1. Origins of Western Drama
Theater History
Origins of Western Drama

2. Greek Drama
Western drama began in the 6th century B.C. to worship the Greek god Dionysus
Legend says that Thespis became the first actor when he stepped from the chorus and engaged in a dialogue with them. The term thespian comes from his name

3. Greek Drama - Terminology
The skene was a hut where actors changed their masks and costumes
The machina was a crane-like hoist that made actors appear to be flying
Deus ex machina means “God from the machine” and today refers to the situation in which an author introduces an artificial plot device late in the play to resolve difficulties (ex. A long lost letter is discovered)

4. Greek Drama - Terminology
The chorus explained the situation to the audience, commented on the action, and engaged in dialogue with the actors. Their ritualistic chant was called the goat-song, or tragos, from which the word tragedy is derived

5. Three Great Tragedians
Aeschylus - sometimes called the father of tragedy, exanded the number of actors and reduced the size of the chorus. His work the Oresteia is the only surviving Greek trilogy

6. Three Great Tragedians
Sophocles - wrote Oedipus Rex, an example of dramatic irony. He also wrote Antigone. Had some of the strongest characters; ones who question fate.

7. Three Great Tragedians
Euripides was interested in people’s lives rather than in religious views. By emphasizing human relationships, he became a master of pathos, the term that describes a mix of human sorrow and compassion

8. Aristophanes & Menander
The satirist Aristophanes wrote Old Comedy, which is noted for its wild comic fantasy
Menander wrote New comedy, which dealt more with everyday life

9. Roman Drama
The plays written by Seneca are called closet dramas because they are intended to be read rather than performed
Plautus and Terence are two Roman writers of comedy
Sensual interpretive dances called pantomimes, vulgar farces called mimes, and gladiatorial contests are typical of late Roman drama

10. Middle Ages (Dark Ages)
Middle Ages, a period marked by mass destruction of Greek and Roman literature, runs from approximately 500A.D. to 1500A.D.
A drama about the last week of Christ’s life is called the Passion Play
Drama was reborn in the Christian churches and became a means of general religious education
Miracle plays are based on legends of saints while Mystery plays tell stories based on biblical history

11. Middle Ages (Dark Ages)
By the late 14th century, plays were largely presented by guilds, or medieval trade unions. They presented a sequence of plays called a cycle and traveled in pageant wagons
Morality plays dealt with the principles of right and wrong. Everyman is the only important surviving example of this type of play
Three other dramatic forms from this era include interludes (short humorous sketches), chronicle plays (productions based on history), and masques (artistic spectacles glorifying the nobility)