Use Of Masks In Greek Theatre

Use Of Masks In Greek Theatre
A constant topic in theatre is if there is a relationship between Greek theatre and ritual. In this essay
I will explain that there is a connection between the two because of the connection they share with
the use of masks.
Theatre is the performance of events that are acted out in a set of practiced actions and ritual is a
ceremony that performs a set series of actions. To understand how rituals and theatre are related
through their use of masks we have to look at why masks were used for Greek rituals and theatre
individually. Dr. Sky believes that masks were indeed a special part of ritual before it was
popularized. "The use of masks in Greek theatre is well known, but even before their secular use,
they were used as a part of spiritual rituals of worship" (Sky p.6). She believes this because the more
popular the masks became, the more it spread throughout the world and it lost its special, ritual
meaning
Masks were used to create roles in Greek theatre, to allow men to play female roles. The most
obvious and basic reason why Greeks wore masks was to make "performers look less like
themselves and more like the characters they were representing" (Wiles "Mask and Performance" 9).
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3). In the ritual powers of the mask Dr. Sky believed that the use of masks were powerful because it
acted as a disguise for the actor (Sky p. 8). When using the mask, the actor became the character he
was playing, this could be associated with the actor becoming possessed by the character because
the actor had to completely assume the character to be able to perform his role. The actor surrenders
himself when he is 'possessed' or when he becomes the character of the mask. This part of the ritual
masks relates to theatre because the god being portrayed comes back to life and the past is
reactivated (Wiles "Mask and Performance"
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Tragedy In Greek Tragedy
According to many scholars, there is very little biographical information that can be relied upon for
Greeks of the fifth century BCE. (Mastronarde) We don't know much about Euripides and his
specific life, but we do know a bit about his works and how they came to be. Medea, which happens
to be the first play in a tetralogy, is about a passionate rejected wife whose world gets filled with
vengeance and justice for her well being. She is willing to do everything in her power to bring pain
to her mortal enemies, but must importantly her ex–husband Jason. Greek tragedy in general usually
follows the classical unities mentioned in Aristotle's poetics: unity of action, unity of time, and unity
of place. Even today, there are many contemporary plays that follows these rules, and that is why I
think Greek tragedies have held their own with the passing of time. Epidaurus is not the oldest
Greek theatre site, but it is one of the best preserved and best proportioned of the theatres today. It
supplies a good example to the public of what a Greek performance space should be. Because of the
acoustics and the overall shape of the theatre the audience was not only very aware of the actors, but
also of themselves and their reactions. On top of that the performances took place duringvenge r
faces t also of thf three parts ware of everyone'of her plans to kill her children as revenge r faces t
also of thduring broad daylight, so in consequence not only could you hear others but also see

Oedipus the King: The Greek Period
Oedipus: The Greek Period
Oedipus the King The Greek period, in the fourth and fifth centuries of B.C., evolved from a small
city called Athens, Europe. In this era, a sweep of talent and creativity placed a historical advance on
theater, that will dominate for years to come. This spirit most likely emerged from the defeat of the
Persian Empire, along with the sense of freedom and expression from the Athenian democracy. Four
great writers derived from this ancient astonishment. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were
three writers of tragedy, whereas Aristophanes was a famous comic dramatist. From these original
works came the play festivals using masks and boots to accommodate for the ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
In the Greek tragedies there is a basic outline that the authors followed consisting of five episodes
with choral odes between them. Prologos, was the first scene which was an introduction. Episode, is
the second scene which is dramatic one. Parodos, was the third scene, served as an entrance lyric by
the chorus. Stasimon is a choral ode, and the fifth Exodos delivers the parting lines by the chorus
and leaves the orchestra.
The choral odes in Oedipus the King is a good example of how the chorus was used to create a
reaction from the audience. The first choral ode was a prayer to the gods, which reveals the reality
of the plague as seen through the eyes of the people as a whole. The second reflects the reactions
from the accusations and counteraccusations of Oedipus and Tiresias. The third deals with the truth
or falsity of the divine prophecy. The fourth shows the chorus in a mode of feverish excitement
dealing with the secret birth of Oedipus. The last deals with the fate of Oedipus.
These tragedies started off as Dithyrambs which formed from myths to stories that wee translated
into words of song in addition to physical movement. They were the first step toward a literary
drama with both tragedy and comedy. These plays were demonstrated at the city of Dionysus
featuring Greek actors such as Thespis.
The plays consisted of three unities. The unity of action, time and

The Myth Of Diononysus : Ancient Dramatic Festivals Of...
INTRODUCTION
City Dionysia, also referred to as Great Dionysia, was an ancient dramatic festival and was, by far,
the most spectacular of the Bacchic festivals. The festival was held in Athens on the Elaphêboliôn
9th to 13th days, which ideally would be on the last days of March in the contemporary calendar.
The festival was carried out in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and pleasure. The celebration
allowed individuals to stop working, drink wine, and dine while enjoying or participating in a
number of ceremonies, processions, divine acts and theatrical presentations. The festival was open
to all and was attended by Athenian citizens as well as visitors.
The Myth of Dionysus
Dionysus was said to be the son of the most powerful of all gods, Zeus, and a mortal woman,
Semele. Hera, Zeus' wife, grew jealous of Semele and convinced her to make Zeus reveal himself in
his true form, fully aware that Semele would die upon seeing Zeus in his full glory. Zeus managed to
save the unborn child (Dionysus) by stitching him into his thigh and carrying him into term.
However, after he was born, Hera sent Titans to kill Dionysus who ripped him into pieces. Zeus
stitched him back together and sent him away to Mt. Nysa where he was to be raised by half–goat,
half–human creatures known as satyrs. When he was older, Dionysus discovered the grapevine and
taught man how to get wine from the grapes, ideally becoming the god of wine as well as the revelry
that comes with it.
Proagôn
Therefore,

Ancient Greek Theatre Research Paper
Did you know that drama was invented in Ancient Greece? Drama and acting came about when
members of the chorus (group of singers/ dances) performed skits before their performance. It also
came from festivals in honour of God Dionysus.
The Ancient Greek Theatres were built on a hillside and looked like a semi–circle and a smaller
circle in the middle. On the first tear of seating and in the middle was the thrown of the priest of
Dionysus. The rest of the seating was for viewers. In front of the audience was the smaller circle.
This circle was the orchestra. The orchestra was like a dance floor and on it was an alter [altar] for
sacrifices dedicated to Dionysus. The stage was a raised area within the circle. The rest of the circle
was left for the chorus. There was a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
God Dionysus is the god of wine and pleasure. The Greek people worshiped him when they went to
see plays. They also worshiped him at the festival called "City Dionysia".
City Dionysia is a festival in honour of Greek God Dionysus. The festival lasted for five days and
had as many as three full dramas performed in one day. The dramas were judged contests, and the
winning actors and play writers received prizes. The dramas were sponsored by rich citizens.
Actors wore large masks, padded clothing and platform shoes. If the play was a tragedy the clothing
that they wore was dark. If the play was a comedy the actors wore bright colours.
Actors wore masks so the audience new [knew] who they were playing and how the character was
feeling. There were both female and male masks. The expressions on them were either serious
looking or frivolous. The masks were also built to help amplify the actors voices.
One of the most famous Greek play writers was Aristophanes (c. 448–380). He wrote brilliant comic
plays that are still performed today.
The main types of plays performed were comedy, tragedy and

