2. http://sillysoft.net/ael/screenshots/?name=Ancient%20Greece&image=AEL%20Greek%20City%20States

3.  Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BCE)  The Persians (472 BCE)  Seven Against Thebes (467 BCE)  The Oresteia (458 BCE)  Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides.  Sophocles (c. 495-406 BCE)  Theban plays, or Oedipus cycle :  Antigone (c. 442 BCE)  Oedipus the King (c. 429 BCE)  Oedipus at Colonus (401 BCE, posthumous)  Ajax (unknown, presumed earlier in career)  Euripides (c. 480–406 BCE)  Medea (431 BCE)  Sisyphos (415 BCE)  Herakles (421-416 BCE)  The Trojan Women (Troades) (415 BCE)  Helen (412 BCE)  The Cyclops (c. 408 BCE) Aeschylus http://wdict.net/word/aeschylus/

4.  Born 497 BCE in Colonos, Athens  Possibly from an aristocratic family  Some sources say he was the son of a knife-maker  As a young man, considered handsome, and a great athlete  Competed against Aeschylus in drama competitions  Attained the rank of General in the Athenian military  Wrote the Oedipus cycle as three separate plays rather than an intentional trilogy  Increased the number of hypocrites (actors) from 2 to 3, and the chorus from 12 to 15 watson.org

5.  Aristotele said that "honey was dropping from his mouth" due to his harmonic writing  At the end of his life he was dragged before the jury by his son Iofon, charged for dementia. In the court he recited a part of his latest work, "Oedipus at Colonus". The judges admired his spirit and found him innocent  Died in Athens in 405 BC at the age of 92  Wrote 123 dramas, of which only 7 are saved http://www.all-art.org/world_literature/sophocles1.htm Sophocles

6.  Theater’s purpose was to honor the god Dionysus  Annual drama competitions were held  Actors were limited  Originally, the playwright was the only performer!  Sophocles pushed the number of actors all the way to three Dionysus: God of Wine, fertility and the pleasures of civilization http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/godpages/dionysus.html

7.  The Chorus was important because the number of actors was limited (partly due to the competition rules)  Shows how an ideal audience will react  Also comments on themes and gives background info.  Usually sang their roles http://mythologywithcrampton-crampton.blogspot.com/2010/10/greek- drama-for-today-october-6th-2010.html

8.  Masks were typically worn so that audiences could see expressions from a distance  Chorus stood at ground level, actors somewhat higher near the “ Skene ” (back wall of the stage)  Death was always behind the S kênê, hidden from the audience  Mechane  a crane that gave the impression of a flying actor (thus, deus ex machina ).  Trap doors  lift people onto the stage  Pinakes  pictures hung to create scenery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Epidaurus_Theater.jpg Wikipedia.org

9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ancient_greek_theater_%28en%29.svg

10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GriechTheater2.PNG