Greek Theater background information

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Greek TheaterGreek Theater
Background InformationBackground Information

2. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• SophoclesSophocles’ plays were written to be’ plays were written to be
performed in public at the greatperformed in public at the great
Theater of Dionysus.Theater of Dionysus.

3. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• This theater was located in the heart ofThis theater was located in the heart of
Athens on the slope of the rocky hill ofAthens on the slope of the rocky hill of
the Acropolis.the Acropolis.

4. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• The Theater of Dionysus looked like aThe Theater of Dionysus looked like a
semicircular football stadium.semicircular football stadium.
• The seats were carved out of stone.The seats were carved out of stone.

5. •In front of the seatsIn front of the seats
was a rounded orchestrawas a rounded orchestra
where the chorus sangwhere the chorus sang
and danced around anand danced around an
alter.alter.
•Behind the orchestraBehind the orchestra
was a platform where thewas a platform where the
actors spoke their linesactors spoke their lines
from behind huge masks.from behind huge masks.
The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater

6. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• The masks had exaggerated mouthpieces thatThe masks had exaggerated mouthpieces that
amplified the actorsamplified the actors’ voices.’ voices.
• Many were stylized into familiar characterMany were stylized into familiar character
types that were easily recognized by thetypes that were easily recognized by the
audience.audience.

7. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• Plays were usually stagedPlays were usually staged
during the Festival ofduring the Festival of
DionysusDionysus
• Crowds of 15,000 peopleCrowds of 15,000 people
regularly attended theregularly attended the
performances—even criminalsperformances—even criminals
were released to see thewere released to see the
plays.plays.

8. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• Originally, dancing choruses ofOriginally, dancing choruses of
worshipers began competing for prizes.worshipers began competing for prizes.
• Tradition has it that a man namedTradition has it that a man named
Thespis transformed the chorusThespis transformed the chorus’s’s
hymns into songs that still honoredhymns into songs that still honored
Dionysus but also told a story of aDionysus but also told a story of a
famous hero or even another god.famous hero or even another god.

9. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• Then Thespis added another innovation:Then Thespis added another innovation:
one of the chorus members would stepone of the chorus members would step
away from the others to play the partaway from the others to play the part
of that hero or god.of that hero or god.
• This individual actor wore a mask andThis individual actor wore a mask and
entered into a dialogue with the chorus.entered into a dialogue with the chorus.

10. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• Drama was born when theDrama was born when the
playwright Aeschylus added aplaywright Aeschylus added a
second individual actor to thesecond individual actor to the
performance, therebyperformance, thereby
creating the possibility ofcreating the possibility of
conflict.conflict.
• Sophocles added a thirdSophocles added a third
actor, introduced paintedactor, introduced painted
sets, and increased the sizesets, and increased the size
of the chorus to fifteenof the chorus to fifteen
actors.actors.

11. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• Attendance at these dramas wasAttendance at these dramas was
perceived to be a civic dutyperceived to be a civic duty
• The dramatic part of the festivalThe dramatic part of the festival’s’s
program was presented as a competitionprogram was presented as a competition
between playwrights, each of whom putbetween playwrights, each of whom put
on four plays in the space of one day.on four plays in the space of one day.

12. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• The first three plays were tragedies, whichThe first three plays were tragedies, which
dealt with religious or mythical questions.dealt with religious or mythical questions.
• The fourth play was aThe fourth play was a “satyr” play that poked“satyr” play that poked
fun at the serious subjects and characters offun at the serious subjects and characters of
the three earlier plays.the three earlier plays.
• The audience made their preferences clear byThe audience made their preferences clear by
booing or cheering, and the playwrights werebooing or cheering, and the playwrights were
judged by ten judges, each one selected fromjudged by ten judges, each one selected from
one of the ten tribes of Athens.one of the ten tribes of Athens.

13. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• The Chorus:The Chorus:
– The Greek wordThe Greek word choroschoros meansmeans “dance.”“dance.”
– The chorus was a group of singers andThe chorus was a group of singers and
actors who either commented on what wasactors who either commented on what was
occurring in the main part of the drama oroccurring in the main part of the drama or
actually functioned as a character in theactually functioned as a character in the
play.play.

14. The Athenian TheaterThe Athenian Theater
• The Chorus:The Chorus:
– The chorus served as a link between theThe chorus served as a link between the
audience and the actors, often portrayingaudience and the actors, often portraying
a group of citizens not unlike the audiencea group of citizens not unlike the audience
themselves.themselves.
– InIn OedipusOedipus && AntigoneAntigone
the chorus is a groupthe chorus is a group
of Theban elders.of Theban elders.

15. SophoclesSophocles
• 496 – 406 B. C.496 – 406 B. C.
• He came from a wealthyHe came from a wealthy
family in Athens.family in Athens.
• He was well educatedHe was well educated
and mixed with some ofand mixed with some of
the most powerfulthe most powerful
figures of his day.figures of his day.

16. SophoclesSophocles
• He took an active role inHe took an active role in
AthensAthens’ political life.’ political life.
• He was a general in theHe was a general in the
Athenian militaryAthenian military

17. SophoclesSophocles
• He wrote 123 plays but only 7 of themHe wrote 123 plays but only 7 of them
have survived.have survived.
• He won 24 competitions, making himHe won 24 competitions, making him
the most successful playwright inthe most successful playwright in
Athenian history.Athenian history.

18. SophoclesSophocles
• Sophocles:Sophocles:
– He was a religious conservative, deeplyHe was a religious conservative, deeply
concerned with the individualconcerned with the individual’s need to find’s need to find
a place in the existing moral and cosmica place in the existing moral and cosmic
order.order.
– His plays always contain a moral lesson—His plays always contain a moral lesson—
usually a caution against pride and religioususually a caution against pride and religious
indifference.indifference.

19. AristotleAristotle’s View of Tragedy’s View of Tragedy
• Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, wasAristotle, the Greek philosopher, was
the first to definethe first to define tragedy.tragedy.
• AristotleAristotle’s definition of’s definition of tragedytragedy::
– to arouse pity and fear into arouse pity and fear in
the audience so that we maythe audience so that we may
be purged, or cleansed, ofbe purged, or cleansed, of
these unsettling emotionsthese unsettling emotions

20. AristotleAristotle’s View of Tragedy’s View of Tragedy
• CatharsisCatharsis::
– emotional purgingemotional purging
– a strangely pleasurable sense of emotionala strangely pleasurable sense of emotional
release we experience after watching arelease we experience after watching a
great tragedygreat tragedy
– for some reason, we usually feelfor some reason, we usually feel
exhilarated, not depressed, after a tragedyexhilarated, not depressed, after a tragedy

21. AristotleAristotle’s View of Tragedy’s View of Tragedy
• As the audience, we feel:As the audience, we feel:
– PITYPITY: the hero: the hero’s punishment is too harsh’s punishment is too harsh
for his crime, and he is a suffering humanfor his crime, and he is a suffering human
being who is flawed like usbeing who is flawed like us
– FEARFEAR: the hero is better than we think and: the hero is better than we think and
still he failed, so what hope do we have?still he failed, so what hope do we have?
• According to Aristotle, we can only feelAccording to Aristotle, we can only feel
pity and fear after a tragedy if there ispity and fear after a tragedy if there is
a tragic hero or heroine.a tragic hero or heroine.

22. AristotleAristotle’s View of Tragedy’s View of Tragedy
• Tragic hero/heroineTragic hero/heroine::
1.1. A character who is neither completelyA character who is neither completely
good nor completely bad but rathergood nor completely bad but rather
somewhere in the middle. He/she doessomewhere in the middle. He/she does
have good intentions.have good intentions.
2.2. SomeoneSomeone “who is highly renowned and“who is highly renowned and
prosperous,” which in Aristotle’s dayprosperous,” which in Aristotle’s day
meant a member of a royal family ormeant a member of a royal family or
someone who holds a high or elevatedsomeone who holds a high or elevated
place in society.place in society.

