1. Greek Theater

2. Overview of Greek Theatre
The land
The myths
The stage

3. The Stage

4. The Stage Three 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

5. The Stage

6. 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)
People would travel from all around to see the drama competitions—even prisoners were temporarily released to see the plays

7. The Stage

8. 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.

9. The Chorus
(1) To explain the action (2) To interpret the action (3) To foreshadow the future (4) To serve as actors (5) To sing and/or dance (6) To give the author's views. (act as narrator).

10. The Catharsis Defined as to clean or purge
Aristotle stated that its effect is to rid the audience of negative emotions
A catharsis occurs as a result of the following reactions:
Audience members resolve to avoid conflicts of the main character
Audience members transfer their own pity and fear to the main character, thereby emptying themselves of these disquieting emotions.
In either case, the audience members leave the theater as better persons intellectually, morally, or socially.
They have either been cleansed of fear of pity or have vowed to avoid situations that arouse fear and pity.

11. Masks of Greek Theater

12. The masks were worn for many reason including:
1. Visibility
2. Acoustic Assistance
3. Few Actors, Many Roles
4. Characterization

13. Some general categories of masks
1. OLD MEN
2. YOUNG MEN
3. SLAVES
4. WOMEN
5. SPECIALIST MASKS
Some made for specific characters, others for: Mourning, Blindness, Deceit, Drunkenness...etc. (The comic masks, those especially of old comedy, were as like as possible to true persons they represented, or made to appear more ridiculous)

15. Masks of Greek Theater

17. Masks of Greek Theater

18. Comedy (Servant or Herald ) Tragedy (Weeping Chorus)
Modern-day replicas
Hero-King
Comedy (Servant or Herald )
Tragedy (Weeping Chorus)

19. Theater at Epidaurus

20. Theater at Epidaurus

21. Myths Played a Key Role in Greek Tragedy

22. The Myths – Why they were written
Explained the unexplainable
Justified religious practices
Gave credibility to leaders
Gave hope
Polytheistic (more than one god)
Centered around the twelve Olympians (primary Greek gods)

23. Explained the Unexplainable
When Echo tried to get Narcissus to love her, she was denied.
Saddened, she shriveled to nothing, her existence melting into a rock.
Only her voice remained.
Hence, the echo!

24. To justify religious practices
Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded to worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation, and wine.

25. Roots in Worship of Dionysus
God of wine and revelry

26. Theater of Dionysus 26

27. Dionysus Theater in Athens

28. Dionysus Theater in Athens

29. Dionysus Theater in Athens

30. To give credibility to leaders
Used myths to create family trees for their leaders

31. To give hope
The ancient citizens of Greece would sacrifice and pray to an ORACLE.
An oracle was a priest or priestess who would send a message to the gods from mortals who brought their requests.
Where DID hope come from?
After unleashing suffering, famine, disease, and many other evils, the last thing Pandora let out was HOPE.

32. Oracle of Delphi

33. Oracle of Delphi

34. Delphi

35. Delphi

36. Mount Olympus…
…Where the
Olympians
lived.
Who are the Olympians?

37. The Olympians Are the 12 Main Gods

38. The Olympians

39. Zeus
King of gods
Heaven
Storms
Thunder
Lightning Bolt

40. Poseidon
Zeus’s brother
King of the sea
Earthquakes
Horses

41. Hades Brother to Zeus and Poseidon King of the Underworld (Tartarus)
Husband of Persphone

42. Ares
God of war

43. Hephaestus
God of fire
Craftspeople
Metalworkers
Artisans

44. Apollo
God of the sun
Music
Poetry
Fine arts
Medicine

45. Hermes Messenger to the gods Trade Commerce Travelers
Thieves & scoundrels

46. Dionysus
God of Wine
Partying (Revelry)

47. Hera
Queen of gods
Women
Marriage
Childbirth

48. Demeter Goddess of Harvest Agriculture Fertility Fruitfulness
Mom to Persephone

49. Hestia
Goddess of Hearth
Home
Community

50. Athena
Goddess of wisdom
Practical arts
War

51. Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty

52. Artemis
Goddess of hunting and the moon.

53. The Basic Storyline and Structure of Greek Tragedy

54. STRUCTURE
Prologue  Introduces the tragedy’s topic/issue
Parodos  Chorus entry chant
Episodes  Individual scenes; usually 3-5 over the course of the play
Choral Ode (Stasimon)  Each episode is culminated with a choral ode where the chorus comments on the preceding episode. The chorus will have a fixed movement either towards the altar (Strophe) or away from the altar (Antistrophe). These movements are often repeated several times over the course of the ode.
Exode (exit ode)  The exit song of the chorus after the last episode often providing the catharsis.

55. Central Character is of the Elite Class

56. Central Character suffers a Downfall

57. Central Character is Neither Wholly good nor wholly evil

58. Downfall is the result of a Fatal Flaw (Hamartia)

59. Misfortunes involve characters who are related or who are friends

60. Tragic actions take place offstage

61. Central Character has a moment of recognition

62. Audience experiences pity and fear

63. Pity and Fear leads to a catharsis