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Greek DramaAn Introduction and OverviewDarren Chiang-SchultheissEnglish 102: Intro to Literature
Fullerton College
Beginnings Who: Thespis is said to
have been the first actor and the term thespian is taken from his name.
When: Western drama began to develop in the 6th
century B.C. to worship the Greek god Dionysus.
Were: Greece Why: Celebration of the
Festival of Dionysus
Where and how were the dramas performed?
…In an amphitheatre
…With a chorus who described most of the action.
…With masks
…With all the fighting and movement going on off stage.
….With tragedy first, then comedy later.
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Theater of Dionysus
Theater of Dionysus
The Stage
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The StageThree 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
The Stage
The Stage
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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)
Evolution of Greek Drama Thespis wrote the first drama in 534 BC He was also the first actor
this created the AGON--dramatic confrontation (struggle)
Aeschylus added a second actor, thus furthering the AGON (protagonist, antagonist)
Sophocles added a third actor Comedy uses 4 actors
Dionysus Son of Zeus and Semele (a mortal) and was
killed torn apart and then resurrected
Hence, Dionysus was closely associated with the cycle of nature The god of wine and wine miracles
The god of wild nature
The god of ecstatic possession
The god of the dance
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Festival of Dionysus
Celebration of harvest and honoring of Dionysus Tragic festival--political in nature, allowed for
people to gather together Contest for tragedy established in 534 BC 3 playwrights each brought with them 3 tragedies
and 1 satyr play to be performed Promising playwrights would ask the king to give them
a chorus The plays were performed by the general public, not by
acting companies
Dionysian Masks
Major Greek Dramatists
Aeschylus 525 - 456 B.C.E. 7 of 90 plays survive:
Oresteia Trilogy
Sophocles 496 - 406 B.C.E. 7 of 125 plays survive:
Antigone
Oedipus
Euripides 484-406 B.C.E. 17 or 92 plays survive:
Medea
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Aeschylus Father of tragedy
Reduced the size of the chorus
Expanded the number of actors from 1 to 2
Oresteia is the only surviving trilogy
Sophocles Wrote the dramatic
irony piece, Oedipus Rex
His conflicts focused on his characters’ questioning fate and the will of the gods
Euripides More interested in
people’s lives than in religious views
He became a master of pathos, the term that describes human sorrow and compassion
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Types of Greek Drama Satyr plays A satyr is a half-man, half-beast who always has
an erect phallus Characters are not psychologically developed Similar to slapstick comedy Light and funny to contrast tragedies
Greek Comedy Shows the lives of the lower social classes
Nature of humor is vulgar, lewd, indecent, cheap, and showy
OLD COMEDY of Aristophanes ( The Birds) concentrated on buffoonery and farce
NEW COMEDY of Menander was a comedy of social manners and foibles
Greek Tragedy Themes: complications, revenge, resentment
Lack of emphasis on personality
Characteristics: Fate
Fortune
Circumstances
Intervening gods
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Aristotle as Drama CriticAristotle (384-322 B.C)• Tragic hero: person of nobility who is at
the mercy of his fate, comes close to death, best quality usually leads to his downfall
• Catharsis: purging or purifying of the emotions of pity and fear
• Protagonist: central character (tragic hero) responsible for evoking the catharsis
• Anagnorisis: recognition of truth
• Peripeteia: moment when tragic hero’s fortunes is reversed
Aristotle’s Poetics Tragedy must be complete, and whole, and have a
certain magnitude; it must have a beginning, a middle , and an end.
The tragic poet describes what is “capable of happening according to the rule of probability or necessity.”
“Historians (and scientists) speak of what has happened, the poet of the kind of thing that canhappen. Hence also poetry is a more philosophical and serious business than history; for poetry speaks more of universals, history of particulars.
Aristotle’s Poetics Unities
Time: takes place during single daylight period (1 diurnal)
Place: Performance must take place in one location
Action: Mimetic In theatre, the object of imitation is people in action who
are either better than the average (tragedy) or worse than then average (comedy)
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Aristotle’s Poetics
6 Elements(ranked)
1. Plot2. Character3. Language4. Thought5. Music6. Spectacle
Key Terms
• Mimesis (imitation)• Catharsis (purification)• Hamartia (tragic flaw
such as hubris)• Anagnorisis (self-
recognition)• Peripeteia (change of
fortune)• Pity and fear
Mount Olympus…
…Where the
Olympians
lived.
Who are the Olympians?
Zeus
King of gods
Heaven
Storms
Thunder
lightning
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Poseidon
Zeus’s brother
King of the sea
Earthquakes
Horses
Hades
Brother to Zeus and Poseidon
King of the Underworld (Tartarus)
Husband of Persphone
Ares God of war
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Hephaestus
God of fire
Craftspeople
Metalworkers
Artisans
Apollo
God of the sun
Music
Poetry
Fine arts
Medicine
Hermes
Messenger to the gods
Trade
Commerce
Travelers
Thieves & scoundrels
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Dionysus
God of Wine
Partying (Revelry)
Hera
Queen of gods
Women
Marriage
Childbirth
Demeter
Goddess of Harvest
Agriculture
Fertility
Fruitfulness
Mom to Persephone
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Hestia
Goddess of Hearth
Home
Community
Athena
Goddess of wisdom
Practical arts
War
Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty
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Artemis
Goddess of hunting and the moon.