23. AristotleAristotle’s View of Tragedy’s View of Tragedy
• Tragic hero/heroine continuedTragic hero/heroine continued::
3.3. The character must possess a flaw (tragicThe character must possess a flaw (tragic
flaw) in his/her personality that is taken toflaw) in his/her personality that is taken to
an extreme and impairs his/her judgment.an extreme and impairs his/her judgment.
4.4. This tragic flaw leads to the heroThis tragic flaw leads to the hero’s/’s/
heroine’s own downfall (a major catastrophe).heroine’s own downfall (a major catastrophe).
5.5. By the end of the play, the tragic heroBy the end of the play, the tragic hero
recognizes his/her own error, accepts itsrecognizes his/her own error, accepts its
tragic consequences, and is humbled.tragic consequences, and is humbled.

24. AristotleAristotle’s View of Tragedy’s View of Tragedy
• Tragic flawTragic flaw: a fundamental character: a fundamental character
weakness, such as excessive pride,weakness, such as excessive pride,
ambition, or jealousyambition, or jealousy

25. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• ChorusChorus
– Groups of dancers and singers whoGroups of dancers and singers who
comment on the action of the play; incomment on the action of the play; in
ancient Greece, their songs used to makeancient Greece, their songs used to make
up the bulk of the playup the bulk of the play
• ChoragusChoragus
– Leader of the chorusLeader of the chorus

26. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• Tragic FlawTragic Flaw
– A fundamental character weakness, such asA fundamental character weakness, such as
excessive pride, ambition, or jealousyexcessive pride, ambition, or jealousy
• HubrisHubris
– Arrogance or overweening pride thatArrogance or overweening pride that
causes the herocauses the hero’s transgression against the’s transgression against the
gods; usually, the tragic flawgods; usually, the tragic flaw

27. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• ProloguePrologue
– Introductory speech delivered to theIntroductory speech delivered to the
audience by one of the actors or actressesaudience by one of the actors or actresses
before a play beginsbefore a play begins
• ParodosParodos
– The first ode, or choral song, in a GreekThe first ode, or choral song, in a Greek
tragedy that is chanted by the Chorus as ittragedy that is chanted by the Chorus as it
enters the Orchestraenters the Orchestra

28. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• SceneScene
– One of the series of structural units intoOne of the series of structural units into
which a play or acts of a play are dividedwhich a play or acts of a play are divided

29. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• StropheStrophe
– The part of the ode that the Chorus chantsThe part of the ode that the Chorus chants
as it moves from right to left across theas it moves from right to left across the
stagestage
• AntistropheAntistrophe
– The part of the ode that the Chorus chantsThe part of the ode that the Chorus chants
as it moves from left to right across theas it moves from left to right across the
stagestage

30. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• OdeOde
– Each scene is followed by an ode. TheseEach scene is followed by an ode. These
odes serve both to separate one sceneodes serve both to separate one scene
from the next, since there were nofrom the next, since there were no
curtains, and to provide the Choruscurtains, and to provide the Chorus’s’s
response to the preceding scene.response to the preceding scene.

31. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• EpodeEpode
– The final stanza of the ode, following theThe final stanza of the ode, following the
strophe and antistrophestrophe and antistrophe
• KommosKommos
– A lyrical exchange between an actor (orA lyrical exchange between an actor (or
actors) and the chorusactors) and the chorus

32. Literary TermsLiterary Terms
• PaeanPaean
– A choral hymn in praise of a god—inA choral hymn in praise of a god—in
AntigoneAntigone, the Chorus is praising Dionysus, the Chorus is praising Dionysus
• ExodusExodus
– The final, or exit, sceneThe final, or exit, scene