Download The Theatre of Ancient Greece by Angela Feltner The Greek God of

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Dionysos) was the god of the grape
harvest, winemaking and wine, of
ritual madness and ecstasy in
Greek mythology. His sacred
animal was the goat. His festivals
were the driving force behind the
development of Greek theater.
His procession is made up of wild
female followers (maenads) and
bearded satyrs.
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The worship of the god Dionysus began on
rural threshing floors or fields where the
wheat had been cut down. Each fall as people
celebrated the harvest and wine making, they
would hold a festival honoring Dionysus, the
god of wine and revelry.
This led to a dramatic competition in which
playwrights presented a trilogy of plays.
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Thespis is considered to be
the first actor.
He was the first to step
forth from the chorus and
speak lines by himself.
Even today actors are
known as Thespians.
You all are Thespians in this
class!
TODAY’S DRAMATIC AWARD WINNERS
RECEIVE A GOLDEN OSCAR
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And the winner is…
SOPHOCLES, HOWEVER, WOULD
HAVE RECEIVED A GOAT
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Greek plays were performed in an outdoor theater, used masks,
and were almost always performed by a chorus and three actors
(no matter how many speaking characters there were in the play,
only three actors were used; the actors would go back stage after
playing one character, switch masks and costumes, and reappear
as another character)
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Greek plays were performed as part of religious festivals in honor
of the god Dionysus, and unless later revived, were performed
only once. Plays were funded by the polis, and always presented in
competition with other plays, and were voted either the first,
second, or third (last) place. Tragedies almost exclusively dealt
with stories from the mythic past (there was no "contemporary"
tragedy), comedies almost exclusively with contemporary figures
and problems.
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One of the main reasons for the wearing of Greek
masks in theater was the fact that there were female
roles but women were forbidden from performing
on stage. Therefore, men wore female masks when
they played the female roles.
The use of masks was also helpful when an actor had
to play more than one role. A simple change of
masks was all one needed to switch characters.
The masks were 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.
The masks also served as microphones since their
construction produced a megaphone-like voice
amplification affect.
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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
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Theatron: The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the
spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside
overlooking the orchestra, and often wrapped around a large
portion of the orchestra.
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Skene: The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly
behind the stage The skene was directly in back of the stage,
and 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.
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Parodos: The parodoi (literally, "passageways") are the paths
by which the chorus and some actors (made their entrances
and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the
theater before and after the performance
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The Aeorema: It was a crane by
which the gods were appearing on
the scene (deus ex machina). It is
wrong (but frequently written) that
in ancient greek that machine was
called "geranos".
Geranos is the translation in
modern greek of the word "crane".
Today a Deus ex machina is a
dramatic device in which an author
introduces a solution to resolve the
play that “seems to come from
nowhere” (such as a rich aunt or
uncle unknown to the characters
leaves them the money they
needed even though this character
had never been mentioned in the
play before).
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The Periactoi : Two
prismatic pillars, put on
the left and right side
of the scene, turning
around their axon, they
changed the
background of the
scene.
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The Ekeclema: a
wheeled-plattform
on which bodies of
dead persons were
presented (because
a murder or a
suicide never
took place in front
of the spectators).
Sophocles was the second of the 3
greatest Greek writers of tragedy (with
Aeschylus and Euripides).
 He is known for writing about Oedipus.
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Sophocles increased the number of
actors to 3 (thereby reducing the
importance of the chorus). Sophocles
broke from Aeschylus' thematicallyunified trilogies, and invented
skenographia (scene painting), to define
the background.
Aeschylus was the first of the three
ancient Greek tragedians whose work
has survived, the others being Sophocles
and Euripides, and is often described as
the father of tragedy.[3]
 According to Aristotle, he expanded the
number of characters in plays to allow for
conflict amongst them; previously,
characters interacted only with the
chorus.
 Only seven of his estimated seventy to
ninety plays have survived into modern
times.
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Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of
classical Athens. Eighteen or nineteen of his plays
have survived
 Euripides is identified with theatrical innovations
that have profoundly influenced drama down to
modern times, especially in representing
traditional, mythical heroes as ordinary people in
extraordinary circumstances.
 He also became "the most tragic of poets",
focusing on the inner lives and motives of his
characters in a way previously unknown.
 He was unique too among the writers of ancient
Athens for the sympathy he demonstrated
towards all victims of society, including women.
Such as his heroine Medea.
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Whose festivals were the driving force behind
the development of Greek theater? A. Thespis
B. Dionysus C. Zeus D. Homer
2. What award was given to the best Greek
playwright? A. an Oscar B. a Tony C. An Emmy
D. a goat
3. Worship of the god Dionysus began on a.
threshing floors b. mountainsides c. stages
4. Who is considered to first actor? A. Thespis B.
Dionysus C. Zeus D. Homer
5. All of the dramatic roles in Greek theatre were
performed by a. women b. men c. slaves
1.
6. The following type of plays dealt with the mythic past
_____________.
a. tragedy b. comedy c. satyr plays d. odes
7. This type of play dealt with contemporary
problems______________.
a. tragedy b. comedy c. satyr plays d. odes
8. Which of the following was NOT a function Greek
masks served?
a. to project the voice b. to allow one actor to play
multiple roles c. to make people look more
attractive d. to allow males to play female roles
9.This wheeled platform could be rolled out on stage to
depict a tableau of a battle scene or dead bodies
since violence was never shown on stage. a.Deus ex
Machina b. Ekeclema c. Skene d. Periactoi
10. Who wrote Oedipus?
a.Sophocles b. Aescylus c. Euripedes d. Plato
11. Who is considered the “Father of Tragedy?
a. a.Sophocles b. Aescylus c. Euripedes d. Plato
12. Who focused on the Inner lives and motives of his
characters and wrote Medea ?
a.Sophocles b. Aescylus c. Euripedes d. Plato