A NCIENT G REEK T HEATER

T ODAY ’ S A GENDA ● Class Starter- What do you know about Greek drama and theater? ● Bonus C.S.-Mythological Word Search (handout) ● Read play Antigone ● Finish Vocabulary Word Puzzles (you may have already done this and just need to turn the puzzle grid and your definitons in)

W ORD B ANK M YTHOLOGICAL W ORD S EARCH ● P.125 ● ZeusAres ● NeptuneDemeter ● HermesMinerva ● AthenaAphrodite ● ApolloPoseidon ● HeraMars ● DionysusPluto ● Eros

throne, Zeus, Ares, head, trident, sandals, helmet, Styxx, Cerberus, sun, Eros, arrows, crops, wine, Mt. Olympus

Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses ● Romans borrowed their gods and goddesses from the Greeks and gave them new names. Here is a chart of the Greek and Roman names of the God /Goddess and a description of what they were believed to control. Greek NameRoman NameResponsibilities AphroditeVenusGoddess of beauty and love AresMarsGod of war ArtemisDianaGoddess of hunting and childbirth AthenaMinervaGoddess of war, wisdom, and crafts DemeterCeresGoddess of the harvest HeraJunoProtector of women; wife of Zeus/Jupiter HermesMercuryMessenger of gods HadesPlutoGod of the underworld ZeusJupiterKing of the gods PoseidonNeptuneGod of the sea

This is where it all began: the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens.

S COPE OF I NFLUENCE ● The comedy and tragedy that developed in Athens and flourished in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE have influenced nearly all subsequent Western drama, starting with that of the Romans. ● When the Romans conquered Greece they brought Greek literature back to Italy and set about making it their own.

● The Romans, with their love of spectacle, soon took over the existing theatres in Greece and began renovating and rebuilding them for their own spectacles, which included everything from pantomime (closer to ballet than to the children's 'panto') to mock naval battles. Most of the remains of the theatre of Dionysus which we can see in Athens today date to Roman times and not the fifth century BCE.

The tragedies and comedies of the fifth and fourth centuries BCE that remain to us today were almost all written for performance in the Theatre of Dionysus at Athens. The Theatre of Dionysus was first dug out of the slope beneath the south side of the Acropolis in the late 6th century BCE.

● Theater is a ritualistic art form which celebrates the Olympian gods who often appeared as characters. ● Dionysus, god of wine and procreation, was honored at the dramatic festivals. ● Legendary kings and heroes were often portrayed as well.

T HEATER AND THE C OMMON M AN ● Business and activities were suspended during the week-long festivals held three times per year. ● It was considered a CIVIC DUTY for people to participate in the productions in some way. ● The plays were to give a lesson to the people

Major Greek Dramatists DramatistBornWrote Aeschylus524 B.C. Seven Against Thebes Sophocles496 B.C. Antigone Oedipus Euripides480 B.C. Medea

T HE P HYSICAL S TRUCTURE OF THE G REEK T HEATER

The Stage

● The theatron held benches on which the audience sat. The semi- circular theatron was specifically built in to a hillside to provide good views of the action. The orchestra was the circular dancing place for the chorus. ● The skene was a rectangular building with three doors which provided a generic backdrop for entrances and exits of the characters. ● The proskenion was a small platform in front of the skene to give actors more visibility to the audience.

The Physical Structure of the Greek Theater ● Approx. 15,000 people fit in the Theater of Dionysus in Athens. ● No sets, props, etc. ● Actors’ lines marked the passage of time and the setting. ● Design of theatron was important for acoustics – no microphones.

T HE P LAYERS ● Because Greek tragedy and comedy originated with the chorus, the most important part of the performance space was the orchestra, which means 'a place for dancing'. ● A tragic chorus consisted of 12 or 15 dancers. ● Athenians were taught to sing and dance from a very early age. The effort of dancing and singing through three tragedies and a satyr play was likened to that of competing in the Olympic Games.

P ERFORMANCE C HARACTERISTICS ● Plays were initially held with just the chorus singing/chanting the lines. ● In 534 BCE Thespis was credited with creating the first actor (thespians). The character spoke lines as a god. ● This begins the concept of DIALOGUE – the character interacts with chorus.

T HE R OLE OF THE A CTOR ● Aeschylus – earliest Greek tragedy writer brought idea of second actor. ● Sophocles – brought third actor – no more than three actors on stage ever in a Greek tragedy. ● Euripedes – also used three actors after Sophocles. ● Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes each wrote a version of the Oedipus tragedy, but Sophocles’ version is the most famous.

● Actors needed to be LARGER THAN LIFE and thus easy to see. ● Size was symbolic of their social status. ● Wore a long, flowing robe, padded at the shoulders for width, selected in symbolic colors and platform shoes for added height

T HE G REEK A CTOR ● Participation is a civic duty; many volunteered for the chorus. ● Experienced speakers became actors (often govt. officials or imp. businessmen) ● Actors were revered and exempt from military duty. ● Women were excluded from acting and had to sit in the higher seats in the theatron.

M ASKS ● All gestures had to be large and definite so as to 'read' from the back rows. Facial expression would have been invisible to all but the closest members of the audience. ● The masks worn by the actors looked more 'natural' than bare faces in the Theatre of Dionysus. The masks of tragedy were of an ordinary, face-fitting size, with wigs attached, and open mouths to allow clear speech. ● Contrary to some later theories, there were no 'megaphones' in the masks, and their decoration and expression was quite subtle.

● Theatrical masks were made of wood, leather, or cloth and flour paste ). Various theories are advanced in favor of each material, but no originals remain, only stone carvings which may have been used as mask-molds and the paintings on pottery.

A CTING S TYLE ● Actors could not move easily, so lines were delivered in a “speech” style. ● Broad sweeping gestures. ● General movements to express emotions: Bowed head – grief; beating chest – mourning; stretching arms – prayer. ● Minor props – scepter – king, spear – warrior, elderly – cane.

Greek Theater Masks

O EDIPUS R EX (O EDIPUS THE K ING ) ● Written by Sophocles in 430 B.C.E. ● Based on a great legend of western culture from Ancient Greece. ● Greatest Greek tragedy; drama of extreme tension; one person rules action ● Sophocles’ version deals with the discovery of Oedipus’ fate.

Oedipus Solving the Riddle of the Sphinx

Sophocles’ Antigone  Set in Thebes (a city in ancient Greece)

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta.

Copy Only The Boxed Portion!

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, were to rule in alternate years.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Eteocles refused to give up the throne for Polyneices at the end of his year.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Polyneices went to Argos and raised an army to gain the throne.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Eteocles and Polyneices killed each other in battle.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Antigone’s uncle, Creon, became king of Thebes.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Antigone’s uncle, Creon, gives Eteocles, his ally, a hero’s burial and issues a decree against burying Polyneices.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● The conflict between Antigone and Creon is the basis for the play.

Sophocles’ Antigone ● Antigone believes that he is wrong and that both of her brothers should be buried with honor.

Cast of Characters Narrator: Creon, King of Thebes-Bryan Eurydice, Creon’s wife-Aileen Haemon, Creon’s son-Jeff Antigone, Creon’s niece-Esmeralda, Glorimar Ismene, Antigone’s sister- Staci Teiresias, a blind prophet- Bailey Messenger- Barry Sentinels-.Alyssa Chorus Leader- Ciara Chorus- Morgan, Brinkley, Patrick, Edrea, Zaria, Bethany. Desmond, Helen, Cierra, Kamara, Brett, Hayleigh