1. The History of Drama
The History of Drama

2. I. Before the Theater

3. A. When and Where
Greece
Prior to the 6th c. B.C.

4. B. What Oral tradition - narration Stories of legendary heroes
No acting

5. C. Who
Greek rhapsodist – a professional who went from place to place reciting stories of legendary heroes
Homer
Greek poet who lived during the 9th or 8th c. B.C.
Wrote the two most famous epic poems that were recited by the rhapsodists
Iliad
Odyssey

6. D. Why
Entertainment
A way of spreading ideas

7. Greek Drama

8. A. When and Where 6th c. B.C. Athens, Greece Amphitheaters
During ceremonies to honor the Greek god Dionysus
Later during theatrical competitions
Amphitheaters

9. B. What In the beginning Later
Chorus – a group of fifty men and boys who danced and chanted lines in unison
Called a goat-song or tragos which is the basis for the word tragedy
Later
Thespsis
stepped out from the chorus and engaged them in dialogue
Became the first actor – (thespian – actor)
Mostly tragedies

10. C. Who Aeschylus Sophocles Increased the number of actors
Reduced the size of the chorus
Considered the “father of tragedy”
Sophocles
Refined the plot structure to create a more unified work
Allowed his characters to question fate and the wills of the gods
Wrote Oedipus Rex (considered by Aristotle to be the ideal tragedy)

11. C. Who (cont.) Euripides Aristophanes
More interested in people’s lives than in the religion of those days
Emphasized human relationships
Became a master of pathos – human sorrow and compassion
Aristophanes
Skilled satirist – a style of comedy that presents humorous attacks on accepted conventions of society, holding up human vices and follies to ridicule
Mocked the leaders of Athens and the gods
Wrote Lysistrata an attack on war

12. D. Why Religious worship
To show humanity’s place in the world and the consequences of individual actions

13. Roman Theater

14. A. When and Where 3rd c. B.C. Roman Empire Amphitheaters
State-financed & free to the public
Most famous – the Colosseum

15. B. What An imitation of Greek drama
All classical Roman tragedy was based on Greek plays
Example: Seneca’s Oedipus was in essence Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex with the addition of a ghost scene.
Roman comedy derived from Greek New Comedy
The majority of original Roman dramas…
Were comic representations of daily life
Focused on comical business rather than the development of plot or character
Contained plots that were concerned with mistaken identity, clever servants, young lovers and old men with complaining wives

20. C. Who Plautus Terence Seneca Roman comedian
Helped develop the stock character – a stereotypical character whose behavior, qualities, or beliefs conform to familiar dramatic conventions
Terence
Praised for creating a smoother, more elegant work than Plautus
Also helped to develop the stock character
Seneca
Beginning in the 1st c. A.D.
Wrote closet dramas – plays that were meant to be read rather than acted

21. D. Why Entertainment To prevent the decay of the empire
To gain favor with the Roman mob
Theater was later replaced with gladiator fights, wild-beast shows and chariot races in the Roman empire.
To prevent the decay of the empire

22. IV. Medieval Drama

23. A. When and Where From the 5th to the 13th c. A.D. Europe
Began with the decline of the Roman Empire
Ended at the dawn of the Renaissance
Europe
Churches
Pageant Wagons

24. B. What Liturgical plays Miracle plays or saint plays
A question-and-answer song performed by monks on Easter
Sung in Latin
Later included priests, choirboys and nuns
Later translated into the vernacular
Later performed on Christmas and other religious holidays
Miracle plays or saint plays
Based on the legends of the saints and their lives
Performed in the vernacular
Began to be performed outside of the church

25. B. What (cont.) Mystery plays Morality plays Based on biblical history
Example: Passion Play – addresses the last week of Christ’s life
Morality plays
Allegories
Dealt with right and wrong, usually in the context of the devil and God battling for souls
Presented by the church outside of the church
Not associated with a specific holiday celebration
Example: Everyman

26. C. Who Monks Priests, choirboys and nuns Church members
Secular drama companies associated with the church
Secular drama companies supported by the nobility

27. D. Why To help church members understand and relate to the Bible
To show the consequences of human actions
Entertainment

28. V. Renaissance Drama

29. A. When and Where Beginning in Italy in the 13th c.
Spread to the rest of Europe in the 15th c.
Playhouses
Example: the Globe Theater

30. B. What
Italian Drama
Began as weak imitations of classical plays with cheap obscenities and poorly constructed scripts
Theater architecture and stage equipment became more developed
Colored and perspective lighting was introduced
Operas
An attempt to revive the simplicity and humanism of ancient Greek drama
Introduced music to drama, emphasizing the words with a solo vocal line and simple instrumental accompaniment

31. B. What (cont.) English Drama An expression of the soul of the nation
Became a vital force in the lives of the people

32. C. Who Christopher Marlow Ben Jonson William Shakespeare
Introduced blank (unrhymed) verse
Wrote Doctor Faustus about a man who sells his soul
Ben Jonson
A master of English comedy
Paid much attention to the humors
William Shakespeare
Considered the greatest playwright of all time
Wrote Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar
The Globe Theater

33. D. Why
Entertainment