Download Greek and Roman Theatre

Greek and Roman Theatre
A look into theatre’s history
Dramatic Literature
Miss Powell/2008
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The Greeks
Twenty-five hundred years ago, two thousand years before
Shakespeare, Western theatre was born in Athens, Greece.
Between 600 and 200 BC, the ancient Athenians created a
theatre culture whose form, technique and terminology have
lasted two millennia, and they created plays that are still
considered among the greatest works of world drama.
Their achievement is truly remarkable when one considers that
there have been only two other periods in the history of theatre
that could be said to approach the greatness of ancient Athens
- Elizabethan England and, perhaps the Twentieth Century.
The greatest playwright of Elizabethan England was
Shakespeare, but Athens produced at least five equally great
playwrights. The Twentieth Century produced thousands of fine
plays and films, but their form and often their content are
based on the innovations of the ancient Athenians.
Map of Ancient Greece
Dio-who???
The theatre of Ancient Greece evolved from
religious rites which date back to at least 1200
BC.
 In northern Greece, in an area called Thrace, a
cult arose that worshipped Dionysus, the god of
wine, fertility and procreation. This Cult of
Dionysus, which probably originated in Asia
Minor, practiced ritual celebrations which may
have included libation, promiscuous activities,
human and animal sacrifices, and comedic
storytelling.
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Dio-who???
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The cult's most controversial practice involved, it is believed,
uninhibited dancing and emotional displays that created an altered
mental state. This altered state was known as 'ecstasis', from which
the word ecstasy is derived. Dionysiac, hysteria and 'catharsis' also
derive from Greek words for emotional release or purification.
Ecstasy was an important religious concept to the Greeks, who
would come to see theatre as a way of releasing powerful emotions
through its ritual power.
Though it met with resistance, the cult spread south through the
tribes of Greece over the ensuing six centuries. During this time, the
rites of Dionysus became mainstream and more formalized and
symbolic. The death of a tragic hero was offered up to god and man
rather than the sacrifice of say, a goat. By 600 BC these ceremonies
were practiced in spring throughout much of Greece.
The Dithyramb
•An essential part of the rites of Dionysus
was the dithyramb. The word means
'choric hymn'.
•This chant or hymn was probably
introduced into Greece early
accompanied by mimic gestures and,
probably, music. It began as a part of a
purely religious ceremony, like a hymn in
the middle of a mass describing the
adventures of Dionysus.
•In its earliest form it was lead off by the
leader of a band of revelers, a group of
dancers, probably dressed as satyrs
dancing around an altar.
Dithyramb…
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The hymn was performed by a chorus of about fifty men dressed as
satyrs -- mythological half-human, half- goat servants of Dionysus.
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They played drums, lyres and flutes, and chanted as they danced around
a statue of Dionysus.
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Introduced into Athens shortly before 500 BC, dithyramb was soon
recognized as one of the competitive subjects at the various Athenian
festivals.
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For more than a generation after its introduction the dithyramb attracted
the most famous poets of the day. By this time, however, it had ceased
to concern itself exclusively with the adventures of Dionysus and begun
to choose its subjects from all periods of Greek mythology.
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Over time the dithyramb would evolve into stories in 'play' form: drama.
What are thespians?
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In about 600 BC, Arion of Mehtymna (Corinth) wrote
down formal lyrics for the dithyramb.
Some time during the next 75 years, Thespis of Attica
added an actor who interacted with the chorus.
This actor was called the protagonist, from which the
modern word protagonist is derived, meaning the main
character of a drama.
Records give credit to Thespis, and even gives him a
date; he is said to have performed Athens about 534 BC.
Whether this is true of not, his name has achieved
immortality in theatrical jargon - 'actors' and 'Thespians'
are synonymous.
“All the world’s a stage!”
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In 534 BC, Dionysian
Festivals were changed to
drama competitions.
Thespis is said to have
won the first competition
in 534 BC. In the ensuing
50 years, the
competitions became
popular annual events.
Amphitheaters
During this time, major theatres were constructed,
notably the theatre at Delphi, the Attic Theatre, and the
Theatre of Dionysus in Athens.
 The Theatre of Dionysus, built at the foot of the
Acropolis in Athens, could seat 17,000 people.
 During their heyday, the competitions drew as many as
30,000 spectators. The words theatre and amphitheatre
derive from the Greek word theatron, which referred to
the wooden spectator stands erected on those hillsides.
 Similarly, the word orchestra is derived from the Greek
word for a platform between the raised stage and the
audience on which the chorus was situated.
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Amphitheaters
Showtime!
Plays were performed in the daytime.
 The annual drama competitions in Athens were spread
over several, entire days.
 Actors probably wore little or no makeup. Instead, they
carried masks with exaggerated facial expressions.
 They also wore cothornos, or buskins, which were
leather boots laced up to the knees.
 There was little or no scenery.
 Initially, most of the action took place in the orchestra.
 Later, as the importance shifted from the chorus to the
characters, the action moved to the stage.
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Costumes and Scenery
Costumes
The parts of the theater
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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. The earliest orchestras were
simply made of hard earth, but in the Classical
period some orchestras began to be paved with
marble and other materials. In the center of the
orchestra there was often a thymele, or altar.
