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Ancient Greece
Mr. Jacques -- Drama
Greek Mythology
 Write a list of the Greek Gods that you know
about (ex: Aphrodite – Goddess of Love)
 Who was Homer? When did he live?
 In Literature, what subject were the Greeks
most concerned about?
Origin of Greek Theatre:
Dithyrambs
 Drama and Tragedy evolved from
dithyrambs, songs sung by a chorus men in
praise of Dionysus each year in Athens
(around 7th Century BCE)
 Dithyrambs: an emotional choric hymn or speech
sung by a group of men.
 Dionysus: The Greek God of wine and fertility.
The “O.G.” Chorus
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Usually a group of about 15 men
Spoke in one voice as one “character”
Offered prayers to the gods
Explained the action of the story as it related
to the law of the state and the law of the
Olympian gods
Thespis – First Actor
 Around 540 BCE, Thespis became the first “actor”
who performed speeches (using masks to distinguish
between the different characters).
 The “actor” spoke and acted as if he were the
character, and he interacted with the chorus, who
acted as narrators and commentators.
 Thespis’s style of drama became known as tragedy --
which means 'goat song', perhaps referring to goats
sacrificed to Dionysus before performances, or to
goat-skins worn by the performers.
The Second Actor and Dialogue
 In 471 BCE (70 years later), the dramatist
Aeschylus innovated a second actor, thus
making dialogue between characters possible
onstage.
 The chorus remained on-stage and
functioned in the same manner.
The Third Actor
 Around 468 BCE, Sophocles introduced a
third actor making more complex dramatic
situations possible.
 Three actors subsequently became the
formal convention (the actors could still play
more than one character, distinguishing
between them with masks).
Festival of Dionysus
 In 534 BCE, annual competitions for
the best tragedy (goat song) were
instituted at Dionysus Festival in
Athens.
 As Drama evolved, the competition
evolved as well. Each playwright
submitted three tragedies (trilogy)
and one comedy (satyr)
 Winners won a goat
Sophocles
The Most Famous Playwright
 Wrestler, musician,
general, politician
 Very handsome and
successful
 Celebrated playwright
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120 (ish) plays
20 (ish) first prizes
 Only 7 plays remain –
the most famous:
Oedipus Rex
Theater of the Greeks
 Every show was done during the day
 Audiences could be as many as 14,000
 Minimal set (if any at all)
 Actors (only men) wore masks
 Never showed any violence on stage
Theatre of the Greeks
Theatre of the Greeks
Role of the Chorus Changed
 Originally, the dithyrambs chorus tried to stay
in rhythm with each other so they could be
viewed as one entity rather than separate
entities.
 When the number of actors increased from
two to three, the leader of the chorus
interacted with the characters, and spoke for
the general population (the play's public
opinion).
The New Role of the Chorus
 The chorus now functioned as a separate character
rather than a narrator. This change, attributed to
Sophocles, favored the interaction between actors
and thus brought ancient Greek tragedy closer to the
modern notion of dramatic plot.
 In addition, the subject matter of the plays expanded
so the whole body of Greek mythology and Greek
Gods expanded beyond just Dionysus.
The New Role of the Chorus
* To provide exposition (background
information) for the audience
 To foreshadow the future
 To serve as an actor in the play, speaking
“for” the general audience
 To sing and/or dance
 To present the author's views
.
Greek Tragedy
Also as Drama evolved, the term “tragedy” became
more defined:
Greek Tragedy is a verse drama written in elevated
language in which a great and noble protagonist falls
to ruin during a struggle caused by a flaw in his
character, such as pride, or an error in his rulings or
judgments.
Greek Comedy
 Comedy is mockery of people and situations, a criticism
against immorality, avarice and corruption. Its goal is to
pass the message of the return to tradition and to the
values of the ancestors.
 Comedy's language may seem vulgar, but it was not
shocking to the ancient Greek audience, since it was in
harmony with the comedy's rural roots.
 The chorus' disguise depended on the play (birds, frogs
etc).
