1. 1 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Tragedy in the 5th Century)
Euripides wrote about 90 plays, of which 18 have survived.
The most commonly known are Medea, The Trojan Women, and Electra.
The relatively large number of still-existing plays is largely due to Euripides’ popularity in later periods.
However, he was not highly appreciated in his own lifetime: he only won 4 contests.
In his plays, Euripides often introduced topics thought unsuited to the stage and questioned traditional values.
He explored psychological motivations in sometimes “undignified” ways.
His characters often questioned the gods’ sense of justice.
He sometimes suggested that chance – not gods – ruled the world and that humans were more concerned with moral values than the gods.
Euripides.
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2. Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Greek Comedy in the 5th Century)
All of our knowledge of Greek comedy comes from ONE author: Aristophanes
We only have 11 complete plays to study, out of 40 he likely wrote.
The most well-known of the existing plays are Lysistrata, The Clouds, and The Frogs.
His works define a genre called Old Comedy.
It comments on contemporary society, politics, theatre, and the war with Sparta known as the Peloponnesian War.
Plays are organized around a theme embodied by a “happy idea.”
Events of most Old Comedies could not occur in everyday life, but parallels to real life were clear.
Because the events were extreme, they pointed out how absurd the real-life events were.
These comedies are both beautifully written and terribly obscene!
Aristophanes.
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3. 3 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Music and Dance)
Music was an integral part of Greek drama in the choral odes and long passages of recitative.
It was rarely used apart from words, but if it was, it was for special effects.
At first it was played quietly to ensure spoken words could be heard, but by Euripides’ time, it was more elaborate and somewhat disruptive.
This could be why choral odes became less and less important over time.
Music was played on a “flute” (called an aulos) which sounded more like an oboe or clarinet.
Other instruments included the lyre, trumpet, and various forms of percussion.
A Greek urn with an image of an aulos player.
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4. 4 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Music and Dance)
Music and dance were thought to have ethical qualities, meaning that certain types of music or dance were associated with particular emotions or ideas.
Dance was defined as any expressive rhythmical movement.
This didn’t necessarily mean fancy footwork! Any gesture or pantomime, if rhythmic, could have been called “dance.”
Dances in tragedy were called emmeleia, meaning harmony, grace, and dignity.
Dances in comedies were called Kordax, and were much less dignified and often intentionally ridiculous.
Dances in satyr plays, sikinnis, were burlesques and likely involved jumping, horseplay, and lewd pantomime.
A Greek vase painting showing actors (maybe chorus members?) in what appears to be a dance.
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5. 5 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Costumes and Masks)
The overall visual style of a Greek theatrical production was greatly influenced by costumes and masks.
Historical information about costume & mask come from vase paintings and some sculptures.
Historians like to argue over what was “normal” or standard thanks to the variety of images available.
Very few plays specifically reference costume, and written accounts all come from much later time periods.
All performers (except maybe the flute player) wore masks during performances.
Phrynichus first introduced female masks.
Aeschylus first used painted masks.
Masks were made from linen, cork, or lightweight wood (so none survived to modern day).
They covered the entire head and included hairstyle, beard, and appropriate ornaments & features.
This vase painting shows comic chorus members dressed as horses and riders. Note the aulos player to the right, too!
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