The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in
Athens was about 60 feet in diameter.
The Orchestra
The parts of the theater
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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 (see the diagram above).
Spectators in the fifth century BC probably
sat on cushions or boards, but by the
fourth century the theatron of many Greek
theaters had marble seats.
The theatron
The parts of the theater…The Skene
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Most of the surviving plays also make use of a building, the skene
(tent or hut) or scene building.
This was used as a changing-room for actors and as a sounding
board, but also served to represent the palace or house in front of
which most plays are set.
Chiefly actors made entrances on horse-drawn chariots. The roof of
the building could be used as an acting area, for watchmen, gods
and others.
There is some oblique suggestion in two texts of the period that
permanent screens with architectural images were used, not sets for
specific plays, but permanent fixtures.
It is conceivable, too, that there was some rather underground
passage, allowing ghosts to appear from below.
The Skene
Parts of the theater
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Parodos: The parodoi (literally,
"passageways") are the paths by which
the chorus and some actors (such as
those representing messengers or people
returning from abroad) made their
entrances and exits. The audience also
used them to enter and exit the theater
before and after the performance.
The Parados
Skenes and Scenery
Special FX
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The sun provided lighting.
Torches were used, more as properties in order to heighten the
power of the appearance of certain passages or characters, the
furies, for example.
The actor was dwarfed by his surroundings.
Tiny movements and the nuance of facial expression used by
modern actors would have been invisible to the audience. Gestures
had to be large and sweeping and costumes had to be large and
flowing in order to allow free, athletic movement, and to make a
strong visual impression upon the audience.
As facial expression would have been lost beyond the first few rows,
masks were used. They were broadly and simply designed to be
visible a long way off.
The principal traits of the characters portrayed could be expressed
in the mask, and a simple convention arose whereby types of
character had their own types of mask.
Stereotypical character originated and have since been used in
theatre around the world.
Greek Masks
Stock Characters
The
The
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Insincere Man (Eironeia)
Flatterer (Kolakeia)
Garrulous Man (Adoleschia)
Boor (Agroikia)
Complaisant Man (Areskeia)
Man without Moral Feeling (Aponoia)
Talkative Man (Lalia)
Fabricator (Logopoiia)
Shamelessly Greedy Man (Anaischuntia)
Pennypincher (Mikrologia)
Stock Characters
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The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
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Offensive Man (Bdeluria)
Hapless Man (Akairia)
Officious Man (Periergia)
Absent-Minded Man (Anaisthesia)
Unsociable Man (Authadeia)
Superstitious Man (Deisidaimonia)
Faultfinder (Mempsimoiria)
Suspicious Man (Apistia)
Repulsive Man (Duschereia)
Unpleasant Man (Aedia)
Man of Petty Ambition (Mikrophilotimia)
Stingy Man (Aneleutheria)
Show-Off (Alazoneia)
Stock Characters
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Arrogant Man (Huperephania)
Coward (Deilia)
Oligarchical Man (Oligarchia)
Late Learner (Opsimathia)
Slanderer (Kakologia)
Lover of Bad Company (Philoponeria)
Basely Covetous Man (Aischrokerdeia)
“Let me entertain you…”
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The ancient Greek theatre consisted of loud
music, bright colors, and extensive dancing.
Their plays showed:
violence and daily life
social and ethical plays
war
murder
lust
betrayal
Parts of a Play
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An ancient Greek play consisted of three
major parts:
 The
play began with a prologue, a simple
speech.
 Then, there was the entrance of the chorus.
 Finally, there were major episodes, scenes or
acts, of the play.
Types of Greek Plays
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There were two major types of Greek
plays:
 There
was tragedy, which was derived from
the word tragos and means goat.
 A tragedy received its name from how it was
performed. A tragedy had actors who wore
goatskins and danced like goats. The best
performers were given a kid goat as a prize
 The other one was comedy, which was
derived from the word ode and means song.
Greek Comedy
Our first play…
“Aulularia” ( The Pot of Gold) was written
by Roman playwright, Titus Maccius
Plautus.
 Throughout time the end of the play was
lost…
 We as the readers get to decide how the
characters shall end their story!!
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Greek Comedy
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Structure of the Comedy:
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Part One:
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prolog - chorus gives debate or "agon" over merits of
the ides
parabasis - a choral ode addressing the audience, in
which a social or political problem in discussed
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Part Two:
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scenes show the result of the happy idea final scene:
(komos) - all reconcile and exit to feast or revelry
in 404 B.C., Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian
War; social and political satire declines.
“Aulularia”
A pot of gold, an unmarried
daughter, a planned
marriage, and an unplanned
pregnancy! How will our play
end?
Questions…
1.
2.
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4.
5.
Where did the term thespians originate?
What festival started dramatic activities
prior to the creation of a play?
What style of theater is used in Greek
drama?
What is significant about costumes in
Greek drama?
Briefly describe the use of the stage.
Questions
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
List three stock characters used in Greek
drama.
Why did stock characters originate?
What are the three main parts of a
Greek theater?
How did actors typically enter the stage?
Around what year do our records date
back informing us of the first days of
Greek drama?
The End!