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Myths played a key role in Greek drama
The Myths – Why they were written 1. Explained the unexplainable 2. Justified religious practices 3. Gave credibility to leaders 4. Gave hope 5. Polytheistic (more than one god) 6. Centered around the twelve
Olympians (primary Greek gods)
Explained the Unexplainable ! When Echo tried to get
Narcissus to love her, she was denied.
! Saddened, she shriveled to nothing, her existence melting into a rock.
! Only her voice remained. ! Hence, the echo!
To justify religious practices
! Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded to worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation, and wine.
Roots in Worship of Dionysus
God of wine and revelry
Theater of Dionysus
! Dionysia was an annual festival in honor of the god Dionysus
! Theater of Dionysus was an open-air Theater with room for fifteen thousand spectators
Theater of Dionysus
! carved out of a stone hillside ! looked like a semicircle with
steeply rising tiers of seats
Theater of Dionysus
Theater of Dionysus
! At the bottom was the rounded orchestra or performance area where the chorus sang and danced
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Theater of Dionysus
! Behind the orchestra was an open, almost bare, stage where actors spoke their lines from behind huge masks
Dionysus Theater in Athens
Theater of Dionysus
! Male actors performed all the roles
! Actors switched masks to play a number of roles – both female and male
Dionysus and Satyrs
To give hope
! The ancient citizens of Greece would sacrifice and pray to an ORACLE.
! An oracle was a priest or priestess who would send a message to the gods from mortals who brought their requests.
Where DID hope come from?
After unleashing suffering, famine, disease, and many other evils, the last thing Pandora let
out was HOPE.
Oracle of Delphi
Oracle of Delphi
Delphi
Delphi
Mount Olympus… …Where the
Olympians
lived.
Who are the Olympians?
The Olympians Are the 12 Main Gods