GREEK THEATER AS AN ART FORM

Links provided for more detailed descriptions of the events or characters

Ancient Greeks, so outstanding in their contributions to the art of theater, have never been surpassed. Their three sources of pride (accomplishments) are:

• architecture
• government
• tragedies

ART FORM:
Dionysian rites are rituals to pay homage to the greek goddes Dionysus, the greek goddess of wine and fertility.
These were public celebrations that were always held at the foot of a hilly vineyard with stone altars covered with grapes. These religious celebrations consisted of choral groups that competed with one another in song. Tragedies developed over time that were entirely sung, not spoken.
The word tragedy came from the greek word tragos, which in term means 'goat song'. Some scholars think that the term came about because of three things;

1. The chorus members wore goat skins.
2. The altar was draped in goat skins.
3. A goat was always sacrificed at the end of the event.

The City Dionysia festival was one of four festivals held in Athens. This festival that was always held in March, lasted a week and everyone was expected to participate, businesses were not allowed to be open. It lasted five or six days accoding to how many competitors there were. It was like the Tony Awards, ended up with a winner at the end.
The first day of the Dionysia began early with a procession through the city carrying an image of Dionysus. The day was spent with religious rites, wine drinking, and merry making, like our modern day Woodstock. At the end of the day the image of Dionysus was returned to the 'theatron'.
(Here are two examples of theatrons"
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Below is the Theater at Epidaurus, the most perfectly preserved of all ancient Greek theaters. Built at about mid fourth-century B.C., it is thought to be typical of Hellenistic theater architecture. Theaters were built during this period at an unprecedented rate: twelve were built in Attica alone, and others were constructed in Asia Minor, Africa, and Italy. The stage here is raised, and the orchestra remains fully circular.

The next day or two were devoted to the dithyrambs contests, which were singing contests.
(The following is a quote from website: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/Classes/US210/City-Dionysia.html#dithyrambs)
"The dithyramb was a sort of hymn in honor of Dionysos as god of fertility, grapes and wine; it told the story of his birth, rebirth and further adventures. Originally it was a frenzied dance involving animal mummery (satyrs, silenoi etc.), but by classical times it had become quite dignified and made use of the same expressive hand-gestures used in tragedy and comedy".
The final two or three days the people would assemble early in the morning and watch Greek plays until dark.
Each day a single dramatist was featured and they would offer up four plays.

• The first three were trilogies, three plays that revolved around the same theme
• The fourth paly was a satire or farce that poked fun at tht characters of the trilogy

At the end of the City Dionysus the dramatist and the choregus (financial backer like modern producer) won a garland of ivy which was highly coveted.
Here are a few links that go with this section:
http://cfaonli ne.asu.edu/the100/classnotes/THE10 0_classnotes.html
http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/ digital/2000/c_n_c/c_03_classic/classical_drama.htm
http://zagreus.com/dramacontent.htm
http://www.aug.edu/langlitcom/hum anitiesHBK/handbook_htm/greek_tragedy.htm

Fine Arts Theater

GREEK THEATER AS A FACILITY

Links provided for more detailed descriptions of the events or characters

Dr. J's Illustrated South Slope of the Acropolis
This link has sketches of greek facilities: Greek Stagecraft
The evolution of the theater is as follows:

The first Greek facility:

The Greek theater was outside

Crude wooden benches sitting on a slope of a hill looking down at a circle of packed ground

Then they scooped out the sides of a mountain and embedded stones in concrete for the seating.

The first one or two rows of seating were always reserved for the dignataries-polititions, financial backers, etc...

The capacity of the theater was 20,000 people

• ORCHESTRA:The core of any Greek theater is the orchestra, the ?dancing place? of the chorus and the chief performance space. Almost nothing remains from the fifth-century structure of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens, but later theaters suggest that the original orchestras were full circles; see, for example, this aerial view of the theater at Epidaurus.
• SKENE: (meaning ?tent?) On the far side of the orchestra was the stage building, or skene (meaning ?tent?). This was a covered structure, originally a temporary wooden building, where the actors stored their masks and costumes and performed quick changes out of the sight of the audience, when they changed costumes that meant the scene changed because they used very little scenery. This might be where the word scene came from.
• TRENCH: PARADOS/PARADOI: On either side of the skene were ramps paradoi leading to the orchestra. This was built next so people could file on stage without the audience being able to see them.
• PROSKINEON:There may have been projecting wings on either side of the stage building (the paraskenia, ?beside the skene?), and between these two wings there may have been a low platform or stage, connected to the orchestra by only a few steps (the proskenion, ?in front of the skene?)