Aeschylus The Oresteia
The Oresteia The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus. This trilogy consists
of Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers or The Choephoroe, and The Eumenides. The only extant
example of an ancient Greek theatre trilogy, the Oresteia won first prize at the Dionysia festival in
458 BC. Many consider the Oresteia to be Aeschylus' finest work. The principal themes of the
trilogy include the contrast between revenge and justice, as well as the transition from personal
vendetta to organized litigation. In this trilogy there are multiple themes carried through all three
plays. Other themes can be found and in one, or two, of the three plays, but are not applicable to the
Trilogy as a whole and thus are not considered themes of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
The play starts off at the temple of Apollo at Delphi, the home of the famous Oracle of Delphi.
Orestes find himself there for temporary shelter from the Furies that have been torturing him ever
since the murder of his mother. Orestes pleads the gods for help against the Furies. Apollo cannot
help him, but with a sleeping curse he slows down the Furies and their evil works against Orestes
for a little while. As the Furies surround Orestes again, he begs Athena to save him. This leads to the
trial of Orestes. As a result of the trial, Orestes leaves to go home to Argos and the Furies have their
name switched to The Eumenides, or Kindly Ones, and ruling that they will now be honoured by the
citizens of Athens. By the end of the trilogy, Orestes is seen to be the key, not only to ending the
curse of the House of Atreus, but also in laying the foundation for a new step in the progress of

Ancient Greek Theater
Have you ever just wanted to kill your parents? Perhaps they are not letting you order a seventh slice
of cheese pizza at Chuck E. Cheese's, or not letting you hang out with that dreamy hunk Bryan on
Saturday. For Oedipus, killing his parents was not something petty he threatened when he got too
worked up, but rather his fate. This suspenseful and masterful plot, conceived by the legendary
playwright Sophocles, was one of the many groundbreaking works to come out of fifth century BC
Greece. Works of ancient Greek theater, particularly Oedipus the King, embodied the spirit of
innovation that fifth century BC Athens was known for.
The fifth century BC in Athens, aptly known as the "Golden Age," was a time of great achievements
in art and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For a long time, only one actor was used, and often times the play's author himself would perform.
However, probably due to demand on a single actor's physique and voice, two actors were
introduced. Sophocles finally introduced a third actor, but three was the most Greek plays ever
employed (Ley 25). Reminiscent of the dithyrambs from which they originated, Greek plays
included a chorus of anywhere from twelve to twenty–four members who would provide poetic
interludes and narrations (Ley 22).
Theatric spectacle in Greece was not an everyday commodity. In fact, plays were only performed
once a year, at the Dionysia (Knox xx). For each of three days, sunrise to sunset, playgoers would sit
through three tragedies, a more lighthearted and whimsical "satyr" play, and a comedy. The
tragedies and the satyr play of the day would all be by the same poet, while the comedy was by a
different playwright (Knox xx). At the conclusion of the festival, awards would be given to the
tragedians by a panel of judges. Historians have no record on whether or not one of Simon Cowell's
early ancestors was on the panel.
Said to have often been awarded first prize, sometimes second, but never third in the Dionysia,
Sophocles is one of the most renowned and influential playwrights of not only his time, but of all
time (Ley 35). Born in 496 BC, just at the dawn of the fifth century BC, Sophocles prospered as a

Aristophanes Research Paper
Aristophanes, known to be born around 446 or 448 BCE, is a famous ancient Greek play writer.
Aristophanes is known for his comic playwright, and is sometimes referred to as, Father of Comedy.
Aristophanes is also known for creating his plays to relate to the life of ancient Athens. Although
much is known about Aristophanes plays, very little is known about Aristophanes his self. Some say,
Aristophanes is the son of a man, from the islands of Aegina, who goes by the name of Philippos,
although he was for sure educated in Athens. As Aristophanes grew up, he began to develop a
passion for comedy, and theatre. Sometime after the victory of Greece over the Persian military,
when the Peloponnesian war reduced Athens' ambitions as an imperial power, Aristophanes begin to
write. Later after the empire of the Athens collapsed, he was known to be an important figure in the
change of intellectual fashion. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
His first play, "the banqueters', won second at the drama competition, in Dionysia during the 427
BCE, and his second "The Babylonians" won first. Both the first and second play were felt to be an
embarrassment towards Cleon (The Dictator), and the authorities. Cleon later tried to prosecute
Aristophanes for slandering Athenian people. After being found innocent, Aristophanes continued to
his savage plays. According to what we know, Aristophanes has only been first place once at the
City of Dionysia, even though he won the Lenaia competition about three times. He was known to
live to very old age, and died around 386 or 385 BCE. Although, Aristophanes died with little
known about him, his plays will always be

The Tragedy Of Sophocles ' Tragedy ' Oedipus '
Today is the day that the citizens of Athens are about to experience and watch a big major drama
production on a well loved tale of the tragic hero Oedipus. Not only do I get entertained today, but it
is also Dionysia, a festival that I have been excited for since we get to honor the wine god,
Dionysus. There has also been multiple talks as a well respected playwright, Sophocles, is about to
show his own version of the story. The city has been buzzing and filled with so much anticipation
for what Sophocles has created. News was, the entire Dionysus theater would be filled with 17,000
spectators including me to watch the screening of the Sophocles' masterpiece. I have been to this
theater multiple times and Sophocles wins awards almost like he has the blessing of the Gods. This
Dionysus theater is the biggest I have ever been to. The staggered theater seats looks like the giant
staircase depicted in Mount Olympus! Although, Sophocles is a great candidate to win this year's
competition, he has several competitors like Euripides, Aeschylus, and Aristophanes. I really do
hope that Sophocles wins this year.
9AM
And so my day started as I woke up and started to get ready. My husband and I are pretty wealthy as
he is a member of the greek council and he manages a couple of lands. He also enjoys watching
dramas as a way to loosen up as he gets stressed by politics. And I know that Oedipus' story is his
favorite because his mother would tell it to him as a child to teach my

