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Home , Choerilus (playwright), Comedy, Dionysia, Dithyramb, Greek (opera), Greek (play)

Theatre History Lecture Notes Ancient

Unit Lecture compiled by Justin Eick - Theatrical Education Group Objectives:

• Students will Overview – Theatre of Ancient expand their The theatre of , or ancient festival to its numerous colonies and vocabulary of Greek , is a theatrical that allies in order to promote a common flourished in ancient Greece between c. cultural identity. Western theatre theatre. 550 and c. 220 BCE. originates in and its drama has • Students will had a significant and sustained impact understand the The city-state of Athens, which became a on as a whole. impact of significant cultural, political, and military ancient Greek power during this period, was its center, The word tragoidia, from which the theatre on where it was institutionalized as part of a English word "" is derived, is a modern society festival called the , which portmanteau of two Greek words: tragos through analysis honored the god . or "goat" and meaning "", from of historical aeideion, "to sing". This etymology trends from the Tragedy, , and the indicates a link with the practices of the period. were the three dramatic to ancient Dionysian cults. emerge there. Athens exported the • Students will acquire the appropriate skills to Origins accurately and consistently perform ancient was created in Athens important to the Athenians - this is made Greek theatre before 532 BCE, when was the clear by the creation of a tragedy within the earliest recorded . Being a competition and festival in the city of specific winner of the first theatrical contest held Dionysia. The festival was created historical and at Athens, he was the leader of the roughly around 508 B.C. cultural context performed in and around of the era. , especially at the rural Dionysia. While no drama texts exist from the sixth century BCE, we do know the names of Thespis aided in the final transition from three competitors besides Thespis: CA Theatre to tragedy by adding , , and . Content characters who speak (rather than sing) Each is credited with different Standards: with their own voice (rather than a single innovations in the field. chorus). Because of these, Thespis is often called the "Father of More is known about Phrynichus. He Artistic Tragedy"; however, his importance is won his first competition between 511 • 1.1 disputed, and Thespis is sometimes BCE and 508 BCE. He was the first listed as late as 16th in the chronological we know of to use a historical subject - Historical/Cultural order of Greek tragedians. his Fall of chronicled the fate of Context the town of Miletus after it was • 3.1 Thus, Thespis's true contribution to conquered by . He is also • 3.2 drama is unclear at best, but his name thought to be the first to use female • 3.3 has been immortalized as a common characters (though not female Aesthetic Valuing term for performer--a "thespian." performers). • 4.1 The dramatic were Ancient Greek Theatre Page 2 of 4

Origins – The

After the Great Destruction of Athens by place once in winter and once in spring, the Persian Empire in 480 BCE, the town was a competition between three tragic was rebuilt, and theatre became at the . formalized and an even more major part of Athenian culture and civic pride. Each submitted three , plus a The of the South satyr play (a comic, version of theatre in Jerash Jordan, This century is normally regarded as the a mythological subject). Beginning in a the structure at the back is Golden Age of Greek drama. The center- first competition in 486 BCE, each the skene piece of the annual Dionysia, which took playwright also submitted a comedy.

Aristotle states Origins – The that added the The power of Athens declined following However, the primary Hellenistic its defeat in the theatrical form was not tragedy but 'New second , against the Spartans. From that time on, Comedy', comic episodes about the lives the theatre started performing old of ordinary citizens. The only extant and that tragedies again. playwright from the period is . Although its theatrical traditions seem to One of New Comedy's most important have lost their vitality, Greek theatre contributions was its influence on Roman continued into the Hellenistic period (the comedy, an influence that can be seen in added the third period following 's the surviving works of and conquests in the fourth century BCE). . actor – in any event, the Greek Performers playwrights Because the Greek outdoor theatre was The chorus represented townspeople or never put more so large, could not depend on other groups, and remained in the facial expressions or vocal inflections to where they sang, danced, and than three actors convey their characters. Instead, they commented on the action. had to rely on large, simple physical on stage at once. gestures, , and even . The choragos was the head chorus member who could enter the story as a Comedy and tragedy masks have their able to interact with the origin in the theatre of ancient Greece. characters of a play. Masks were used to help show emotions and also helped just three actors to play Costumes also played a significant role all the roles in a play, including female in helping convey characters from afar. characters – there were no actresses. For instance, the actors in these plays that had tragic roles wore boots called In addition to the leading actors, there cothurnuses that elevated them above was a chorus of up to fifteen actors who the other actors. The actors with comedic performed the plays in roles only wore a thin soled shoe called a Tragic Comic Masks accompanied by , beginning in the sock. morning and lasting until the evening. Page 3 of 4 Ancient Greek Theatre

Stage Characteristics

The space was a simple semi-circular space, the orchestra, where the chorus danced and sang.

The orchestra, which had an average diameter of 78 feet, was situated on a flattened terrace at the foot of a hill, the slope of which produced a natural theatron, literally "watching place". Later, the term "theatre" came to be applied to the whole area of theatron, orchestra, and skené.