• The size of the facility dictated the style of the play. The actors had to exaggerate gestures and the costumes had to be elaborate because people sat so far away.
• Used an ONKUS which was a 4 foot high headpiece and Corthurnis which were platform shoes to increase their size. Their masks were huge so you could tell what their character was, a king, or happy or sad. They also used a megaphone type device under the masks so they could be heard far off.
• actors wore standard Greek attire (tunic, long draped mantle and cloak) but it was very colourful, often with elaborately embroidered patterns on it
• loose robe may have a train; almost always had sleeves
• because the theatre was large, actors used broad gestures and declamatory speaking, sometimes accompanied by appropriate music. Occasionally the actor would sing.
• chorus entered in a stately march, but occasionally members would come on singly or in groups from various directions


MASKS



• most important feature of an actor's costume
• said to have been introduced by Thespis
• were made of light wood, cork or linen
• more than thirty "types" were known to have existed
• each mask indicated the age, standing and sex of the character as well as the dominant emotion of the character (i.e. fear, rage, hate, despair)
• features and expression were greatly exaggerated
• purpose of the mask was two-fold: first to project the personality and second, to give resonance to the voice
• different complexions and hairstyles of the masks denoted a variety of personalities. For instance a dark tan indicated a healthy, outdoor type of individual such as a soldier, a farmer, or an athlete. Extreme pallor denoted love or illness. Red hair and cheeks warned the audience of a rascal, and curly thick hair showed vigor.
• the actor, denied the use of facial expression, and limited by his costume to broad, sweeping gestures, was forced to rely on the expressiveness of his voice for most of his effects
• Greek actor was a static, godlike creature
• Greek chorus who needed more freedom of movement, wore the dress of the people they represented, and lighter, simpler masks

There are two basic concepts of staging

1. Pinake- this is the scenery painted on boards and leaned up against the skene, like backdrops
   Here is a link to some examples:
   On the left is a pinax depicting the Rape of Persephone, on the right a pinake showing Eros pulling Hermes and Aphrodite.
   
2. Periaktois- these were triangular, prism shaped pieces of scenery that flipped to change scenery.
Props were not used because the audience couldn't see them. They were also the first to use imitational sound effects like using a sheet of tin for thunder.


ekkyklema - in a theater, a platform rolled out on wheels through one of the doors of the skene on which a tableau was displayed representing the result of an action which had taken place indoors and therefore was unseen by the audience. Was used to wheel on a character as a corpse, a standard thing used and was expected

deus ex machina - 'god from the machine' used to refer to the appearance of gods by means of the mechane in ancient Greek tragedy. Was used to raise and lower an actor to and from the 'heavens' when they were portraying a god. This term in modern times is an insult-when a show ends in an imappropiate way or tesolves in a way that has nothing to do with the storyline.

RULES that the playwrights abided by

• Aristotle established the rules for tragedy, he was the master of the poetics. The play must provide catharsis (experience) a spiritual perch, should inspire pity or terror. For example, in the movie Titanic, the catharsis could be where the (1) ship splits in two, (2) the mother reading to her children, (3) when the band was playing, or the (4) father saying goodbye to his family. Notice the cathardic moments didn't include the characters of Rose and Jack.
1. The catharsis should inspire us to lead better lives
2. The hero must be in a high social position. A king or a god that possesses a tragic flaw, for instance, somthing in his character or a failure in his judgement that brings about disaster.
3. There must be a change in fortune- a reversal, all efforts for good turns out bad, boomerang effect. A discovery- something that moves the character to knowledge right before he dies
4. The play must be written in the highest form of poetry, was lyrical first, sung then dialogue evolved later but it still rhymed
5. The plots must conform to 3 unities

a. time- action should be told in a twenty for hour span of time (this was not followed then or now)
b. action- a series of closely related events, a unity of theme
c. place- action should take place in only one locality, not sets, places.(this was not followed then or now)

Ancient Greek Form (FORMAT) Four of them

1. Prologue- a voice over, a voice out of nowhere

Little Shop of Horrors used the Greek Tragedy format

2. Parados- a song that brought on the chorus
3. Epeisodian- passage of dialogue that alternates with song, sung by the chorus, body of story
4. Exoudis- song that took the chorus off stage

The plot of a Greek tragedy usually consisted of five parts: the
prologue, the Parodos, the five Epeisodia (episodes), the five
stasima and the Exodus (or epilogue). Sophocles follows the
conventional pattern of plot construction with very little deviation
from the norm.

The Prologos (literally ?fore-word?) forms the prologue to the
actual play. It is the part preceding the first entrance of the Chorus
and usually consists of a monologue (or dialogue) setting forth the
subject matter of the tragedy and the basic situation from which it
starts. In early Greek tragedies, the Chorus entered first and
performed this function of exposition. Sophocles prefers a later
method in Antigone, by making Antigone reveal her decision to
bury Polynices to her sister, Ismene.