Ancient Greek : The Foundation Of Theatre In Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece created the foundation of theatre that has grown to what is known today. In the sixth
century when theatre became popular, there was the discovery of the tragedy, comedy, and a satire
play called a satyr play. The plays were put on in festivals to celebrate the god Dionysus, the god of
wine. Elements such as costumes and masks that were used in worship rituals to the gods influenced
their costuming for the shows. There were three innovative playwrights Aeschylus, Aristophanes,
and Sophocles who all had their own writing styles and contributed to the advancement of theatre in
their own way.
The Great Dionysia was a festival started by the tyrant Peisistratus that took place in Athens and
started in the sixth century BCE; it was said to be the birthplace of tragedies. It took place during
march and it was a seven–day long festival honoring Dionysus. The first day of the festival started
with a parade where a large statue of Dionysus was carried from the Temple of Dionysus to the foot
of the Acropolis where the theatre was located, this symbolized the journey that Dionysus took to
Athens. The stage was then sprinkled with the blood of sacrificial pigs because it was meant to
purify the stage (Taylor). The second day another parade was held and people who had lost their
fathers during the war, they would march down the street to honor their fathers who "gave their life
to the polis" and they were given seats at the front row of the theatre. Over the next three day

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Athens
Democracy and oligarchy, what does this have to do with anything, right? Well, actually when it
comes to Ancient Greece it is very important, because these two types of government are the main
two types in Greece. Athens is superior to Sparta, because how things were changed, and the power
of the people. First, Athens went through different types of government, it made them where they
are now. As they became more rich and a bigger city–state, the governments were changing all the
time. The wealthiness became so big that it was given to the aristocracy, but only a few members.
There might have been a lack of laws that are staying in the city–state. Although, secondly, Athens
fixed that in 621 BCE by Draco the Statesmen. He provided the inequities ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Lastly, drama/theatre, the drama concept was established by the Athenians. City Dionysia was a
festival, it was used as tribute, originally to Dionysia, the God of celebration and wine. Comedy and
tragedy, were the two types of drama in Greece. Comedy was fun/funny to make someone happy
and laugh. Tragedy were things like love/hate/war/and betrayal, though there would always end up
being a hero, who would die at the end. Between the two, Athens and Sparta, one of the had the best
geographical advantage, and I think we all know which one that is. Athens is superior to Sparta,
because it is the largest city–state in Greece, the three different regions, the trades, and the climate.
There were three different regions, the lowlands, the mountains, and the coast. The soil was uneven
and very rocky on the Greek peninsula, which left less than 20% of land to be farmed on. They
relied mainly on grains and other food to be imported from the regions around them. Land–Travel
was difficult because of the mountains around them. Greece controlled Attica, a region. All the
mountains there were fertile valleys, with so many farms between the

Dionysus With Pan Essay
Roman art spread as its empire throughout the Mediterranean Sea and was powerfully influenced by
the Greeks and Etruscans. Dionysus with Pan, a Roman marble sculpture from 50–150 A.D, depicts
Dionysus, –Bacchus to the Romans– the god of wine; and Pan, a mystical forest creature with a
head and torso of a human and the legs and horns of a goat. Dionysus myth starts way back before
this sculpture was made and I want to discuss how Dionysus was just an excuse people used, to get
intoxicated and justify irrational behavior in his name.
Dionysus back story started with the myth of his birth. He was the son of Zeus and Semele. His
mother Semele, who was a mortal woman, was the daughter of Cadmus of Thebes. Zeus fell in love
with Semele and became human to seduce Semele. When Hera, Zeus wife, find out of the affair
between Zeus and Semele she because furious and her raging jealousy made her transformed into an
older woman who pretended to be Semele's nurse. After she gained Semele's trust, she planted doubt
in Semele about Zeus and his true form. This seed of doubt and curiousness made Semele asked
Zeus to grant her a wish. Her wish was to see Zeus in his glory as a god of all gods. Zeus show
himself with his thunder and his lighting and since mortals cannot survive being in front of a god;
Zeus's thunderbolts carbonized her. Zeus protected Dionysus' ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
He would share his wine with the satyrs of the forest. The satyrs would bring girls that they had
seduced to share Dionysus' wine and would have enormous parties where they would get drunk and
dance. They would get so crazy drunk on wine that they would experience ecstasy and have orgies.
Some of the satyrs would end without a girl and they would have horrible fights. None of them
would fight against Dionysus, it was always just between the satyrs because if they would make
Dionysus mad they would be without wine the next

Dionysus Eleuthereus Or The City Of Dionysia In Athens
Competitions How did people rate their success? Where did they compete? The most famous
competition for tragedy was part of the spring festival of Dionysus Eleuthereus or the City of
Dionysia in Athens. An Archon, a high ranking official in the city, would decide which plays could
be performed. The Archon also decided which citizens would fund the productions. The state would
pay the actors and playwright. In order to compete, the writer would have to submit three tragedies,
and one satyr. Those writings would be judged by a panel of judges. The winner would receive a
bronze cauldron along with gaining honor and prestige. From 449 B.C., the main actor would also
receive a reward. Greek theater competitions were second to athletic competitions.

The Importance Of Greek Columns In Ancient Rome
The Greeks had amazing concepts that you can now find in many modern American civilizations,
but what did they do to get their inventions and ideas spread across the world? They brought forth
ideas such as, architecture, sports, democracy, arts, mathematics and philosophy.
When you see modern buildings such as The White House, The Abraham Lincoln Memorial or The
U.S Capital, they all have one thing in common...columns. Columns originate from Greek
architecture to support ceilings without the obligation of having walls, creating more space. Many of
the different columns originated from Ancient Greece, three to be exact, Doric, Ionic, and
Corinthian. Doric columns have wider bottoms and simple capitals (capitals are the top part of the
column) ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Their Democracy created the foundation for modern day American government. It is the only
government that cared for the common wealth of its citizens. hey brought upon representatives and
the system of checks and balances. The Greeks had their representatives and divided them into two
houses both of which used the checks and balances to make sure one side didn't get more powerful
than the other. Just like modern day democracy the representatives were well respected, in greek
term most were aristocrats. Athenian democracy was more direct than our modern day one. Meaning
that the Athenian citizens voted on all of the laws, but just like today only men 18 years and older
could

Examples Of Refusal In Antigone
A refusal is an action with the purpose to deny a request. A denied request usually causes a negative
reaction from the requester. A refusal must be calculated and well planned because of this possible
outcome. Loudly refusing a king's orders can have the refuser hanged, while secretly disobeying the
king's orders can leave the refuser unharmed. Throughout several stories and films, authors have
clearly portrayed the countless ways that refusals can be done and the consequences that can be
faced. A successful refusal is strategized according to the situation, setting, and audience.
The play Antigone clearly shows how a bold and loud refusal ends badly. Antigone believed that her
brother deserved a proper burial, so she went against the king's orders and buried him. Even though
she was correct, this uncivil act of refusal led Antigone to be put in prison. Even when Antigone was
caught, she remained rebellious against the king. Antigone stated, "I didn't suppose your decree had
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When someone refuses to follow what a person of higher power requests, the refuser faces the
possibility of consequences that cannot be evaded. For example, a knight that refuses to follow the
orders of royalty may face prison time, or even death. A loud and bold refusal by a king will usually
be accepted because of the respect that the king has from society. Meanwhile, a stealthy and secret
refusal should typically come from a person of lower power in order to avoid consequences. If a
target is misguided due to deception, the refuser will never get caught, and could also have the
opportunity of to benefit from the requester. For example, if a poor woman successfully seduces a
rich man that she hates, she will most likely end up with 50% of the rich man's total assets due to
divorce. The poor woman not only refused to be loyal, but tricked the rich man out of half of his

