1. Performance and Literary works

2. PART I. The birth of theater
1. Began as Greek festivals in 5th century BC, to honor the gods 2. Athens was the center of these festivals 3. Athenians spread these festivals to their numerous allies to promote a common culture. 4. One actor (who was also the playwright and director) and a chorus of 50, who represented the audience, were on stage

3. Three theater genres
5. Tragedy- serious theme, typically about a great
person, destined through flaw of character or conflict with some
overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction
6. Comedy- light humorous theme and character; happy or
cheerful ending; central motif (reoccurring aspect) is triumph over
adversity
7. Satire- human folly (failings) and vice (sins) are held up to scorn
or ridicule

4. The Three Major Tragedians
Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides
‘Iss-ki-luss ‘Sof-uh-kleez Yu-’rip-i-deez

5. Aeschylus(‘Iss-kil-uss): Aeschylus
(525/524 BC – 456/455 BC) app. 70 yrs.
8. First of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays can still be read or performed
9. Often described as the father of tragedy

6. Aeschylus (‘Iss-ki-luss) cont.
10. Our knowledge of the genre of
tragedy begins with his work
11. Increased actors to three,
whom could interact, and
reduced chorus to twelve
12. Wrote in trilogies- groups of three plays-
with a shared theme

7. Tips to remember Aeschylus (‘Iss-kil-uss):
13. Name begins with A, the first letter of the alphabet, just like he is the first to invent tragedy. That’s why he is called the “father” of tragedy- he created it. 14. The last two syllables of his name, when pronounced correctly, sound like “kill us.” Befitting his name, a tragedy is a drama where most or all of the major characters die die

8. Sophocles (‘sof-uh-kleez):
(496BC-406BC) app 90 yrs.
15. Known as the greatest Greek playwright of all time: the
focus of our unit
16. Abolished the trilogy format of Aeschylus;
believed one play should stand on its own
17. Stories of Oedipus (O is silent) are his most famous

9. tips to remember sophocles
(sof-uh-kleez): 18. Of the three playwrights, only one with an “o” in his name, and most famous plays are about Oedipus (o is silent) 19. Oedipus (o is silent) was a king, just like Sophocles is considered the “king” or best playwright in the history of Greek theater

10. Euripides (Yu-’rip-i-deez)
(480 BC-406 BC) app. 74 yrs. 20. Best known for writing about the “ordinary” person rather than gods 21. This was due to new discoveries in science and philosophy, such as the sun was not a god, but matter 22. Tip: “ripped” gods out of plays

11. Part II: Theater Terminology
Act- divisions within a play
Scene- divisions within an act
Lines- words said by actors in a play
Blocking- actions used by actors in a play

12. Theater Terminology cont.
Dialog- lines actors say to each-other
6. Aside- said aloud to self, so audience may hear
7. Monologue- a long passage of lines one actor says
directly to the audience or to the other actors
Soliloquy- a long passage of lines that are a character’s thoughts, unheard by anyone but the audience

13. Theater terminology cont.
9. Masks and costumes- began in Greece due to
huge crowds- megaphone-like mouthpieces for
volume, and bright, character-defining
costumes for easy recognition
10. Protagonist- usually the main character; good
person battling conflict
11. Antagonist- oppose what main character is
trying to accomplish

14. Theater terminology cont.
12. There are five types of conflict in drama, just like in
literature:
A. person -vs- person
B. person -vs- self (also known as internal or inner-struggle)
C. person -vs- society
D. person -vs- nature
E. person -vs- supernatural

15. Theater terminology cont.
13. Like literature, there are five parts to most plays:
Introduction- major characters introduced; setting is established
Rising action- conflict is introduced
Climax- when a decision is made; suspense is relieved
Falling action- the aftermath of climax
Resolution- ties up any loose ends; provides a “finished” feeling for the audience

16. The end