The Masks of Dionysus Euripides Bacchae 1. “Nothing to do with Dionysus” (Chamaeleon)
Greek Theatre The origins of our stage. Ancient Greeks held ceremonies to honor the gods In one...
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Transcript of Greek Theatre The origins of our stage. Ancient Greeks held ceremonies to honor the gods In one...
Greek Theatre
The origins of our stage
Ancient Greeks held ceremonies to honor the gods
In one ceremony, to honor the god Dionysus, a group of chanters called a chorus danced around an altar upon which a goat was sacrificed.
These ceremonies evolved into dramatic contests
with written plays.
www.clevelandart.org/exhibcef/ mg/html/6269124.html
The members of the chorus were called the “goat singers” and their ritualistic chant was called the tragos seido or “goat song.”
Who? Average citizens
What? Performances
When? c. 500 B.C.
Where? Greece
Why ? ? ? ? To worship the godsGreeks worshipped their gods by
performing on religious holidays
One of these celebrations paid tribute to
Dionysus, God of Fertility,
Wine and Rebirth
homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/
The Festival of Dionysus
Each year three playwrights were chosen to present
3 tragedies and 1 satyr play (comedy)
in the festival competition
The Festival was held in Athens, Greece each Spring
www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/ vienne/en/theatre3.htm
Three major Greek playwrights
Aeschylus
These three men were often the playwrights chosen to present their plays.
Prometheus Bound EuripedesMedea
SophoclesOedipus Rex
Won 24 timesWon 13 timesWon 5 times
The Festival of Dionysus is
considered the birthplace
of true tragedy.
Common Themes of Greek Theatre
Man’s Relationship to the Gods and the Universe
Limits of knowledge Moral responsibility Human suffering
The Structure of Greek Tragedy
Prologos (1st episode)
2nd Episode
Ode (strophe and antistrophe)
Ode (strophe and antistrophe)
Ode (strophe and antistrophe)
Ode (strophe and antistrophe)
3rd Episode
4th Episode
Exodos (5th episode)
Greek plays begin in medias res, in the middle of things, and
build toward a climactic ending with alternating episodes and odes.
Odes feature the chorus explaining or reflecting on the action of the play.
Episodes carry the plot forward. The action of the play occurs here.
ChorusThe chorus traveled back and forth across the stage narrating the story in chants and dance. The leader of the chorus was called the choragos.
Strophe and AntistropheStanzas delivered as chorus moved first in one, then in the opposite direction.
Choruses originally contained 50 actors, but Aeschylus reduced the number to around 15.
TragedyAccording to philosopher Aristotle, tragedy is…
a dramatic representation of an action, severe, which evokes pity and fear and leads to a catharsis in the audience.
A catharsis is a release of emotions, a purging or cleansing. In other words, a
kind of “soul therapy.”
In order for a play to be considered a tragedy, the audience must be led to feel a catharsis.
A central figure in evoking
this catharsis is
the main character,
or tragic hero.
The tragic hero… is a man of Arête
noble stature, or high estate
who possesses Hamartia
which causes his Perepeteia
but leads to his Anagnorisis.
some error of judgment
reversal of fortune
ultimate discovery or recognition
The most common hamartia, or tragic
flaw is hubris, excessive pride.
Thespis…our first “actor”In 534 B.C., a man named Thespis of Attica “invented” acting by designating one member of the chorus to stand apart from the others and respond to them.
www.edta.org/call_board/ who_is_thespis.asp
www.uni-leipzig.de/~antik/ ai/forschung.html
Thespis, an actor/
playwright won the first
dramatic contest at Festival of Dionysus.He is also credited
with introducing masks to the Greek stage.
Thespians are those like Thespis.
Theatre as we know it has its roots in the Greek theatre.
we speak its language…
and we perform on its stage.
We perform its plays…
we wear its masks…
Travel to a local outdoor amphitheatre that is structured like the ancient Greek theatres and…
…perform scenes from a Greek play.
…compare and contrast your local amphitheatre with the ancient Greek theatres.
Ways to “Travel through time” to ancient Greece
Don’t have a local outdoor amphitheatre? Find a hillside and create one using your imagination!
Created by
Amy Pugh Patel
S.R. Butler High School
Huntsville, AL
6/18/03