Dionysus The God Of Wine
Stacy Baxley
Mrs.Hodges
Block 1
October 22, 2016
Dionysus The God of Wine: Dionysus was the god of wine, fertility, revelry, and dance. His name
originates from the Greek word Dios which means "of Zeus" and Nysa being the region Dionysus
was born in. Dionysus was also known as Eleutherios which means "the liberator" whose wine freed
his followers. Dionysus was known for being joyful and vivaciously festive as well as enraged,
merciless, and bitter at times. He was also the last and youngest god to be excepted into Mount
Olympus. He was also the only one excepted with a mortal mother. Dionysus was best known
though for his family background, his mystical powers, and his legacy.(New World Encyclopedia 1)
93 Dionysus was the son of Zeus and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
His main strengths revolved around wine, but there was also a down side to this. In Dionysos by
Kristi Thompson she says "Dionysos is the wine–god, and thus should be a pleasant fellow, a
benefactor. But wine has both positive and negative aspects. It makes people drunk, causes them to
behave in strange ways. The Greeks were well aware of the dual natures of wine, mirrored by the
dual nature of its god.". He could free people from self–consciousness and doubt but could also steal
peoples identities and send them into a drunken haze. Dionysus was a destructive god as well as a
beneficial one. He often times would drive people mad, but at the same time could make people
over joyed and full of ecstasy. In Dionysos it states that "In general, most of the Olympian gods
seem to disapprove of murder and cannibalism...Dionysos, by contrast, seems to revel in human
sacrifice.". Dionysus also was the only god who could bring people back from the under world.
Dionysus was more known for his followers than being worshiped. His followers were called
maedans which translates to "raving ones" as he would make them go crazy.(Dionysos 5 & 10)184
Dionysus is still known today for the many things he influenced. There were many festivals in honor
of Dionysus. Some of those were Rural Dionysia, City Dionysia, Anthesteria, and The Lenaea. In
The Ancient History Encyclopedia Library Cartwright says "Dionysos became significant in Athens
from the 6th century BCE and the Dionysia festival of Athens and other cities would later evolve
into the Bacchanalia of

Research Paper On Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre
In the country of Greece approximately 90 ancient theatres were excivated in Italy,
Cyprus, Asia minor, and Macedonia (S2 Cline). There were two festivals held in Athens they
were called the rural festival and the city Dionysia (S2 Cline). Pergamon was the theatre in
Turkey that held 10,000 people. There were 78 rows of seats in the theatre. They were best
known for the sculpture of Zeus (S2 Cline). My goal of this paper is to tell you all about Greek
theatre and how in came to be through the eyes of many different people.
The theatre in Epidaurus discovered a layer of earth in 1881. The acoustics are
extraordinary and you can hear the performer from 60 feet ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Thespis won the first competition in
Athens in 534 B.C. (S2 Cline). A low speaker's platform (Bema) was added to enlarge the stage
in the Dionysos Eleutheresus theatre (S1 Cartwrite). The theatre of Delphi was built in the 4th
century BCE and it was quite small with only 5,000 seats (S1 Cartwrite). The early theatres came
about in the 6th century BCE and were constructed wholly of wood (S1 Cartwrite).
The History of Greek theatre began with festivals honoring their gods. Greek Tragedy
was created in the time of the Athens around 532 BCE when Thespis was the first earliest
recorded actor. Thespian means "performer" in Greek terms (S1 JohnBod). In Greek plays they
worshiped all of their gods I will give some examples of them: zeus, poseidon, hades, and helios

(S1 JohnBod). Women were not permitted to watch the plays at all which was difficult for them
(S2 Cline). The dramatic performances were important to the Athenians (S1 JohnBod). Men used
to perform songs to welcome Dionysus (S1 JohnBod). The History of Greek theatre ended when
Alexander the Great passed away in 356

Similarities Between Euripide And Antigone
In both Sophocles' Antigone and Euripides' Medea, the universal event of great suffering and
destruction are both executed through the depiction of the characters. In both the playwrights,
tragedy prevails as the main feature contributing the portrayal of the characters. Both the main
characters, Antigone and Medea progresses through a series of events that eventually leads to
obliteration as the end results. Love ultimately drives the characters to commit series of actions that
eventually lead to their demise along with the destruction of those around them.
In Sophocles' Antigone, Antigone is portrayed to be a very strong and loyal character. Sophocles
depicted her to have a great amount of charisma for a woman in that era. Antigone's loyalty to her
family ultimately brought the demise to Thebes as a result of both her and Kreon's actions. Along
with Antigone being headstrong in her beliefs, Kreon persists this trait as well. Antigone's
persistence in burying Polyneices led her to clash in conflict with Kreon, who continues to maintain
his stance on not allowing burial Polyneices. In Antigone's character, the devotion towards family
displays the character's values and morals. On the other hand, Kreon demonstrates his valued virtues
towards government and politics. The two characters despite their different values and morals do
mirror each other in terms of their persevering and determined characteristics. Kreon's and
Antigone's inability to step down from their belief

Why It Is Important To Greek Art Essay
Excuse me, my friends for bringing up this topic at such a busy time, but I feel like this a topic that
must be addressed. For many years, Athens was the place for culture. Lycon, you remember those
days where you would throw those fantastic parties! Meletus' father was a playwright. Look where it
brought them. To this assembly. My fellow Athenians, we must support the arts in order to become
the center–place for Greek culture, and so we do not become idiots like our neighbors, the Spartans.
Those in poverty need entertainment. Let's walk through the life of a poor person. First, they get up
in the morning, usually very early, and start to head off for their workplace. At their workplace, they
toil and toil away until it is time to go home. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Imagine a paved road, going straight across the world until it reaches the end of the earth and falls
off. There is only one way to go. A person who follows this way will become a follower, and will
not be able to make decisions, and will eventually reach the end of the earth and fall off, his voice
never to be heard from again. Now, imagine that the road has many branching pathways, one
leading to righteousness, one leading to justice, one leading to a naked man taking a shower. These
are all choices that we can make. When a person appreciates music, their mind is opened up so that
they can make decisions that are more thought out. Take Crito for example. As a follower of
Socrates, and rich man, you must have some musical training. He used his musical training to
develop a new way of eating pork skins! Instead of getting his hands dirty with, he used a piece of
paper to grab his pork skin and eat it! However, on a serious note, if music is supported, then we
will have many people in our assembly who do have different views, and who do think their ideas
out before presenting them. That, in turn, will lead to a fairer democracy, for we will have more
ideas that are of the

