1. Greek Theatre Origins and Explanations

2. Origins of Greek Theatre  A theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece between 550 and 220 BC.  It was institutionalized as part of a festival called the Dionysia, which honored the god of wine and harvest, Dionysus.  These festivals took place in the city- state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political and military power during this period.

3. The Festival  Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies and allies in order to promote a common cultural identity.  Western theatre originated in Athens and its drama has had a significant and sustained impact on Western culture as a whole.  Over 15,000 people attended the festival each year.

4. Gave Birth To:  The three dramatic genres to emerge there: Tragedy: dramas in which the main character suffers a disastrous end Comedy: light, humorous dramas with a happy ending The Satyr Play: made fun of the Greek legends. *We get our word satire from this.*  Greek authors entered their plays in contests for the festival. The winning playwright won a prize of money and an ivy wreath to wear as a symbol of victory.

5. Greek Playwrights  Greek theater had many important playwrights.  Tragedy Writers: Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides  Comedy Writers: Aristophanes Menander  Plots focused on gods and their interactions with humans.

6. The Actors  The earliest plays were stories told by a chorus of men and boys.  Later, the number of actors increased to three, in addition to the chorus, which was used to tell the story. Actors were more important later in the plays.  Each actor in the Greek theater played more than one role.  To portray different roles, the actor wore different masks.  The masks of comedy and tragedy have thus become symbols of theatre.

7. Famous Greek Plays/Stories  Oedipus Rex - Oedipus discovers he has killed his father & married his mother.  Medea - kills her own children  The Trojan Women - play protests war

8. Greek Masks  The Ancient Greek term for a mask is prosopon (lit, "face"), and was a significant element in the worship of Dionysus at Athens, likely used in ceremonial rites and celebrations.  They were fairly helmet-like masks, covering the entire face and head, with holes for the eyes and a small aperture for the mouth, as well as an integrated wig.

9. Purpose/Effect of Masks  They brought the characters' face closer to the audience, especially since they had intensely exaggerated facial features and expressions. They also amplified the actors’ voices.  They enabled an actor to appear and reappear in several different roles, thus preventing the audience from identifying the actor to one specific character and to distinguish sex, age, and social status, in addition to revealing a change in a particular character’s appearance, ex. Oedipus after blinding himself.  Masks were also made for members of the chorus, who help the audience know what a character is thinking. Although there are twelve members of the chorus, they all wear the same mask because they are considered to be representing one character.

10. Interesting to Note…  Paintings never show actual masks on the actors in performance; they are most often shown being handled by the actors before or after a performance, that minimal space between the audience and the stage, between myth and reality. This demonstrates the way in which the mask was to ‘melt’ into the face and allow the actor to vanish into the role. Effectively, the mask transformed the actor as much as memorization of the text. Therefore, performance in ancient Greece did not distinguish the masked actor from the theatrical character.

11. Other Costumes:  The actors in these plays that had tragic roles wore boots called cothurnuses that elevated them above the other actors.  The actors with comedic roles only wore a thin soled shoe called a sock.  When playing female roles, the male actors donned a “prosterneda” (a wooden structure in front of the chest, to imitate female breasts) and “progastreda” in front of the belly.

12. Greek Tragedy  Greek tragedy as we know it was born when Thespis, the earliest recorded actor, stepped out of the chorus and spoke alone. The chorus then responded to his speeches.  Thespis is often called the "Father of Tragedy,” and his name has been immortalized as a common term for performer—a "thespian.”

13. Structure of Greek Tragedies  After a prologue spoken by one or more characters, the chorus enters, singing and dancing. Scenes then alternate between spoken sections (dialogue between characters, and between characters and chorus) and sung sections (during which the chorus danced).  Here are the basic parts of a Greek Tragedy: Prologue: Spoken by one or two characters before the chorus appears. The prologue usually gives the mythological background necessary for understanding the events of the play. Parodos: This is the song sung by the chorus as it first enters the orchestra and dances. First Episode: This is the first of many "episodes", when the characters and chorus talk. First Stasimon: At the end of each episode, the other characters usually leave the stage and the chorus dances and sings a stasimon, or choral ode. The ode usually reflects on the things said and done in the episodes, and puts it into some kind of larger mythological framework. For the rest of the play, there is alternation between episodes and stasima, until the final scene, called the... Exodos: At the end of play, the chorus exits singing a processional song which usually offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play.

14. The Greek Stage:  Greek tragedies and comedies were always performed in outdoor theaters built into hillsides (the natural slope of the hill was used for seating and natural lighting).

15. Basic Parts of the Greek Theater:  Orchestra: The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage near the skene. The earliest orchestras were simply made of hard earth, but in the Classical period some orchestras began to be paved with marble and other materials. In the center of the orchestra there was often an altar.  Theatron: The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. It often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra. Spectators in the fifth century BC probably sat on cushions or boards, but by the fourth century the theatron of many Greek theaters had marble seats.

16. Basic Parts Cont…  Skene: The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage. The skene was usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other building, depending on the needs of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. There was also access to the roof of the skene from behind so that actors playing gods and other characters could appear on the roof, if needed.  Parodos: The parodoi (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus and some actors (such as those representing messengers or people returning from abroad) made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the theater before and after the performance.

17. Greek Theater Diagram

18. The Performances:  No scenery was used on stage.  No violence was shown on stage.  Performances were held during the day and went on even despite bad weather.  Over 30,000 audience members attended at once.

19. Important Vocabulary  Poetics: the earliest-surviving work of dramatic theory. In it, Aristotle offers an account of what he calls "poetry" (a term which in Greek literally means "making" and in this context includes drama— comedy, tragedy, and the satyr play—as well as lyric poetry, and epic poetry). He examines its "first principles" and identifies its genres and basic elements.

20. More Important Vocabulary  Hamartia: developed by Aristotle in his work, Poetics. It is rooted in the notion of missing the mark (hamartanein) and covers a broad spectrum that includes accident and mistake, as well as wrongdoing, error, or sin. It is an injury committed in ignorance (when the person affected or the results are not what the agent supposed they were). In tragedy, it is often described as a hero's fatal flaw.

21. More Important Vocabulary  Hubris: means extreme haughtiness, pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power.

22. More Important Vocabulary  Catharsis: describes an extreme change in emotion, occurring as the result of experiencing strong feelings (such as sorrow, fear, pity, or even laughter). In dramatic art, it describes the "emotional cleansing" sometimes depicted in a play as occurring for one or more of its characters.