It’s All Greek to Me Greek Theatre

Origins of Theatre By 600BC, many ancient Greeks practiced the rites of Dionysus, rituals honoring the god of fertility and wine. During the rites, a group of men would dress up as satyrs, mythological creatures that are half-man and half-goat. Then this group, known as a chorus, would sing a dithyramb, a hymn to Dionysus often accompanied by dancing.

A Chorus chanting a Dithyramb

The Myth of Thespis Thespis, an early Greek dramatist, known as the “inventor of tragedy” and the “father of theatre,” drastically changed theatre by introducing basic elements such as the prologue, speeches, masks, makeup, costumes, and even the independent actor. Prior to Thespis, Greek theatre relied on the Chorus to create dramatic tension. When Thespis addressed the chorus, engaging its members in dialogue, he essentially became the first individual actor. At the great Dionysia festival in 534 BC, Thespis became the first person to win a prize for tragedy. “Thespian,” another word for actor, comes from his name.

Aeschylus Aeschylus was the first of the prominent Greek tragedians and is considered the founder of Greek drama. He was the first to use a second actor in his plays, making dialogues possible. His best known work is the Oresteia, a trilogy.

Sophocles Sophocles is considered among the greatest playwrights of ancient Greece. He wrote more than 120 plays, including the famous tragedy Oedipus Rex. Destiny and the consequences of people’s actions were important elements in his plots, and he tried to show his characters as ideal human beings. He introduced a third actor to the stage, increased the chorus from 12 to 14 individuals, and wrote complicated plays that touched on religious and moral themes.

Euripides One of the most important Greek dramatists, Euripides wrote about Greek legends and myths in the vernacular and without the traditional ploy of touting religious and moral values. He wanted to show his characters as people really were: common individuals rather than gods or heroes. Many of his protagonists were female characters. Euripides is best-known works are Medea, Orestes, Bacchae, The Trojan Women, and Electra.

Aristophanes Aristophanes was one of the greatest Greek comedy writers. While he is believed to have written more than 40 plays, only 11 survive. Aristophanes’ works are characterized by graceful expressions, puns, merciless invective, and satire. They were considered unfashionable in his day because they satirized public figures and criticized society and politics.

A Greek Chorus

A Chorus with an Actor

Actors in a Greek Play

Greek Stages The typical Greek theatre space is called an amphitheatre. The steeply raked seating area for the audience, called the theatron, surrounded three sides of the playing area, known as the orchestra. Immediately behind the orchestra was the skene, or stage house. The front wall of the skene probably had doors through which actors made their entrances. The skene could hide the actors from the audience’s view, housed the stage machinery, stored the props, and provided dressing space for the actors. The audience would enter and exit the space through the aisles, known as parodos.

Greek Theatre Ruins

Costuming Originally, the theatre was only for men, both as performers and spectators. Women were not allowed to attend theatrical performances until around 400BC. To identify who was who, Greek actors wore padded costumes, boots with thick soles, and masks. Greek masks helped audiences identify a character’s gender, status, and disposition.

Ancient Greek Masks

Remakes of Ancient Masks

Modern Takes on Masks

Parts of a Greek Stage

Greek Theatre Quiz