Greek Tragedy And The Morality Of Greek Culture Essay
Greek Tragedy and the Morality of Greek Culture
Theater in ancient Greece was considered the climax of the days long cultural festival of The City
Dionysia. At the festival, various types of plays were shown but one of the most popular was
tragedy. These tragedies show the main character, usually a god or person of myth, going through
human suffering and the terrible sequence of events that followed; and were produced in 472– 401
BCE. In order for a play to be performed at The City Dionysia festival; tragic playwrights would
first have to appeal to the state official that was organizing the festival by submitting ideas to him
and his committee. The ideas submitted were outlines of main themes and points of interest to be
performed in the play. If a playwright was selected by the state official and his committee, then they
received a financial backer and a chance to compete in the drama competition of the festival. The
state official, or his committee, was likely pushing their own agenda and choose playwrights that
matched their ideals. This is just one example of how theater in ancient Greece was used to
influence the morality of Greek culture by using the stories of tragedies, like those of Euripides.
The City Dionysia Festival was a celebration of the god Dionysus' arrival in Athens in mythical
times and was usually held annually between March and April. The festival and theater
performances were ways of honoring the god Dionysus, who is the god of the grape harvest,

Essay On Eupatridae
A very significant and important year was 525 BC because it was my birth into the small town of
Eleusis. I lived close to the major city Athens. I was born into a wealthy and well established
family and they loved and cared for me. The Eupatridae is the ancient nobility of Attica. My
father was a member of the Eupatridae. When I was about 20 years old I worked at a vineyard.
The god Dionysus visited me one night in a dream and pretty much told me to turn to tragedy
and become a playwrite. The next morning, as I woke up from my dream I started writing my
first tragedy and started my life. When I was about 26, I finished my first play and did my first
performance. My first victory of performing happened in 484 BC in the city of Dionysia at the ...
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The battle was the Battle of Marathon and my brother and I
were defending Athens against the invading Persian army of Daruis I. We beat them and were
victorious but Cynegeirus died and it was so hard and sad. After I won my first victory of
performing in 484 BC, I was called back into the service of war in 480 BC. I was fighting against
the army of Xerxes I at the Battle of Salamis this time. Salamis holds a prominent place because
my oldest play, The Persians, which I performed at the Dionysia and won first place, was the
main location. After the 2 wars, I settled down and produced major plays and they are: The
Persians, Seven against Thebes, The Suppliants, The Oresteia, Agamemnon, The Libation
Bearers, The Eumenides, and Prometheus Bound. I returned to Sicily to visit the city Gela in 458
BC and that is where I died. He died in 446 or 455 BC. That's all the history they have so I am

done speaking in first person. His lost plays are: Myrmidons, Nereids, Phrygians or Hector's
Ransom, and Niobe. Overall he produced between 70 to 90 plays according to various ancient
sources. He had a very big impact overall on Greek drama and culture and kind of

Ancient Greek And Roman Religion Essay
The ancient Greek and Roman religion was the belief in God. They had similar views, but also some
differences. It composed of many meaningful Gods and Goddesses that played the part in the
everyday life of the average Roman and the Greek citizen. Before going into their beliefs and many
strange legends, we must consider what kind of beings these divinities were.
From history, there's the first dynasty that consisted of the origin of the world, Uranus and Ge. The
ancient Greeks had several theories regarding this origin. Uranus, the more defined, who represented
light and air of heaven while Ge, the firm and flat, life –sustaining earth was worshipped as the all
nourishing mother. The second dynasty is Cronus or as the Romans call him Saturn. Cronus was the
god of time. He married Rhea, daughter of Uranus and Ge and had three sons: Aides (Pluto),
Poseidon (Neptune), Zeus (Jupiter), and three daughter: Hestia (Vesta), Demeter (Ceres), and Hera
(Juno) . In order to nullify the prophecy, Cronus swallows his children. But when it came to the last
child, Zeus, Rhea saves Zeus and later dethrones his father. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided their
fathers' dominion. Zeus got the heavens, Poseidon the ocean and Hades the realm of the dead .
Hera, the daughter of Cronus, was the wife of Zeus. Iris, the goddess of the rainbow. Hephaestos,
the god of the celestial artist, was the son of Zeus and Hera. He was born lame, his parents hated the
sight of him. Ares, the god of war, was the

Aeschylus Research Paper
All Greek theater can be split up into two drastically different categories: comedies and tragedies.
Despite both categories being so drastically different, playwrights would often write both. Born
circa 525 B.C.E., Aeschylus is one of the most notable Greek dramatists, and wrote over 90 plays,
some satire and some tragedies. Born to a noble family in Eleusis, a town about two miles west of
Athens, Aeschylus grew up in a turbulent political climate. Many were unsatisfied with the current
tyranny of Hippias, and many worried that the tumultuous state of affairs left Greece open to attacks
from invaders. Historians believe that when Aeschylus was 35, he and his brother Cynegius fought
in the Battle of Marathon against the Persians. While Aeschylus

Greek Theater Architecture
To honor their gods the ancient Greeks created wonders that forced them to make advanced
technology structures. The theater architectural designs of the ancient Greeks have been adapted and
modified throughout the years by numerous other cultures. There are three main structural elements
that complete a Greek theater; those include the theatron, the orchestra, and the skene .One of these
was the Epidaurus theatre built to honor the God Dionayrs . It is considered to be the greatest theatre
in Western World. It is approximately 100 miles from Athens , located in the hills of Epidaurus . It
seats 14,000 people, with 55 rows of stones built into the hillside. It this largest of all the surviving
ancient theatres. Originally, the theatre had 34 rows. However, another 21 rows were added at the
top 2 centuries later. The seating part of this theatre is also known was aslo known as the gazing
place. An element present within all ancient Greek theaters, was the development and mastering of
acoustical technology in the theater amphitheaters. Acoustics, or to be exact, architectural acoustics,
is s scientific understanding of how to achieve a quality sound within a building. "The design of
Greek and Roman amphitheaters attests to the acoustical insights of builders and scientists of
ancient times." (Encyclopedia Americana Vol. 1 1991; P. 111) People sitting farthest from the stage–
about 70 meters–can hear actors without any amplification. The steps acted as "acoustic traps,"
cutting

