Download Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Ancient Greek Literature
By: A!ley C., Emily B., Tiffany G., Casey R.
Ancient Greek Literature
Literature during Ancient Greek times was presented in
the form of drama and plays because its primary purpose
was to provide entertainment.
Origins of Greek Drama
Greek drama was developed from festivals honoring
the Gods. The major festival responsible for this
was the festival of Dionysia that honored the God,
Dionysus.
Theatre was developed from the chants, songs, and
dances preformed during these festivals.
Athens was the center of theatre.
Playwrights, Actors and Chorus
Playwrights were responsible for all the jobs
associated with theatre (write, direct, choreograph,
and sometimes act).
The earlier Greek plays had only three men acting
per play. These men were given speaking roles. The
later Greek plays added additional actors with non
speaking roles.
Additionally, a chorus would preformed with the
actors. The chorus, consisting of 12-15 people, spoke
in unison and had a very active part of the play.
Ancient Greek Literature Continued
Parts of the Theatre
Greek theaters were large, open air structures that were mostly built
into the sides of hills. These theaters were designed to transfer even
the softest of sounds to any seat so everyone could hear.
Theatron: place where the audience viewed the play
Parados: the chorus's entranceway
Orchestra: a circular or rectangular area in the center of the theatre.
This is where the chorus would act, dance, sing, and perform
religious rites.
Skene: this is located behind the orchestra. This building is where
actors exit or enter from and where actors change costumes or
masks. Older skenes used to be tents or huts. The newer skenes of
this time period were stone buildings. Skenes also served as a
background for the play.
Masks and Costumes
Actors wore costumes and cork or linen masks during plays.
In tragedies, these masks showed mournful or pained facial
expressions. In comedies, the masks were smiling.
The shape of the masks amplified the actor's voice during the play.
Informational Texts
Besides plays, some authors during this time period wrote
educational texts. Some authors included:
Herodotus: 484 – 425 BC
He was the father of history regarding western culture. He
collected his information systematically and used his writing
to see if it was accurate.
Hippocrates: 460-370 BC
Hippocrates was "the father of medicine". He wrote a total of
70 informational texts about topics regarding medicine. Most
of his works involved case studies. His most famous work was
"Hippocratic Oath", which discussed medical ethics.
Plato: 424-348 BC
The works of Plato focused on philosophy. His most famous
work was "The Republic and Symposium".
Aristotle: 384-322 BC
He was a philosopher and biologists. Through his writing he
developed the scientific method and categorized logic as
science.
Greek Comedy and Satyr
Greek old comedies were composed of strong satire of public persons and affairs. Old comedies involved
song, dance, and behavior that was ridiculous but amusing. This genre also contained political criticism and
gave feedback on literary topics and philosophy. Old comedies also reflected on aspects of Greek society
like government, religion, education, and warfare. The Chorus was normally dressed like animals. Actors wore
costumes and masks with disgusting facial features.
Old Comedies had six parts:
Introduction: develops and explains the fantasy.
Parodos: chorus enters at this point.
"The contest" or agon: a conflict or witty debate between characters.
Parabasis: crucial point for criticism in the play. The chorus speaks directly to the audience during this
time in the play.
A series of comical and absurd scenes.
Final banquet.
Ancient Greek New Comedy compared to Old Comedy
New Comedy focused mostly on the plays plot and contained stock characters like cooks, soldiers, and
the sly slaves. In New Comedy, the Chorus is a less significant part of the play and mostly serves as music
between acts. Another difference is that there are less criticism of society.. The subject of New Comedy
also differed from Old comedy because the plays focus is more towards showing the lives of everyday
people and their relationships with family, different social classes, and foreigners.
Satyr
Satire: these plays have similar structure and characters to tragedy plays but have a positive atmosphere
and the background is rural. These plays are considered "joking tragedies".
Comedy Playwrights
Aristophanes: 450-388 BC
Major writer of Old Comedy.
11 out of the 40 of his total plays have survived.
He wrote about and ridiculed notable Athenians and he also wrote about literary,
social and philosophical aspects of Athenian life. He also used satire to explain
theories he developed about education and morality.
Some of his famous works included: The Clouds, The Wasps, Lysistrata, Daitaleis,
The Frogs, and The Birds.
