Download Influences on Greek culture

Athens & Greek Drama
Athens
• Athens was an important Greek city-state.
• The people of Athens wanted to rule themselves
and not have a king or queen.
• Athens became the world’s first democracy
around 508 B.C.
• A democracy is a government in which all
citizens can vote and have equal say in what
happens.
Democracy in Athens
• Athens was a democracy because all
citizens could vote, but only half the
people in Athens were citizens.
• Women, people born outside of Athens,
and slaves could not vote.
Pericles
• Pericles was the leader of
creating democracy in
Athens.
• He had many buildings
constructed.
• Pericles had the
Parthenon and the
Acropolis built.
Parthenon and Acropolis
Education in Athens
• Because Athena was the goddess of
wisdom, education was very important in
Athens.
• Boys went to school to learn to read and
write. They also learned many sports.
• Girls were not allowed to go to school or
learn to play sports.
• Girls learned domestic and entertainment
skills at home.
The Greek Alphabet
• The Greeks borrowed their alphabet from the
Phoenicians.
• Most European languages, including English
borrowed ideas from the Greek alphabet.
Socrates
• Socrates was a
philosopher of Ancient
Greece.
• A philosopher is
someone who tries to
explain the nature of
life.
• Socrates taught by by
asking questions. This
method of questioning
is still called the
Socratic method.
Plato
• Plato was a student of
Socrates.
• He started a school
called The Academy.
• Plato’s writing took the
form of a dialogue
between teacher and
student.
Influences on Greek culture
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Polytheism
Agriculture
Many wars
Fate
HOW THEATRE BEGAN
• 6th Century BC to
2nd Century AD
• Drama
Competitions
• Rituals honoring
Dionysus
Dionysus
• Greek God of Wine
and Harvest
• Greek theater
originally celebrated
him
• People attended
yearly festivals
honoring Dionysus
THEATRES
• Amphitheatres
• Carved into
hillsides for
acoustics and sight
lines
• Seated up to
15,000 people
• The audience
Theater at Delphi
Greek Origins of
Theatre Terms
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Choros
Tragos
Orkestra
Thespis
Skene
Theatron
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Protagonist
Antagonist
Hypocrite
Deus ex
machina
The Actors
• All roles played by
men
• The role of the
chorus
• Thespis
• What they wore
The Chorus
• To explain the current
situation
• To bring the audience
up to date
• To comment on the
action
• To engage in dialogue
with the actors and
offer them advice.
MASKS
• Illustrated a character’s
emotion
• Allowed for quick
character changes
• Distinguished female
characters
• Made the actors appear
larger
• Amplified the actors’
voices
The Plays
• Religious myths
• Stories of mortals interacting with gods
and goddesses
• Kings and Queens
• Battles
• Family relationships of important historical
characters
Types of Greek plays
• Tragedies – character suffering a
disastrous end
• Comedies – dramas with happy endings
• Satire – plays that made fun of great
legends
Sad
Happy
Thespis
• 1st know Greek actor
• Actors’ today are call Thespians in his
honor
Sophocles
Name means wise and honored one.
Two things Sophocles won prizes as a
young man were wrestling and music
Sophocles’ teacher was Aeschules
Sophocles wrote 120 plays
Sophocles died at the age of 90
Drama: the invention of Art?
• What do you think?
• Think of Drama today:
– How is it portrayed?
– What forms?
– Which function does it perform for society?