1. Drama Ancient Greek Theatre ENGL 124 B03 Winter 2010

2. Drama developed out of spoken poetry performances; comedy may have preceded tragedy Tragedy was a uniquely Athenian invention (early 5th c. BCE) Originally, retold familiar mythical stories; later plays also recounted important local events The Invention of Theatre

3. God of wine, celebration and destruction The Great Dionysia festival was held annually in Athens Three competing poets wrote and presented three tragedies and a ‘satyr play’ each; comedies were added later Soon spread to other Athenian public festivals The Rites of Dionysis

4. Took place in outdoor amphitheatres; relied on natural light Later productions featured elaborate, naturalistic scene- paintings Featured a roll-out platform for tableaus (ekklyklema) and a mechanism for lower actors onto stage from above (mechane) The Theatre Setting

5. Originally involved only two or three actors, and a small chorus of twelve or fifteen, all male All actors wore masks, and sometimes wigs; main actors probably played multiple roles Large portions of the text were chanted or sung; the chorus also danced, accompanied by flute (aulos) Performance Techniques

6. Acts as an ‘everyman,’ reacting to and analyzing the action onstage Stood in a rectangular formation, with the dance leader at the front corner (stage right), and the worst dancers hidden in the centre The Chorus

7. Prologue: opening monologue which sets the scene Parodos: chorus enters from either side of the stage, chanting First Episode: exchange of dialogue First Stasimon: choral song accompanied by dancing: strophe (chorus moves to stage right) and antistrophe (chorus moves to stage left); the epode (“additional song”) was sung while stationary Second Episode Second Stasimon Third Episode Third Stasimon Exodos: final exchange of dialogue, sometimes including a song; the cast exits the stage Play Structure

8. Very formalized in rhythm, language, and content Dialogue usually in iambic meter; recitations in anapests; lyric meters for songs, chants and dances Stichomythia: to heighten emotion, actors sometimes have back-and-forth exchanges of lines or pairs of lines Poetic Techniques

9. References Boardman, John, Jasper Griffin and Oswyn Murray, eds. Greece and the Hellenistic World. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1988. Print. Dover, K. J. “Tragedy.” Ancient Greek Literature. Ed. K. J. Dover et al. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1980. 50–73. Print. Frost, Frank J. Greek Society. 4th ed. Lexington MA: D. C. Heath, 1990. Print. Joint Association of Classics Teachers, ed. The World of Athens: An Introduction to Classical Athenian Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1984. Print.