Satiric Comedy (Satyr)
 Satiric Comedy is part of Dionysian festivities.
(In the contests every writer was participating
with three tragedies and one satyr.)
 The stories mock the lives of heroes or
Dionysus, in order for the audience to relax
after having attended the presentation of
three tragedies.
Masks
 Why would the Greeks wear masks on stage?
 One of the main reasons was the fact that there were
female roles but women were forbidden from
performing on stage. Men wore female masks when
they played the female roles.
 When an actor had to play more than one role. A
simple change of masks was all one needed to
switch characters.
Masks
 Theories about the masks helping to accentuate the
actor's voice, but many Greek discount this concept.
 Usually made of wood, cloth or leather and were as
creative as the people who made them. Many of the
masks were decorated with hair, either human or
animal, to complete the effect. There was only a
small hole drilled where the pupil of the eye would be
for the actor to see through.
Mask
Mask from 1st Century BCE
Masks
Arrogance
Ruler
Goddess
Masks
 Now it is your turn to create a mask.
The Perfect Tragedy
 According to Aristotle,
the best example of
the perfect tragedy
was Oedipus Rex.
 As we continue, think
of how Oedipus Rex
meets each of the
following
requirements.
The Three Unities
 According to Aristotle the perfect tragedy
should hold to three unities:
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Time: the action should take place in 24 hours
– ideally it should all be congruous, but 24
hours is ok
Place – one location – no set changes
Action – one plot – no sub plots
(the mysterious fourth – mood – the entire play should be
serious – no comic relief)
Tragic Hero
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Must be a noble King or Ruler (but the audience should
be able to identify with the hero)
Must have a tragic flaw:
(Hubris: Pride)
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Downfall must be caused by his own actions as a result
of his tragic flaw
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Must have recognition of his own demise
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He should die with honor and courage
Predestination
 Do you believe in the supernatural (a higher
spirit? Why or why not?
 Do you believe that people can prophesize or
predict the future? Why or why not?
 Do you believe in that your life is predestined
(fated) or that your life is made of free will?
Oedipus Rex Notes…
 Background
 Oedipus leaves his home city of Corinth to go
wandering
 Comes to a cross road and kills a man who
wouldn’t get out of his way
 Comes to city of Thebes who has recently lost
their king.
 Thebes is under siege of the Sphinx and her
riddle
 Oedipus answers riddle, Sphinx dies, Oedipus
is made king and marries the previous queen
Sphinx’s Riddle…how smart are you?
 What walks on four legs
in the morning, two in
the afternoon, and three
in the evening?
 Answers? (you die if
you get it wrong…)
 A man – child, healthy
adult, old man with a
cane
Oedipus Rex Notes…
 Remember:
 This is a story that
was not invented by
Sophocles
 The original
audiences would
have known the story
and how it ended
Apollo…
 Greek god of music,
medicine, light, truth, and
poetry
 Had an oracle at Delphi –
which was the most famous
oracle of Ancient Greece

An oracle is a
priestess who delivers
the prophesies of the
god
Oedipus Rex Notes…
 Themes
 Willingness to ignore the truth
 Limits of free will
 Human pride
 Symbolism
 Sight and Light = Truth
 Blindness and Dark = Ignorance/lies
 Motifs (when an author uses a literary element over
and over – in this case symbols and irony – that
emphasize the themes)
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Sight vs. Blindness / Light vs. Dark
Dramatic irony
Literary Terms for you…
 Irony – when the opposite of what is expected
happens
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Situational Irony – when a character or reader
expects one thing to happen but something
else entirely happens
Verbal Irony – when someone says one thing
but means another
Dramatic Irony – the contrast between what a
character knows and what the reader or
audience knows
Literary Terms for you…
 Hubris as a character flaw
Pride was considered a grave sin because it
placed too much emphasis on individual will,
thereby downplaying the will of the state and
endangering the community as a whole.
Because pride makes people unwilling to
accept wise counsel, they act rashly and
make bad decisions.
Literary Terms for you…
 Hamartia or Character Flaw