Athenian Society
THE111 Assignment 2 Essay 1 Jennifer Siwu Athenian Society The Athenian society was known as
the most powerful society and well–developed city in the ancient Greek world. The Athenian
Society was also known for their brilliant innovations in a lot of fields of life that are still being used
in today's life. Those fields of life include literature, poetry, drama, theatre, schools, buildings, and
government. The fact that Athenian society being the strongest and brilliant society in the Ancient
Greek time makes it become the most interesting society to study about. This society has a lot to
offer in terms of its history and culture. To really see what the Athenian Society look like, we have
to look at some important factors. Those ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Those 500 names of citizens had to serve as the ancient Athens' lawmakers for a year. All citizens
had the responsibility to vote on every new law that these 500 lawmakers made. The assembly had
to be attended by at least 6,000 people. If the attendance was less than that, 300 trained slaves would
go through the town with a rope dipped in red paint and anyone who got hit by the paint must pay a
fine because the did not do their civic duty, which was attending the assembly and participate. The
class structure of the Athenian society was quite alike with the class structure in other cultures.
There were the upper class, middle class, lower class, and slaves. In order to be considered as the
member of the upper class, you have to be a citizen (a man). You cannot have a job. You also have to
be free from economic task and economic burden. However, this elite class was very small or in
other words, it only consisted of a few people. The middle class consisted of noncitizens who could
not own land and vote. These people were usually merchants or traders who decided to live in
Athens due to its economic stability and work guarantee. However, the middle class did not consist
of the noncitizens only, there were also middle class citizens. For the lower class, the people in it
were mostly slaves that had become free. It also consisted of people from extremely poor families.
The people in this class could not participate in voting. The slaves in the

Fire From Heaven Summary
Kayla Applebaum November 5, 2017 Book Review Fire From Heaven The book Fire from Heaven
starts with this line, "The child was wakened by the knotting of the snake's coils about his waist." In
this story Alex is a four year old boy while his sister Kleopatra is still a newborn infant. Alex and his
mother are told me be affectionate with each other. Phillip goes to war against Chalkidike and put
Leonidas in charge and trusts him with finding help for Alexander who is seven years old and has
now been ready to train for manhood. Alexander then has a meeting with Hephaestion which they
just argued through the whole conversation. In chapter three Alex is 10 years old when he is going to
meet his father. During this time Alexander also becomes

Essay Greek Theater
Ancient Greek Theater is the first historical record of "drama," which is the Greek term meaning "to
do" or "to act." Beginning in the 5th century BC, Greek Theater developed into an art that is still
used today. During the golden age of the Athenians plays were created, plays that are considered
among the greatest works of world drama. Today there are thousands of well–known plays and films
based on the re–make of ancient drama.
Theater originated from the religious rites of ancient Greek tribes. Located in northern Greece, a cult
was formed to worship the God of wine and fertility, Dionysus. The cult held religious celebrations
which included large consumptions of alcohol, animal sacrifices, and sometimes ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
The government chose wealthy patrons who financed the plays and the competitors who performed
in them. During this time period, providing for the productions meant tax exemption for the
individual and his family that year.
Once plays started being written, the number of interested spectators increased. In order to satisfy
the Greeks amphitheaters were constructed all over Greece. Three well–known theaters were the
theater at Delphi, the Attic Theater and the theater of Dionysus built at the foot of the Acropolis in
Athens. During their prime time, the plays attracted crowds of 30,000 and more. The stands were
built around the orchestra and up hillsides; somewhat like a baseball stadium today. This made it
possible to seat more than 17,000 spectators at a time.
The Dionysian Festivals lasted for several days along with the drama competitions. The
performances were always done during the day and the drinking at night! Little or no makeup was
worn by the actors, instead they wore masks with exaggerated facial expressions. Actors were
always male and played more than one role, so the masks helped portray different characters, races,
and sexes. Not much scenery was used and usually the majority of the play took place in the
orchestra. When attention was shifted to the actors, however, the action was played on stage.
The plays were lit by

How Did Religion Influence Ancient Greek Theatre
Many might be familiar with the theatre that was introduced in the period of sixth to fifth centuries
BCE in Ancient Greece. Religion had always played an important role in contributing to the ancient
Greek theatre. With its origins from religious rituals and ceremonies, theatre has developed
significantly throughout the centuries both sacredly and secularly. In the modern theatre today,
theatre has been used for both religious purposes as well as in the entertainment industries. In this
paper, the influences and impact of religion in Greek theatre will be covered, as well as how theatre
was developed religiously over the centuries.
Before moving into the theatrical aspects of Greek theatre, let us look at how religion was brought ...
The Greek tragedies started off with Thespis, the first actor of Ancient Greek theatre, engaging
himself communicating between the chorus leader and the audiences. According to Hartnoll (1968),
Thespis was also "the first unsanctified person who dared to assume the character of a god" (p. 10)
or as a hero in the plays. Most of the storyline of tragedies illustrated the relationships of humans or
heroes with gods, parents and children, between the good and evil, crimes and deeds done by the
heroes, as well as responsibilities of the characters (Hartnoll, 1968, p. 8). On the contrary, comedy
themes often concluded with happy endings, as well as consisted elements of mockery and everyday
lives. The satyr plays adopted elements from the chorus, who was portrayed as satyrs in honour of
Dionysus. The themes might be linked to the ones in tragedies or it might also be a mockery of the
heroes and gods (Brockett & Hildy, 2008, p. 15). The role of the chorus was to deliver specific
messages of the plays that were not expressed by the actors. Through singing and dancing, they
would either be commenting on the themes or participating in certain actions to enhance the

The History And Development Of The Ancient Greek Theatre
Our dramas, plays and theatres today are all originally inspired by the classic Greek theatres. The
classic Greek theatres can be said as the pioneer in theatricals. As early as 700 B.C., ancient Greek
theatre was originated. There are four qualities of ancient Greek theatre which are the occasions for
its performance, competitive element, choral element and the basis of the theatre.
The earliest theatres or dramas were staged during spring to honor the god Dionysus. This festival,
"City Dionysia" was established by the Athenian ruler named Pisistratus. In Greek mythology,
Dionysus was known as the son of Zeus, the only god who was born by one god and one mortal
parent, Semele. He was also known as the god of wine, fertility and revelry. He was raised by satyrs,
killed, dismembered and was actually reborn. While other gods had temples for themselves, the cult
of Dionysus was hold in the wood. It was believed that he could liberate and inspire man. It was also
believed that he could endow man with divine creativity. Thus, Dionysus was considered as a patron
of arts.
As had been mentioned earlier, the festival, City Dionysia featured competition such as in music,
dance, poetry and singing and prizes were awarded to the winners each year. Actors and playwrights
presented tragedies and comedies during the three days of this festival and they ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
The earliest example of a circular stage occurs in theatre remains dating back to 330 B.C. Before
that period, stages probably were rectangular and the theatre itself constructed out of wood. Other
fixtures included a large platform on wheels that could be rolled in to show the aftermath of a scene
not acted out in front of the audience, and a device used like a crane to lift actors so they appeared to
be floating in mid–air. In some plays this device was used for actors portraying