The were originally built on a very large scale to accommodate the large number of people on stage, as well as the large number of people in the , up to fourteen thousand.

Mathematics played a large role in A blueprint of an Ancient Theatre. the construction of these theatres, Terms are in and letters. as their designers had to able to create acoustics in them such that the actors' voices could be heard Just behind the paraskenia was the Some theatres also had a raised throughout the theatre, including proskenion. The proskenion ("in speaking place on the orchestra the very top row of seats. front of the scene") was columned, called the logeion. and was similar to the modern day In 465 BCE, the playwrights began . There were several scenic elements using a backdrop or scenic wall, commonly used in Greek theatre: which hung or stood behind the Today's proscenium is what orchestra, which also served as an separates the audience from the • Machina - a crane that gave the area where actors could change stage. It is the frame around the impression of a flying actor (thus, their costumes. It was known as the stage that makes it look like the ). skené, or scene. action is taking place in a picture frame. • Ekkyklema - a wheeled wagon The of a character was used to bring dead characters into always heard behind the skené, for Greek theatres also had entrances view for the audience trap doors, or it was considered inappropriate to for the actors and chorus members similar openings in the ground to lift show a killing in view of the called parodoi. The parodoi (plural people onto the stage. audience. of parodos) were tall arches that opened onto the orchestra, through • Pinakes - pictures hung into the In 425 BCE a stone scene wall, which the performers entered. scene to show a scene's scenery called a paraskenia, became a . common supplement to skenes in By the end of the 5th century BCE, • Thyromata - more complex the theatres. A paraskenia was a around the time of the pictures built into the second-level long wall with projecting sides, Peloponnesian War, the skene, the scene (3rd level from ground) which may have had doorways for was two stories high. The upper entrances and exits. story was called the episkenion. Ancient Greek Theatre Page 4 of 4

Timeline Significant /Works 7th Century BCE 625 (c) produces Tragedies: (c. 480–406 BCE): dithyrambic (438 BCE) choruses Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BCE): (431 BCE) The Persians (472 BCE) (428 BCE) 6th Century BCE Seven Against Thebes (467 BCE) (420 BCE) 600-570 The Suppliants (463 BCE) Sisyphos (415 BCE) transfers "tragic choruses" to The (458 BCE, a (405 BCE) Dionysus comprising , 540-527 Pisistratus founds The Bearers and : the festival of the The Eumenides.) Dionysia (c. 446-388 BCE): 536-533 Thespis puts on a Phrynichus (~511 BCE): The Acharnians (425 BCE) tragedy at festival The Fall of Miletus (late 500 BCE) (424 BCE) of the Dionysia (423 BCE) 525 Aeschylus born Sophocles (c. 495-406 BCE): (422 BCE) 511-508 Phrynichus' first victory in tragedy (c. 442 BCE) (421 BCE) 500 (c) Pratinus the King (c. 429 BCE) (414 BCE) introduces the (401 BCE) (411 BCE) satyr play to The Trachiniae (unknown) Athens Electra (unknown) Menander (c. 342-291 BCE): Philoctetes (409 BCE) (317 BCE) 5th Century BCE 499-496 Aeschylus' first dramatic competition 496 (c) Sophocles born Vocabulary/Key Terms 485 Euripides born 484 Aeschylus' first Chorus – a group of performers who Dionysus – the god of , fertility, dramatic victory 456 Aeschylus dies functioned as a commentary on and and revelry 450 (c) Aristophanes as an accompaniment to the action Orchestra – “dancing place” – born of the play terrace where the chorus performed 447 begun Choragos – the head chorus member Satyr Play – a that deals with in Athens who could enter the story as a the mythological subject matter of 431-404 Peloponnesian character able to interact with the the tragedies, but in a purely War characters of a play comedic manner 406 Euripides dies; Comedy – one of two principal Skené – changing hut (the source for Sophocles dies dramatic forms of theatre in ancient the word “scene”) which eventually 404 Athens loses Peloponnesian Greece – divided into three periods: became the backdrop/setting War to , Middle Comedy, and Theatron – slope – “watching place” – New Comedy from which the word “theatre” was 4th Century BCE Comedy and tragedy masks – used derived 399 Trial and death of to show the emotions, switch Thespis – credited as the first between roles, and play characters of tragedy (won the first playwright 380 (c) 's of a different gender contest at Dionysia) as well as the includes critique Dithyramb – an emotional choric first actor (stepped out of the chorus of Greek tragedy or speech sung by a group of and impersonated a character) and comedy 330 (c) 's men to honor Dionysus Thespian – a common term for includes defense Dionysia – a festival in ancient “performer,” derived from “Thespis” of Greek tragedy Athens in honor of the god Tragedy – (literally "goat-song") is a and comedy Dionysus where a theatrical form of based on competition between 3 playwrights that offers its audience was the main event pleasure