Menander: 342-292 BC
He was the father of New Comedy. He wrote 100 plays in total and won awards
at Athenian dramatic festivals.
His writings influenced Roman writers and European comedy.
He studied under Theophrastus and followed Aristotle.
Some of his famous works included: Dyscolus, Perikeiromenē, and Second
Adelphoe.
Ancient Greek Tragedy
The plots of Ancient Greek tragic plays were developed based off of greek mythology. The plots of these plays revolved around the downfall of a hero due to their actions ( normall
hubris) and not fate.
Tragedy's of this time period often dealt with moral right and wrongs. These plays also showed how vulnerable humans really are. Common themes of these plays included love,
loss, pride, corruption and abusive power and relationships men had with Gods.
No violence was allowed to be acted onstage.
Tragedies were written in trilogies.
The parts of tragedy plays include: Prologue (sets the scene), Parodos (chorus's entrench song), five dramatic scenes, and the exodus (climax and conclusion and character realizes
their wrongdoings).
Tragedy Playwrights
Aeschylus: 525-456 BC
He was born in a city named Eleusis and died in Gela.
He is known as the founder of Greek Tragedy.
He fought in battles at Marathon and Salamis.
He changed Greek drama by incorporating a second
actor into plays and by making the chorus a more
active aspect in the play.
He wrote 90 plays and only 7 have survived today.
His plays came in a set of three tragedies and a
satyr play came after.
His most famous works include: Agamemnon,
Choephori, Eumendides, The Persians, Prometheus
Bound, The Seven Against Thebes, The Suppliants.
Tra#dy Playw$ghts
Sophocles: 496-406 BC
He was born in Colonus Hippius and was the son of a rich merchant.
He was provided an amazing aristocratic education where he developed
a love for the arts.
He won against Aeschylus in a dramatic competition and won many first
and second place awards at these competitions in his life time.
He wrote 123 plays and only 7 survived. Some of his major works
included Antigone, Electra, Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus the King, philoctetes,
and The Trachiniae.
Euripides: 480-406 BC
Euripides' work greatly influenced Roman, English, and German drama.
He performed at Attic drama festivals and he won first place in 442 BC.
He brought new ideas to reform the art of tragedy and he represented
the moral, social, and political changes taking place in the city of Athens.
18 out of 95 of his plays have survived. Some of his major works
include Medea,The Trojan Women, Heracles,The Bacchae, Hippolytus, and
Alcestis. Ancient Greek Epic Poems
Features of Ancient Greek epic poetry
include:
These poems are longer then typical
poetry and switch between scenes.
These poems contain dialogue just like
plays.
Speeches are major parts of epic poetry.
Epic poetry is a combination of dramatic
and narrative writing styles.
The main character is always a hero.
These heroes go on dangerous adventures
and always follow a code of honor.
Ancient Greek Epic Poet
Homer: 8th Century BC
Very little is known about Homer.
People still question his existence.
Based off his name, scholars believe
he was a blind poet who traveled
the country telling people his epic
poems.
He was believed to have written
"Iliad" and "Odyssey."
Plot Summaries: Comedy
The Clouds by Aristophanes
The play starts with Strepsiades, the father of
Pheidippides (who has an expensive lifestyle),
calculating all the debts that his son has caused him.
Strepsiades tried to make his son go to school to
prevent him from spending money. He refuses and
Pheidippides decides to enroll himself into the
school. Once at school, he learns about Socrates's
new experiments and learns from Socrates himself.
Strepsiades hurries home and tells his son all he has
learned and brings his son to the school. At the
school a debate about men's education was
occurring. By the end of the play, Pheidippides was
enrolled in school and Strepsiades went to court for
his debts that he owed due to his son's lifestyle.
Dyskolos by Menander
This play is about the god Pan making Sostratos
fall in love with a female peasant. Sostratos
eventually sends his servant to speak to the girls
father. This causes violence because her short
tempered father becomes very angry when
people step foot on his land. Sostratos meets
with the girl's stepbrother to determine a way to
ask for the peasant girl's hand in holy
matrimony. While they were discussing, the
girl's father fell down a well. His step son saves
him and he gets granted all of his step father's
land and the ability to find the peasant girl a
husband. Sostratos ends up marrying the
peasant girl and gets a second marriage with his
sister.