Greek Theatre And Medieval Drama
Greek Theatre and Medieval Drama: Distant Siblings Greek theatre and medieval drama were both
very popular artistic events in their own periods of performance. However, from ancient Greece to
the renaissance, time has set them apart in terms of methodology; their practitioners use a creative
process based off of different mindsets. Therefore, the significant time lapse between the two genres
has had an evident impact on the way theatre was perceived and presented. In comparing aspects
such as religious motivations, conditions of violence and character development, the distinct
theatrical natures of Greek theatre and medieval drama will be made apparent. Though both genres
of theatre are closely tied to religion, Greek theatre and medieval drama have different religious
motivations that impact the ways in which the theatrical event is utilized. In Greece, theatre was
used to entertain or please the Gods, more specifically the God Dionysus, during the most important
of the four Athenian festivals: the Great Dionysia. The first known Greek playwrights, such as
Thespis and Euripides, were chosen to compete in the festival and submit three tragedies and one
satyr play to be performed in front of approximately 15,000 spectators. In classical Greece, theatre
was the center of citizenship and society; religious ideologies towards Dionysus were not only
realized by performances, but strongly encouraged by the state. For example, if a citizen could not
afford to attend the

Old Comedy vs. New Comedy
Comedies were performed in the Great Dionysia just like tragedies; also comedies were entered in
contests in other festival, known as the Lesser Dionysia, and it was celebrated in the winter.
Comedies combined poetry with coarse language. For example they featured buffoonery, slapstick,
obscenity, and horseplay. The comedy actors dressed in weird costumes that had paddled bellies or
rumps for outrageous effects. "The comic playwrights made their own plots and they focused on
important matters like: politics, philosophies, the new social class, and well–known personalities."
(Roy T. Matthews's pg.70) The comic playwrights freedom could only exist in a democracy.
Freedom was very limited for the comic playwrights. The comic ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
An example is, "a favorite plot device of New comedy hinged on discovering that a seemingly
lowborn character was actually from a respected and often wealthy family." (Roy T. Matthews's
pg.97) Both ancient and modern critics always considered that Menander was the author of New
Comedy. Menander written more than a hundred plays for Dionysia festival Athens, he won first
prize for comedy eight times. He is recognized with accomplishing the comedy of manners. It is a
funny play that pays its attention on the way people talk in the community. The comedies of
manners remind everyone of the Hellenistic focusing on normal scenes from everyday life. One of
Menander's works was The Woman from Samos. This type of comedy worries the character of an
orphaned baby and features a stock of characters: "a courtesan, a young lover, an old lover, a funny
neighbor, and two funny slaves." (Roy T. Matthews's pg.98) He first presenting a household in
which his dad supposed that he and his son are addressing the same lady, when it is actually the son
being occupied with the girl next door. Obviously the play has a happy ending, with all of the
characters brought together, the son gets married to his true love, and the dad and the women
married in a happy ceremony. Western comedy would be incredible if it wasn't for Menander.
Menander style of plays was token into Roman comedy, which was

Dionyysia Research Paper
Drama played a major role in the life of classical Athens. Tragedies and comedies were performed in
the city as part of an important religious festival, the Festival of Dionysia. A large proportion of the
plays were about the City of Dionysia. During the sixth century BCE, the tyrant Pisistratus
established the festival called the City of Dionysia. It took place in Elaphebolion, a month to the last
half of March and the first half of April. During the classical period, this festival lasted several days
and included several types of performances, which were also competitions for important honour and
prizes as many aspects of Athenian society were highly competitive. Plays were only presented at
City Dionysia festival. The festivals were attended ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This included: the bringing–in, procession, revel, contests (tragedies, satyr play, comedy,
dithyrambs) and the assembly. Each part of the festival proved important to Athenian society in
many different ways including the way they honour Dionysus and other God's of drama. In the
tragic competition, each of three tragic poets wrote, produced and acted in three tragedies on a
single theme. Each poet also presented a satyr play. Judges awarded a prize to the best poet. The
festival often began with a procession through the city. This was believed to be a blessing of the
crops of Athens so farmers would have a fruitful harvest. As the procession progressed toward the
temple of Dionysia, Athenian citizens rejoiced, dancing and playing instruments such as
tambourines. The festival began with dithyrambs, or songs sung by a large chorus of usually fifty
men. The remainder of the festival was dedicated to dramatic competitions in which five new plays
were performed and judges gave prizes to the best authors and actors. Keeping with the theme of
three, actors usually assembled on stage in threes, and only men were allowed to perform. If there
were roles that were meant for women, male actors played as the

Greek Theatre Research Paper
Rachida Kateb
Theatre History 4055
Dr. Thompson
08/22/15
Greek Period
The Greeks were the first ones to discover the power of the word, the public speaking. The theater
finds its origins in the mimetic religious representation of the history of the gods and their myths.
Theatre was in honor of Dionysus the god of wine music, and drama, and fertility.The procession
was in the temple of Dionysia, where Athenian citizen were dancing, playing tambourines. Others
where wearing lavish robes and displaying their dignity. The festival began with dithyrambs, or
songs sung by a large chorus of usually fifty men. The remainder of the festival was dedicated to
dramatic competitions in which five new plays were performed and judges gave prizes to ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
it is considered as the result of a democratic State, it aims in particular at inculcating moral values to
the citizens, dealing with problems of the life in community by means of the mythology most of the
time. It is a popular vehicle of political and religious ideas. Athenians performed a comedy, tragedy,
and satyr. For the satyr most of the time actors were wearing masks symbolizing the supernatural
ownership, the mask was molded on the face of the actor. The various characters were easily
recognized by the colors (the satyrs in red, the women in white). However, tragedy were dominating
the competition during the festival City Dionysia. In order to keep the theme of three, actors were
assembled on stage in three with an exception, only men were allowed to perform. Indeed, if there
were roles that were meant for women, male actors portrayed the women. A tragedy was structured
by the prologue where takes place before the entrance and aim at explaining the story. It is folllowed
by the parodos after which the story unfolds through three or more episodes. The episodes are
interspersed by stasima choral interludes explaining or commenting on the situation

