1. Greek Theatre

2. Greek Theatre and Religion Greeks worshipped several gods Zeus King of the gods Hera Goddess of marriage Aries God of War Dionysus God of wine, fertility and revelry

3. Religious Festivals City of Dionysia Honoring Dionysus Festival that ran several days Full of plays Dithyramic plays and choruses Dithramb = long hymn sung by fifty men called The Chorus

4. Thespis First actor to step away from chorus. Greek word for actor = hypokrite Is the reason modern actors are called thespians

5. Playwrights Majority of plays written about Greek myths Myth=story or legend Examples: Orpheus & Eurydice The Illiad & The Odyssey Hercules

6. Aeschylus (c. 525-456 B.C.E) Often considered the founder of Greek drama Introduced the second actor All plays before had only one actor Example: Thespis Reduced the number in The Chorus from fifty to twelve Making it more manageable

7. Sophocles (c. 496-406 B.C.E) Noted for superb plot construction Introduces characters and information skillfully Builds swiftly to climax Exploration of character and focus on individual also characteristic of his plays Examples: King Oedipus Antigone

8. Euripedes (c. 480-406 B.C.E) Considered the most “modern” of Greek playwrights Characters behaved as people do in everyday life Realism was not considered appropriate for tragedy Criticized for weak plots Example of one of his plays: Medea

9. Aristotle and his Poetics

10. Aristotle (c. 384-322 B.C.E) First critic of Greek tragedies According to Aristotle, all tragedies had six elements-- The Poetics Said tragedy produced the emotions of pity and fear known as catharsis Audiences felt pity for the suffering of the hero and feared that the same fate might befall them as well.

11. The Poetics (c. 335 B.C.E) Plot The arrangement of dramatic incidents Characters The people represented in the play Theme The ideas explored in the play Language The dialogue and poetry Music Spectacle Scenery and other visual

12. Satyr Plays Comical plays involving a chorus of satyrs Mythological half-goat, half-man creatures Parodied the tragic heroes and their tales

13. The Greek Theatre Building The Theatron Literally, “the viewing place” Where the audience sat The Orchestra The playing area for the actors The Skene Scene building

14. Costuming Masks Major element of Greek costuming All performers wore masks Covered entire head, including hair Helped audiences identify characters Allowed actors to play mulitple Clothing Tragic characters wore very ornate tunics and short or long cloaks Comical characters work clothing based on everyday clothing Often cut tight to create humorous effect by emphasizing certain physical features.