Greek Theater

Sophocles

495 BCE – 405 BCE (approx.)Became a prominent resident of Athens, GreeceDionysia was a large religious festival in honor of Dionysus, the god of agriculture, theatre, wine, & ecstasyIn 468 BCE, he took first prize at Dionysia, defeating the reigning champion, AeschylusWrote over 120 plays, only 7 of which have withstood the test of time

Sophocles wrote:

Oedipus Rex

Oedipus at Colonus

Antigone

Roots in Worship of Dionysus

God of wine and revelry

Legend has it… At a competition in the city of

Dionysia, the most remarkable winner was a man by the name of Thespis.

Legend has it that in 534 or 535 B.C., Thespis astounded audiences by leaping onto the back of a wooden cart and reciting poetry as if he were the characters whose lines he was reading. In doing so, he became the world’s first actor. It is from him that we get the word thespian.

Greek Theatre large, open areas

took advantage of hillsides to create stadium style seating

could usually seat thousands of people (Dionysia could seat approx. 17,000)

performance space was called the “orchestra”

this is where the chorus sang and danced

Theater at Epidaurus

Dionysus Theater in Athens

Changed Theatre ForeverIntroduced a third actorGave dialogue a fuller sense of developmentLessened the role of the chorusDeveloped “skēnē” where the background was painted and arranged in order to create a spectacular effect

Chorus

Chorus

Masks of Greek Theater

Masks of Greek Theater

Masks of Greek Theater

Theatrical Terms

Tragedy

Developed out of ancient Greece

A drama or literary work in which the main character, or protagonist, is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sadness, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.

Deals with affairs of the state (wars, government, etc.)

More Terms

Tragic Hero

the main character in a tragedy who makes an error in their actions that leads to their own downfall

Characteristics of a Tragic Hero

The hero is faced with a serious decision.

Central Character suffers a Downfall

He Is often a king or leader

so that his people

experience his fall with him.

HIS downfall arouses pity and

fear

THE HERO THE HERO LEARNS LEARNS

SOMETHING SOMETHING FROM FROM

HIS/HER HIS/HER MISTAKEMISTAKE..

Central Character is Neither Wholly good

nor wholly evil

Downfall is the result of a Fatal

Flaw

Misfortunes affect characters who are related or who are

friends

Tragic actions take place offstage

Central Character has a moment of

recognition

He is physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences,

often resulting in His death.

More Terms

Chorusa group of 12-15 men that provided background information and commentary to help the audience understand the performanceThey modeled how the audience “should” reactThey expressed what the main characters (of which there were only 2 before Sophocles) could not say… their thoughts, feelings, etc.Usually sang, but would also speak in unison (very overdramatically to enhance volume)

Theatrical Terms

Four Types of IronyDramatic- audience knows something the characters don’t

Situational- when the last thing you expect to happen happens

Verbal- what is said vs. what is meant (sarcasm)

Cosmic- what the characters aspire to vs. what the cosmic forces allow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm-1xvWibt0

Delphi

Delphi

Oracle of Delphi

Oedipus and Sphinx

Oedipus and Sphinx

Riddle of the Sphinx

"Which animal has one voice, but two, three or four feet being slowest on

three?"