Plot Summary: Tragedy
Antigone by Sophocles The play starts out by conveying the message
that Polyneices and Eteocles, two brothers,
were killed in the war of Thebes. The
sisters of the dead brothers, Antigone and
Ismene, meet to discuss the burying of their
brothers. Creon, the ruler of Thebes, is
told that the bodies have been buried and
angrily demands to know who did it. Creon
believes it was Antigone and Ismene and
locks them up. Creon finally decided to
release Ismene and leave Antigone in a cave.
Teiresias enters the play and tells Creon
that he needs to free Antigone because the
Gods are sided with her. Creon realizes all
the bad things that could happen to him if
he doesn't agree so he agrees to let her go.
Soon after a messenger tells Creon that
Antigone and his son, Haemon, have committed
suicide. The second messenger that arrived
told Creon that his wife has also committed
suicide. The play ends with Creon realizing
that he deserved all of this and the Gods
have punished him.
Plot summaries: Epic Poetry
The Odyssey by Homer
The Greek hero, Odyseey,
has failed to return to his
kingdom in Ithaca and a
mob has taken over his
palace because they think
he is dead. In reality he is
imprisoned on an island.
Hermes is sent by the
Greek god Zeus to save
Odyseey. When Odyseey
returns home he is dressed
as a beggar. Once home,
he wins his wife back in a
contest involving arrow
shooting.
The Iliad by Homer
After the start of the
Trojan war, the Greek
Aarchaean" army takes
over the town Chryse
where they capture the
beautiful maidens,
Chryseis and Briseis.
Chryseis prays to Apollo
who then sends a plague
on the army. A battle
between the Trojans and
Archaean breaks out
because of this.
Works Cited: Information
"Aeschylus." Ancient Greece. n.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Ancient Greek Comedy." about.com Ancient/Classical History. n.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Ancient Greece- Euripides." Classical Literature. n.d., n.p. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Ancient Greek Theatre." Ancient Greece. n.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
Borey, Eddie. "Antigone Summary." Gradesaver. Gradesaver, 31 Jul. 2007. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
"Different Types of Greek Drama and Their g." PBS. n.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Dyskolos." mlahanas. n.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
"Epic Literature." about.com. n.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Euripides." Ancient Greece. n.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Homer- Ancient Greek Epic Poet of the Odyssey and Iliad." Ancient Greece. n.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Homer." poets.org. n.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
"Introduction to Greek Tragedy."Classical Technology Center. n.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Aristophanes." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica,
n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
Works Cited: Information
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Menander." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "New Comedy (Greek Drama)." Encyclopedia
Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Old Comedy (Greek Theatre)." Encyclopedia
Britannia online. Encyclopedia Britannic, 05 Jul. 2009. Web. 07 March 2014.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Satyr Plays." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"The Iliad." Sparknotes. Sparknotes, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"The Odyssey." Sparknotes. Sparknotes, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Tragedy: the Basics." n.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
"Sophocles." Ancient Greece. n.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"10 Ancient Greek Writers You Should Know." Listverse. n.p., n.d. Web. 07 March 2014.
Works Cited: Images
"Acting Histroy." Acting classes online tips. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Aeschylus." Crystalinks. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
Amazon. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Ancient Greek Theatre." Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Ancient Greek Comedy." The New World Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Athens Maps and Orientation." World Guides. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
"Bookocalypse Book Reviews." Blogspot. Web 09 Mar. 2014.
Colourbox. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Counter-Currents Radio The Trial of Socrates: Aristophanes’ Clouds,
Part 3." Counter Currents Publishing. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
"Dreamstime." Dreamstime. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
Works Cited: Images
"Greek Keys-Triangular Patterns." Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
"Greece-The Musical." The Guardian. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
"Hippocrates of Kos." Plato's Academy. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
"Homer." Livius. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
"Oedipus Rex." Booklinks. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
"Review: The Iliad by Homer." Electric Indulgence. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"The Lukeion Project." Quia. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"The Wasps." Barnes and Noble.Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
Towerbooks. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
"Uzbek Literature." Advantour. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.