Overview of Greek Theatre

1. Overview of Greek Theatre The land The myths The stage

2. The Land • Greece has thousands of inhabited islands and dramatic mountain ranges • Greece has a rich culture and history • Democracy was founded in Greece • Patriarchal (male dominated) society • Philosophy, as a practice, began in Greece (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

3. Located in Europe in the Aegean Sea

4. The Land

5. Greek Theater • Look at pg. 768 • Let’s fill out the front page of our packets

6. The Stage

7. Basics of Greek Drama • The Theater: Greek drama usually accompanied religious festivals and was part of the fanfare. The stage was built into a hillside and plays were performed during the day before thousands of onlookers. A large orchestra, located in a pit between the stage and the audience, provided music before, during, and after the performance.

8. The Stage • Greek plays were performed during religious ceremonies held in honor of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry (altars generally on stage) • Banks would shut down for days, people would travel from all around to see the drama competitions—even prisoners were temporarily released to see the plays • Tragedy means “goat song” (relates to Dionysian rituals)

9. The Stage Three Main Portions of Greek Theatre: Skene – Portion of stage where actors performed (included 1-3 doors in and out) Orchestra – “Dancing Place” where chorus sang to the audience Theatron – Seating for audience

12. The Myths: Why they were written • Explained the unexplainable • Justified religious practices • Gave credibility to leaders • Gave hope • Polytheistic (more than one god) • Centered around the twelve Olympians (primary Greek gods)

13. Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded to worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation, and wine. To justify religious practices

14. The Romans used myths to create family trees for their leaders, enforcing the made-up idea that the emperors were related to the gods and were, then, demigods. To give credibility to leaders

15. The Olympians: The Main Gods of Greece

16. King of gods Heaven Storms Thunder Lightning Zeus

17. Poseidon • Zeus’s brother • King of the sea • Earthquakes • Horses

18. Hades • Brother to Zeus and Poseidon • King of the Underworld • Husband of Persphone (Demeter’s daughter)

19. Ares • Zeus’s son • God of war

20. Hera • Zeus’s wife • Queen of gods • Women • Marriage • Childbirth

21. Apollo • God of the sun • Music • Poetry • Fine arts • Medicine

22. Hephaestus [hi-fes-tuhs] • Hera’s son • God of fire • Craftspeople • Metalworkers • Artisans

23. [dahy-uh-nahy-suhs] Dionysus [dahy-uh-nahy-suhs] • God of Wine • Partying (Revelry)

24. Zeus’s son God of messages Trade Commerce Travelers Thieves & scoundrels Hermes

25. Demeter [dih-mee-ter] • Goddess of Harvest • Agriculture • Fertility • Fruitfulness • Mom to Persephone

26. Hestia [hes-tee-uh] • Goddess of Hearth • Home • Community

27. Athena • Goddess of wisdom • Practical arts • War

28. Aphrodite • Goddess of love and beauty

29. Artemis • Virgin goddess of hunting and the moon.

30. Basics of Greek Drama • Actors: All roles were played by men wearing large masks, extravagant robes, and platform shoes. Sophocles, the most popular of Greek dramatists, used three actors who changed costumes between scenes.

31. Greek Tragedy Structure • I. Prologue: Spoken by one or two characters before the chorus appears. The prologue usually gives the background information needed to understand the events of the play. • II. Parodos: the song sung by the chorus as it makes its entrance • III. Episodes/Scenes: the main action of the play

32. Greek Tragedy Structure • IV. Odes: songs (and often dances) that reflect on the events of the episodes, and weave the plot into a cohesive whole • Choragos: the leader of the chorus who often interacts with the characters in the scenes. • Chorus: the 15 singers/dancers who remark on the action 1. strophe: the movement of the chorus from right to left across the stage 2. antistrophe: the reaction to the strophe - moves across the stage from left to right.

33. Greek Tragedy Structure • V. Paean: a prayer of thanksgiving to Dionysos in whose honor the Greek plays were performed • VI. Exodos: sung by the chorus as it makes its final exit, which usually offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play

34. Greek Tragedy Structure • Ancient Greek tragedies should be thought of as closer to opera/operetta than to our spoken, prose dramas. • Though deviations were possible, most tragedies had a typical structure, which derived from the role played by the chorus.

