feelings toward women He believed Gods were above State.

His works are entertaining & reflective of Greek life and values: Divine Authority v State Authority Change from Despotism to Democracy Negative feelings toward women He believed Gods were above State. He was a politician & general during his life. Antigone is an example of how not to govern.

Some laws can not be overruled by man. This was the time of the birth of democracy, a time of peace under Pericles. Before Sophocles, Greece was ruled by families. The move toward democracy reflects the power of few versus the needs of many. In 400 BC women held no power or rights.

Greek Theater

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals The roots of ancient Greek theater lie in the cult of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility, one of the Olympian deities honored in the Greek world. In myth, Dionysus' followers were satyrs, drunken half-animal, half-human creatures, and maenads, or "mad women". In ancient Greek times, Dionysus' followers sometimes assumed these roles (pretended to be satyrs or maenads) in their religious rituals, resulting in much singing, drinking, and dancing in honor of their god.

Dionysus Mosaic photos/dionysus-mosaic.jpg.html photos/dionysus-mosaic.jpg.html

Satyrs

Maenads

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals This celebration, which occurred in December in the countryside and March in the city, could not start until certain rituals had been completed. In Athens, for instance, a wooden statue of Dionysus would be taken from Eleutherai to the city. On the evening of its arrival, the statue would be moved to one of the god's sanctuaries where a bull would be killed in his honor. The performance of a dithyramb, a song dedicated to Dionysus, might have taken place at this time as well.

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals Members of the Dionysiac cult always told of the myths centered around their god by singing and dancing out their stories together as a chorus. Always, that is, until one day (about 2,500 years ago) in the sixth century BC, when a man named Thespis, a Dionysian priest, stepped out of the chorus and took on the role of an actor. Thespis acted out a Dionysiac myth through spoken dialogue rather than a song, creating Greek tragedy. He is considered to be the first actor and the first playwright.

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals After this new form of performance had been introduced to the general public, it quickly gained popularity. Its popularity lead Pisistratus, an Athenian tyrant, to construct a theater, for the performance of tragedy, in Dionysus' honor. Under Pisistratus' rule, tragedy turned into a competition for the best play in 538 BC. Soon thereafter, these theatrical performances gained new importance and meaning, and in 534 BC the first festival of Dionysus was instituted. The first recorded victory at the Dionysian Festival

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals occurred that same year when Thespis, also a playwright, won the event. The Dionysian festival represented not only an opportunity for the ancient Greeks to celebrate Dionysus, but it also provided yet another opportunity for them to participate in competition. Once tragedy had become an established art form, theater competition quickly expanded to include satyr plays and comedy. Tragedy appeared at the Dionysian Festival for the first time in 534 BC (as noted above), followed by

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals the satyr play in approximately 500 BC, and comedy in 486 BC. Unfortunately, the only Greek plays to have survived date from 490 to 300 BC, a fairly short time period. The majority of tragic plays, we are unsure of who wrote certain ones, are said to have been written by Aeschylus ( BC), Sophocles ( BC), and Euripides ( BC), while the comedies are attributed to Aristophanes ( BC) and Menander ( BC). Although most of their plays have been lost or destroyed, we have been left with a fairly

Greek Theater itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals good impression of their individual styles. Their writings have also provided us with valuable information concerning the performance and subject matter of Greek plays. season-syracuse-comes-end

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals Most of the ancient Greek plays that have survived, with possibly one or two exceptions, were clearly written for performance in the city of Athens, in the theatre dedicated to Dionysus, as part of the festival of the City Dionysia. Each year, three tragic writers competed against each other, as did three to five comic writers. Usually a tragic writer wrote three tragedies and one satyr play for presentation at the festival, while comic writers presented only one play at a time. There was

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals no competition between comedies and tragedies. During the fifth century B.C., the plays of each author were performed over the span of one day and competition might last for three or four days. Tragedies were based largely on the myths or stories of the old narrative epic poems, of which only two main ones, the Iliad and the Odyssey, both written by Homer, survive. These plays were performed by a chorus of twelve members, until the 5th century B.C.

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals when the number was expanded to fifteen, and a maximum of three male actors (women were not allowed on stage). In order to help the audience figure out who the performers were supposed to represent, costumes and masks were used. Costumes were generally designed to show the character's social status or gender, while masks might depict emotions or age. Masks, often made of wood or cork, helped to make the actor's voice louder as well. Unfortunately, they also completely

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals covered the actor's facial expressions. This setback forced performers of tragedy to depend on their gestures and voice to convey a message. When a large, noisy audience was at the performance, this proved to be an extremely difficult task. The satyr play was written by the same playwrights who wrote tragedy. The characters in these wild plays, the satyrs (half human, half bestial creatures), were disciples of the god Dionysus. People trying to look

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals like them for festivities and performances dressed in full body suits with pieces of wool attached to their bodies. It is not known how many people were in the chorus in these plays. However, we do know that it was conducted by an older satyr called the Papposilenos. Despite our lack of knowledge in this area, because no satyr plays have survived, we do know that the genre's blend of crude humor and lively action made it a crowd favorite.

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals Comedy was an extremely popular form of performance as well. The first comedic competition at the Dionysian festival took place in 486 B.C. and was won by the playwright Chionides. At first these plays focused mainly on light hearted subjects. With the rise of democracy, however, serious political issues began to be satirized. Comedic playwrights increasingly criticized the existing political system while promoting new ideas.

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals Originally, most ancient Greek plays were not published. Playwrights wrote them with the intention of them being seen and heard, not read. The plays were later published, but originally they usually had to be memorized. This method of preserving material without writing it down is called oral tradition. All of the actors and playwrights were men, because women were not allowed to participate. The official title for the playwrights in the City Dionysia festival records was

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals didaskalos, which means "teacher" or "trainer", given to the playwrights because originally they functioned simply as the trainers of the chorus. Later, with the introduction of solo actors into plays, the didaskalos functioned as the writer, the composer, the choreographer, and the director. Men who hoped to present a play at the festival had to "apply for a chorus" (meaning they needed to seek acceptance as one of

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals the competing three tragedians or as one of the three to five comic writers) to the archon, who was a magistrate chosen annually. By what criterion the decision was made is unknown. Playwrights who were accepted as contestants were then assigned a producer, or choregos, who was a wealthy private citizen willing to fund the training and costume of the chorus, and a chorus including some actors. It was a great honor for the producer if the play won at the Dionysian Festival. The state paid for the actors in the productions. After about six months of rehearsal, the playwright

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals took his production to Athens, where it would be performed in celebration of Dionysus as part of the City Dionysia. Although we know that successful playwrights taking part in the competitive festivities of the City Dionysia were awarded a prize, we do not know what the prize amounted to. It is likely that the existence of a prize played only a small role in motivating the ancient Greek playwrights to participate in the competition,

Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals itectural/greekarchitecture/greekbuilding/theater.htm#Festivals as evidence shows that the participants appear to have belonged to the class of Athenians who could support themselves without working, and whose extra time and funds allowed them to participate in public life. More likely, it was the combination of the ancient Greeks' competitive nature with their desire to honor their god, that drove them to participate year after year in the theatrical competitions of the festivals of Dionysus.

Greek Play