ancient greece

HOMER The Illiad

and The Odyssey 7th century

B.C.

What was needed to create theater in Greece:

A middle class to create/attend the plays. A sense of partiotism. Spare time. Relative peace and relative prosperity. A stable economy. A public sponsor and public encouragement. Appreciation for learning.

PISISTRATUS – 560 BCE to 510 BCE

PERSIAN EMPIRE IN 5TH CENTURY B.C.E.

Greece,

Circa 500 B.C.E.

PERICLES 495 B.C.E. to 429 B.C.E. Ruled from 460 B.C.E. to 429 B.C.E.

'All kinds of enterprises should be created which will provide an inspiration for every art, find employment for every hand... we must devote ourselves to acquiring things that will be the source of everlasting fame.'

Parthenon at the Acropolis paid for, in part, by the Delian League

ATHENA AND NIKE

Nashville, Tennessee

NASHVILLE RECREATION

ARCHAIC 6th Century BC

SEVERE Early 5th Century BC

CLASSICAL Mid 5th Century BC

HELLENISTIC 4th Century BC

CONJECTURAL MASK OF DIONYSUS

DIONYSUS

DIONYSUS Statue made 4th

Century B.C.E.— Roman copy of Greek original.

Modern Production at Epidaurus

MASKS OF TRAGEDY POSSIBLY CAST FROM MASKS WORN BY GREEK ACTORS.

STRUCTURAL CONCEITS OF GREEK TRAGEDY

•! Prologue (exposition) •! Parados (entrance of the chorus) •! Episode (two person scene) •! Staisma (comment on the episode)

–!Episode and Staisma continue. •! Exodos (resolution and exit)

Inciting Incident

Point of Attack

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

GENRES INVENTED BY THE GREEKS

•! TRAGEDY –! Character based, ends with the death or destruction

of a single main character. Based on mythology. •! SATYR

–! Plot based, bawdy parody of serious stories from mythology.

•! OLD COMEDY –! Character based critiques of the social norms. New

story ideas. •! NEW COMEDY

–! Plot based, formulaic plays about young lovers being kept apart by their parents – aka domestic comedies.

THE POETICS BY ARISTOTLE

•! Written after the fact (circa 330 B.C.E.) •! Praises Sophocles over Euripides •! Three Unities

–!Space –!Time –!Action

•! One character – single action •! No subplots

Satyr – modern depiction

SATYR MASK

Vase Painting of A Satyr Play.

THE GREAT GREEK PLAYWRIGHTS

•! Aescylus (523 to 456 BC) Tragedy and Satyr •! Sophocles (490 – 406 BC) Tragedy and Satyr •! Euripides (480 – 406 BC) Tradedy and Satyr •! Aristophanes (445 to 385 BC) Old Comedy •! Menander (342 – 292 BC) New Comedy

AESCHYLUS 523 B.C.E. to

456 B.C.E.

Orestes kills Aegisthus, Clytemnestra flees

Apollo cleanses Orestes with pig’s blood.

Clytemnestra tries to awaken furies.

Modern production of The Oresteia

Oresteia at Thick Description, San Jose

SOPHOCLES 496 B.C.E to 406 B.C.E.

Oedipus Rex

Contemporary production of Oedipus Rex

TYRONE GUTHRIE OEDIPUS REX

Jocasta

Expressionistic production of Oedipus Rex

Euripides 480 BC to 406 BC

Medea with two doomed children. Roman copy, 2nd

Century C.E.

Media’s chariot

Jason and Medea

JASON AND MEDEA AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION

MEDEA AT ANTIOCH

ARISTOPHANES 445 B.C.E. – 385 B.C.E.

Vase Painting, possibly of THE BIRDS

Possible depiction of THE BIRDS

Comedy Mask of Old Man

MASKS OF COMEDY

Modern set design for The Birds

Modern mask and costume for The Birds

LYSISTRATA at Mt. SAC

MENANDER 342 B.C.E to 292 B.C.E.

Menander and masks

Menander with masks

Differences between Old and New Comedy

•! OLD COMEDY –! New stories based on

pursuit of a “Happy Idea”

–! Political in nature –! Episodic –! Chorus is integral –! Mystical and varied

settings (likely on the orchestra)

–! Crass and sexual –! High verse

•! NEW COMEDY –! Formulaic stories based on

love interest and flawed character

–! Domestic in nature –! Five acts –! Chorus is incidental –! Street setting, likely on the

skena, with three doorways.

–! Polite –! Pedestrian dialogue

Greek Architecture and Stagecraft

Greek Theater, plan view

Deus ex Machina or Mechane:

conjectural drawing

Deus ex Machina Conjectural drawing

Ekkeklema

TWO MODERN CONJECTURES FOR THE EKKYKLEMA

PINAKES

Periaktoi

This Roman statue may depict a Greek tragic actor. There is scant evidence that Kothurnae were worn in 5th Century B.C.E., but possibly they were used in 4th Century B.C.E.

Modern Depictions of Cothurnae

Oedipus Rex

Contemporary production of Oedipus Rex

TYRONE GUTHRIE OEDIPUS REX