Aristophanes Is The Father Of Old Comedy
Aristophanes is the father of old comedy (K.J Dover). Cicero speaks of him as "the most facetious
poet of the old comedy". Aristophanes wrote in a specific genre of literature that Vector Ehrenberg
named "Old Attic Comedy" (1) which was composed and performed in Athens during the fifth and
fourth centuries BC. The exact beginning of the "Attic Comedy" (1) is scarcely known but the word
comedy is derived from a Greek word komodia that means singing and dancing. In the introduction
to Aristophanes 3, Ralph M. Rosen has explained the origin of this word: "Komodia means a
komos–song where the komos refers to a group of men, often costumed, who entertained audiences
with song and dance at various festive occasions" (9). He seems to have been the first to transform
comedy, which was still wondering erratically in its early stages of development, into something
more morally serious and worthwhile (23).
Aristophanes' extant comedies are a social, political and literal rendering. Although tragedy was also
performed at that time, it does not tell us about socio–political matters because of its formal
structure and extravagant diction. Comedy performed that function conveniently. Rosen indicates
"comic diction was far less formal and stylized than tragedy. Old comedy, therefore, could reflect ...
During 405 BC, Athens was demoralized by the effect of war, and democracy had taken birth in
their society. Peloponnesian war was an ongoing issue and Athenian people had lost their heroes
such as Pericles. Among his eleven surviving comedies The Frogs was basically concerned with
morality and amalgamation of subtle lyricism and crude lewdness. Comedy is flexible genre and has
ability to mold the situation and events to show the other side of reality. Comedy allows to cross the
limits and to see the picture with entirely different angle. The Frogs is a reflection of social and
political life of Athens in fifth

Similarities Between Ancient Greece And Ancient China
Religious Practices between Ancient Greece and Ancient China Introduction Religious practices
were important in both ancient Greek and Chinese cultures. The Grecians religious practices were
thought far more central to their everyday lives and beliefs. The Greeks believed that the gods
affected every part of their lives and relied completely on them for happy and healthy lifestyles. The
Chinese also believed that religion was extremely important for living a happy life, but they mainly
made their own decisions.
Ancient Greek Religious Practices
Animal Sacrifices Religious practices in Ancient Greece consisted of animal sacrifices, religious
festivals, and ceremonies that were sometimes daily. Their animal sacrifices were done when a
person felt that they owed a god or goddess something or for family matters. Whenever they decided
to do so they ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
These festivals usually lasted for three days and were celebrated all over Greece. The most popular
festivals are the Anthesteria, Apaturia, The Great Dionysia, and The Thargella. The Anthesteria
Festival was one of the many festivals that honored the god Dionysus. It was annually celebrated in
most Ionian communities for three days. Its name indicated a Festival of Flowers, but the festival
was focused primarily on opening new wine and placating the sports of the dead. The Apaturia
Festival was the most unique among Greek festivals in being associated with a particular social
group: Brotherhood. This festival was celebrated annually for three days in Athens and nearly all
other Ionian towns. The name Apaturia is thought to mean festival of "common relationship". The
Great Dionysia Festival was another festival that was held in honor of the god of pleasure,
Dionysus. It has a highly significant festival as the origin of dramatic tragedy and comedy. It was
held in Athens at the end of March

Why Is Aeschylus Called The Most Superior Greek Drama
Aeschylus, one of the first Greek dramatists, was born between 525–524 BCE, during the period
that the Athenian government was evolving from a tyranny to a democracy. Throughout his whole
life, he would alternate between serving in the military and performing and writing dramas. Every
year, Aeschylus would attend the Great Dionysia, a competition where three dramatists would
perform their dramas or plays and would get ranked from first to third place. Out of his ninety plays,
he won thirteen first place awards. Which means that he won about 42 awards because each tragedy
entry consisted of four plays. He died at age 69 between 456–455 BCE. Aeschylus deserves to have
the title of the "Most Superior Greek because of his great innovations, descriptions

City Dionysi A Satirical Culture In Ancient Greece
Charney Marshall IB English Research Project Greek Drama The Greek Drama is a theatrical
culture that came about around 700 BC, combined of two genres myth and epic. These Dramas were
performed at festivals to honor the Greeks many gods. A popular festival was called "City Dionysia"
in honor of the god Dionysis, the god of wine and procreation. Athens was the main center for the
theatrical festivals. Many tribes competed against one another in performance, the best show won
the contest. When festivals were first brought about the actors, directors and dramatists were all the
same person. After sometime only three actors could be allowed in each play. The limited number of
actors on–stage allowed for the chorus to become a very active

Dramatic Structure Of Oedipus Rex
Tragedy began with the Greeks and is often credited to Thespis as the innovator of this dramatic
style. It is believed that the first dramatic play was performed at the City of Dionysia festival in
honor of the Great Dionysia, god of wine and fertility. Tragedy is derived from the Greek term
tragoidia which means goat song. Aristotle believes that tragedy was a result of improvisation by the
dithyrambic leader. Another argument states that Arion of Corinth is the innovator of tragedy in his
work that he referred to as tragikon, but the chorus called tragoidoi. It is because of this confusion,
that the development of the dramatic form tragedy has remained a mystery. Scholars have based all
their understanding of tragedy on the surviving plays and text on the fifth century playwrights
Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Out of Sophocles 120 plays that he had written in his lifetime,
only seven survived in which the Oedipus trilogy is believed to be a masterpiece of dramatic
structure (Brockett & Hildy 2008). Oedipus Rex is also known as Oedipus the King and was written
somewhere between 430 and 425. The story was based on the life and death of the Greek
mythological King Oedipus and the tragedy that befell upon his children. In the story, Oedipus is a
king who genuinely loved his people and his family. As an infant, Oedipus give abandon by his birth
parents and adopted by another royal family that was not able to bear children. His birth parents
abandoned him out of fear

Aixone Decree Analysis
A decree found from a deme, Aixone, give us insight into life and behavior of the demesmen back in
ancient Greece. Some workings we know about the Aixone from this decree are that it was deme
where the people worshiped the gods, actively appreciated the theater, and where choregoi gained
acclamation. This decree reveals to us that this deme was one where the people worshiped and
celebrated the gods. The theatrical or choral production that this decree is for, focuses around the
festival Dionysia – a festival that celebrates Dionysus, the god of wine and harvest (Lines 10–11).
We can assume that the people then are religious because they are celebrating a festival of the gods
and for the god Dionysus. Also, the demarch gives the winners ten drachmas for sacrifice to the
gods, presumably as thanks and appreciation for Dionysus for their work and victory in the
competition at the festival (Lines 7–8). A sacrifice of money from ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
We can tell theater and the chorus was appreciated in society because the theatrical and choral
productions were being put on during a festival that celebrated the god Dionysus. "...this decree
written on a stone stele and [was] set up in the theater so that the demesmen of Aixone always
produce the best possible Dionysia," shows that theatrical production was important because a
plaque holding the theater, chorus, and choregoi to its highest standards was created to remind them
how important it is to put on the best productions for the festival, for their god (Lines 8–11). If they
did not think the theater was important and a big part of life, they would not have a festival for their
Gods in which choral performances was the center of the festivities. In addition, the theater must
have been a noble and respected part of culture if the elected demarch crowned and awarded the
choregoi for their zeal and hard work (Lines

Use Of Masks In Greek Theatre

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