35. Major Greek Dramatists

36. Sophocles: • (496-406 B.C.) • won 24 contests • never lower than 2nd • believed to have introduced the 3rd actor • fixed the chorus at 15 (had been 50)

37. Characteristics of Sophocles' plays: • emphasis onindividualcharacters • reduced role of chorus • complex characters, psychologically well-motivated • characters subjected to crisis leading to suffering and self-recognition - including a higher law above man • exposition carefully motivated

38. Characteristics of Sophocles' plays: • scenes suspenseful and climactic • action clear and logical • poetry clear and beautiful • few elaborate visual effects • theme emphasized: the choices of people

40. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Oedipus was the son of Laius [ley-uhs] and Jocasta[joh-kas-tuh], king and queen of Thebes. After having been married some time without children, his parents consulted the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi about their childlessness. The Oracle prophesied that if Jocasta should have a son, the son would kill her husband Laius and marry her.

41. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • In an attempt to prevent this prophecy's fulfillment, when Jocasta indeed bore a son, Laius had his ankles pinned together so that he could not crawl, and gave the boy to a servant to abandon on the nearby mountain.

42. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • However, rather than leave the child to die of exposure, as Laius intended, the sympathetic servant passed the baby onto a shepherd from Corinth and then to another shepherd. • Oedipus the infant eventually comes to the house of Polybus[pol-uh-buhs], king of Corinth and his queen, Merope[mer-uh-pee] , who adopt him as they are without children of their own.

43. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Many years later, Oedipus is told by a drunk that Polybus is not his real father but when he asks his parents, they deny it. • Oedipus seeks counsel from the same Delphic Oracle. The Oracle does not tell him the identity of his true parents but instead tells him that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. • In his attempt to avoid the fate predicted by the Oracle, he decides to not return home to Corinth. Since it is near to Delphi, Oedipus decides to go to Thebes.

44. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • As Oedipus travels he comes to the place where three roads meet, Davlia. Here he encounters a chariot, driven by his (unrecognized) birth-father, King Laius. • They fight over who has the right to go first and Oedipus kills Laius in self defense, unwittingly fulfilling part of the prophecy. The only witness of the King's death was a slave who fled from a caravan of slaves also traveling on the road.

45. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Continuing his journey to Thebes, Oedipus encounters a Sphinx which would stop all those who traveled to Thebes and ask them a riddle. If the travelers were unable to answer correctly, they were killed and eaten by the sphinx; if they were successful, they would be able to continue their journey. • Oedipus was the first to answer the riddle correctly. Having heard Oedipus' answer, the Sphinx is astounded and inexplicably kills itself by throwing itself into the sea, freeing Thebes.

46. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Grateful, the people of Thebes appoint Oedipus as their king and give him the recently widowed Queen Jocasta's hand in marriage. • The marriage of Oedipus and Jocasta fulfilled the rest of the prophecy. Oedipus and Jocasta have four children: two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene.

47. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Many years after the marriage of Oedipus and Jocasta, a plague of infertility strikes the city of Thebes; crops no longer grow to harvest and women do not bear children. • Oedipus, in his hubris, asserts that he will end the pestilence. He sends Creon, Jocasta's brother, to the Oracle at Delphi, seeking guidance. • When Creon returns, Oedipus hears that the murderer of the former King Laius must be found and either be killed or exiled.

48. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • In a search for the identity of the killer, Oedipus follows Creon's suggestion and sends for the blind prophet, Tiresias, who warns him not to try to find the killer. • In a heated exchange, Tiresias is provoked into exposing Oedipus himself as the killer, and the fact that Oedipus is living in shame because he does not know who his true parents are.

49. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Oedipus becomes unnerved as he begins to think that he might have killed Laius and so brought about the plague. • When a messenger arrives from Corinth with the news that King Polybus has died, Oedipus is relieved concerning the prophecy, for it could no longer be fulfilled if Polybus, whom he thinks is his father, is now dead.

50. UNDERSTANDING OEDIPUS • Nonetheless, he is wary while his mother lives and does not wish to go. To ease the stress of the matter, the messenger then reveals that Oedipus was, in fact, adopted. Jocasta finally realizes Oedipus' true identity, and begs him to abandon his search for Laius's murderer. • Oedipus misunderstands the motivation of her pleas, thinking that she was ashamed of him because he might have been the son of a slave. Jocasta then goes into the palace where she hangs herself.