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Greek Theatre

Greek Theatre. The origins of Western Theatre. Where is Greece?. Where is Greece? Greece is on the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe It also contains a chain of islands as well the largest of these being Crete. Greece is credited with being the birthplace of democracy and modern thought.

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Greek Theatre

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  1. Greek Theatre The origins of Western Theatre

  2. Where is Greece? • Where is Greece? • Greece is on the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe • It also contains a chain of islands as well the largest of these being Crete. • Greece is credited with being the birthplace of democracy and modern thought.

  3. Greek Theatre and Religion • All Greek Theatre was religious in nature at first. • In the city of Athens a great contest developed around the Festival of Dionysus. • Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and fertility. • The Greeks held a festival each year that lasted a week.

  4. Theatre was performed during the day in between the religious rites. • It was performed in very large amphitheatres. • The stage was at the base of a hill and the seats were cut into the side rising upward. • There was little or no scenery or sets. • The hill faced the east so that the sun would be facing the actors most of the day and provide a dramatic backdrop at night

  5. Greek Theatres

  6. Dionysus

  7. Actors and Masks • All Actors were slaves and all actors were male. • Actors wore their normal dress and large masks. • These masks indicated several things about the characters they portrayed: • Age • Gender • Social status • Economic status • Tragedy or comedy

  8. Masks

  9. Now the masks have come to represent theatre world wide. • At first there were no actors as we think of actors. • The actors were a chorus of as few as 15 and as many as 150 people. • They would chant or sing the story. • The first actor to step away from the chorus and play one role was a slave named Thespis and that is why we call actors “Thespians”.

  10. Greek Theatre Notes Part 2 • The three main Greek playwrights that we have the majority of the remaining plays from are Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. • These playwrights were the most influential of their time and had the most lasting effect on theatre.

  11. Aeschylus – The Father of Tragedy • 525 – 456 BC • Reduced the size of the chorus to 12. • Introduced the 2nd actor. • Invented the trilogy. • Involved the chorus in the action more. • Example of his work is Promethus Bound.

  12. Sophocles • 496 – 405 BC • Introduced the 3rd and 4th actor • Created the plot as we know it • Gave us enduring classics such as Oedipus Rex and Antigone.

  13. Euripides • 480 – 406 BC • We have 18 remaining full plays of the 90 we know he wrote. • Not a fan of the Greek religion and his tragedies focused on the psychology and internal struggles of man. • He gave us the “dues ex machina” • Some examples of his work are Medea and The Trojan Women.

  14. Parts of the Greek Tragedy • Prologue – exposition • Parados – processional entrances • Episodes – individual scenes with actors • Statimon – lyrical sections involving music and dancing – chorus gives comment on action or issues • Exodus – summary of play, usually with a message and choral exit

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