Download With all the fighting and movement going on off stage.

Greek Theatre
Overview
The Stage
Dramatists
Tragedy
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
…In an amphitheatre
…With a chorus who
described most of the
action.
…With masks
…With all the fighting
and movement going
on off stage.
….With tragic plays
performed first and the
one comic play last to
lighten the mood.
The Stage
The Stage
The Stage
The Main Parts of The Greek Theatre:
Skene – Raised Portion of stage
where actors performed
Orchestra – Circular patch of dirt
“Dancing Place” where chorus sang
to the audience
Theatron
Theatron – Seating for audience:
usually carved into a hillside and
looking out over natural scenes of
beauty
Parodos - Entry way on the sides of
the skene
Thymele - Alter to Dionysus: Located
in the center of the orchestra
Ekkyklema - Plank rolled out from
the Skene building
Mechrone - Crane used to elevate
actors above the stage
Thymele
Orchestra
Parodos
Parodos
Ekkyklema
Skene
The Stage
• Greek plays were performed during religious
ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus, the
Greek god of wine and revelry (altars generally
on stage)
• Banks would shut down for days, people would
travel from all around to see the drama
competitions—even prisoners were temporarily
released to see the plays
Greek Tragedy
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Plot of the Play
Tragedy and the Tragic Hero
Aristotle
General Definition
Recognition & Reversal
Tragic Hero
Tragic Play Structure
Greek Drama: Features of Greek Tragedy
Playwrights
Plot of the Play
• Completeness Vs Size
• Unity of the Plot
– Unity of Time: All action takes place in a single day
– Unity of Place: All action takes place in one location
– Unity of Action: Play has one main action that it follows, with
no or few subplots
• Parts of a Play
Prologue, Episode, Exodos,
Choral Odes, Parodos, Stasimon, Strophe, Antistophe
• Dramatic Techniques
-Dramatic Irony
-Use of Pity & Fear to create Catharsis (emotional
release)
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
• Student of the
philosopher Plato
• Teacher to
Alexander the Great
• Wrote Poetics
defining comedy &
tragedy
A General Definition of
Tragedy
• Any serious and dignified drama that
describes a conflict between the
hero(protagonist) and a superior
force(antagonist), and reaches a
sorrowful conclusion (usually death) that
arouses pity or fear in the
audience(catharsis).
Characteristics of the Tragic Hero. The
Character…
• Is not all good or bad
• Is of the noble class or
highly renowned and
prosperous
• Has a “fatal flaw”
• Ultimately recognizes
his error and accepts
the consequences
• Arouses the audience’s
pity and fear
Structure of Greek Drama
Features of Greek Tragedy
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Action very compressed
Offstage events told through messengers
Chorus as citizens and commentators on the action
Clearly delineated characters
Structure:
– Prologue (characters)
– Parodos (chorus)
– Episodes (characters)
– Stasimon (choral odes)
– Exodos (chorus)
Prologue
• Greek drama begins with the Prologue.
• The Prologue’s purpose is to give
background information to situate the
conflict.
Parodos – first ode
• Choral song chanted by the chorus as
they enter the area in front of the stage.
An Ode follows each scene
• Serves to separate
one scene from
another (since there
were no curtains in
Greek theaters).
• Also allowed for the
chorus’ response to
the preceding
scene.
Parts of the Ode
• Strophe –
• Antistrophe –
• part of the ode that
• part of the ode
the chorus chants as
chanted as the
it moves from right
chorus moves back
to left across the
across the stage
stage.
from left to right.
5 Functions of the Chorus
1. Expression of opinions, moral advice, or intervention
2. Representation of the author’s point of view:
Sometimes presented a moral precedent against
which the characters could be judged.
3. The Ideal Spectator: Reacting to events as they occur
onstage in order to instruct an audience how they
should
react.
4. Establish and Heighten Dramatic Action
5. Spectacle: Adding some visual or aural effect such
as: color, movement, dance, singing, music.
First Episode
• Following the Parodos, the first scene
presents the conflict of the play.
Exodos
• Final scene of the play.
Costuming:
The Dramatis Personae: Cast of Characters wore
elevated shoes (kothurnoi), elaborate head dresses
(onkos), and a long colorful gown (himation) or a
common greek dressing gown (chiton), and a tunic
over it (chlamys).
All performers wore masks made of lightweight
wood, cork, or linen.
A Distinct Greek Device.
Masks were used for several purposes:
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Rapid change of Roles
Gender Change (All parts were played by males)
Indication of Physical or Character Difference (Age/Race)
Communication of the Character: The masks captured the
essential qualities of the character and allowed them to be
picked up on from a distance.
The Myths
Why they were written
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Myths were common knowledge for all
Greek citizens. The playwrights used these
stories as a foundation for their plays.
Explained the unexplainable
Justified religious practices / Gave credibility
to leaders
Gave hope
Polytheistic (more than one god)
Centered around the twelve Olympians
(primary Greek gods)
The Twelve Olympians
Greek / Roman Name
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Zeus / Jupiter - King of Gods; sky, thunder; eagle, lightning bolt
Hera / Juno - Queen of Gods; marriage, family; cow,
Poseidon / Neptune - God of sea, earthquakes; the trident, Amphitrite
Demeter / Ceres - Goddess of harvest, fertility; wheat
Athena / Minerva - Goddess of wisdom, war strategy; owl, olive tree
Apollo / Phoebus - God of light, healing, music, prophesy; sun, lyre
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Artemis / Diana - Goddess of the hunt, virginity; moon, deer
Ares / Mars - God of War, violence; serpent, dog, spear
Aphrodite / Venus - Goddess of love, desire;
Hephaestus / Vulcan - Blacksmith, craftsman of gods; fire and forge
Hermes / Mercury - Messenger God, god of thieves; winged sandals
Dionysus / Bacchus - God of wine, ecstasy, theatre; grapevine, tiger
13.
Hades / Pluto - God of underworld, the dead;
The Oracle at Delphi
Most famous oracle in Greek mythology.
•An oracle was a priest or priestess who would
send a message to the gods from mortals who
brought their requests.
Sophocles
• 494-406 BCE
• Athenian statesman, was
treasurer, general, priest
• 7 of 123 plays remain
• Antigone (441 BC)
• Oedipus the King (429 BC)
• Oedipus at Colonus (406 BC
• Oedipus was most likely
never performed as a trilogy
in competition. All the plays
were written in different
years (decades apart).
• Fixed the number of the
chorus at 15