1. 1 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Historical Background)
Early Aegean civilizations affected theatre through the influence of their gods, heroes, and histories
These were the source material for Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, which were in turn the basis for Greek drama.
Thus, these civilizations provided the foundation for Western literature.
The Greek civilization that developed theatre took shape between the 8th and 6th centuries B.C.E.
The most important city-states were Attica (Athens), Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Megara, and Argos.
They were ruled by kings until around 800 B.C.E, when nobles began to gain power.
A map of ancient Greece.
Image: Ancient_Regions_Mainland_Greece.png/280px-Ancient_Regions_Mainland_Greece.png 1

2. 2 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Historical Background)
Tyrants came into power in many city-states between 650 and 500 B.C.E.
Many of them actually improved social conditions and promoted the arts
The most important was Peisistratus
He made Athens the leading center of the Arts
He established or enlarged several festivals including the City Dionysia (the major home of drama)
Eventually tyrants were overthrown, and Athens founded the world’s first Democracy around 508 B.C.E.
Possibly a carved bust of Peisistratus.
Image: 2

3. 3 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (Historical Background)
Athenian confidence in their strength and worth greatly motivated their artistic expression.
Equally important was the Greek view of human beings and the Gods
Greek thought is characterized by a tension between:
Human rationality
Acknowledgement of unpredictability
Greek faith in humanity was great, but they were not consistent
They enslaved others
They severely restricted the role of women
This sculpture shows a variety of Greek gods.
Image: 3

4. 4 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (The Origin of Tragedy)
In one account, the invention of tragedy is credited to Thespis in 534 B.C.E.
It is said he won a competition in Athens as part of the City Dionysia festival
This confusion is probably due in part to the imprecise meaning of the word tragoidia (“goat song”) from which we get the word tragedy.
Later Roman authors say Thespis experimented with different types of masks.
The great innovation attributed to Thespis is the creation of “dialogue”
Assumed to be an exchange of words between him and the leader of the chorus.
This made him the first actor/dramatist
Greeks called him hypokrites, meaning “interpreter” or “answerer”
A statue honoring Thespis, the first actor.
Image: 4

5. 5 Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece (The Origin of Tragedy)
The earliest still-existing account of how Greek drama originated comes from Aristotle’s Poetics.
It states that Drama emerged from improvisations by leaders of dithyrambs (hymns sung and danced to Dionysus, Greek god of wine and fertility).
Alternate theories argue that drama emerged from experimentation with performance forms like recited stories, sung poetry, and narrative dance
Regardless, a major step was taken when the first actor/dramatist appeared in the 6th century B.C.E.
The second major step occurred early in the 5th century B.C.E. when Aeschylus added a second actor
This allowed face-to-face conflict on stage
As soon as one actor stepped out from the chorus, drama as we now know it was born!
Image: 5