The Parodos is the second segment of the plot and refers to the
song (and stylized movements or dance) which accompanies the
first entrance of the Chorus on stage. The opening Chorus song
serves a purely expository function in Antigone.

These two initial segments of the plot are followed by five major
?Epeisodia? or episodes. In these scenes, one or more of the three
central actors took the major and minor roles, along with the
Chorus. The word ?Epeisodian? meant, originally, the entrance of
an actor to announce something significant in the plot to the
Chorus. The episodes contained both typical passages and narrative
or dramatic dialogues, lamentations and incidental songs or
utterances by the Chorus. Each of these episodes is followed by a
stasimon, a song sung by the Chorus.

SIX GREEK PLAYWRIGHTS (DRAMATISTS)

1. Thespis- He was the most significant playwright of all time, where the word Thespian came from. He was the first playwright to win the City Dionysia and was the one who instigated the use of masks, dialogue and the use of characters instead of just song. Theater evolved from him on. Gave us the first actor. The "inventor of tragedy" was born in Attica, and was the first prize winner at the Great Dionysia in 534 BC. He was an important innovator for the theatre, since he introduced such things as the independent actor, as opposed to the choir, as well as masks, make up and costumes.
   Thespis walked around Athens pulling a handcart, setting up a kind of one man plays, where he showed the bad behaviour of man. The word for actor " thespian" comes from his name. His contemporary Solon resented him, with the explanation that what he showed on stage soon would be acted out in reality as well.
2. Aeschylus- was the oldest of the most prominent tragedy writers and is generally considered the founder (father) of Greek drama. He was the first to use a second actor in his plays, which made dialogues possible. Of his best known works is the Oresteia, which is about Agamemnon's son Orestes, who revenged his father only to be persecuted by the Erinyes. As a young man Aeschylus had fought against the Persians at the battle of Marathon. He ended his days as an old man at the court of the Tyrant Hieron of Syracuse and died when an eagle dropped a turtle on his head. He won the Dionysia 13 times and he was the inventor or the trilogy.
   He reduced the chorus from 50 to 12 people and added the second actor to the Greek stage. Loved spectacle (all things seen) and did a whole lot with costumes and masks. He instigated the use of stunt men. He did believe in gods and predestination but he gave human beings a sense of their own responsibility for thir own fates- If a boulder is coming at you, jump out of the way! This was a frightening concept in that time. Out of 90 plays only 7 are in existance today, the rest were destroyed.
   
3. Sophocles-Was a handsome, very well educated musician, singer, great athlete, involved in civil affairs (political). He wrote over 100 scripts and he won the Dionysia 18 times- more that anyone else. He introduced the third actor into plays, his plays were most famous for THREE things:
   
   • beautiful language
   • a well balanced plot with antagonist, protagonist and arbitrator (third actor)
   • excellent character portrayal
   Together with Euripides and Aeschylus,Sophocles is considered the greatest playwright of Ancient Greece. He was born in Colonos near Athens, his father was a wealthy armour maker and he got a thorough education. His friends and associates were influential people, amongst them Herodotus and Pericles.
   
   At 28 he won the first prize in a dramatic competition, defeating Aeschilus, and was to win 20 other first prizes in his life, as well as many other.
   
   Of Sophocles' best known tragedies are Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Electra. He often wrote plots about people's destinies and the consequenses of their actions. He liked the ideal, and wanted to show his characters as people should be and act. He introduced a third actor on stage, increased the choir from 12 to 14 individuals, wrote more complicated plots and liked to write about religious and moral themes. He was very prolific and wrote over 120 plays.
   
   Sophocles lived for more than 90 years; there is a story that tells us that his children were beginning to get tired of waiting for their in-heritance and tried to declare him senile at the areopagus. He then read his new play Oedipus Colonus aloud, and the court ruled that there was no way he was losing it.


4. Euripides- He was the third greatest writer of tragedy, good at painting but he mostly wrote, it was his passion. He wrote in his secret cave overlooking the sea. He was the first modern playwright. People thought he was unorthodox and strange. He didn't believe that the gods caused stuff to happen that it was our upbringing. Three things:
   
   1. The subject matter of his plays were real time
   2. Phychological, social conscienssness
   3. He was an advocate of womens rights
   
   His plays were down to earth- real life plays
   One of the most important Greek dramatists, Euripides was born in Salamis on the day of the great battle between the Greeks and the Persians (Sept. 23).
   
   He got a thorough education, and his first play entered the Athenian drama festivals in 454BC, without success though. Twelve years later he won the first prize, and was to win a total of five prizes in his life.
   
   Euripides saw himself as a misunderstood writer and was often criticised by people like Aristophanes (The Frogs). He kept to himself and did not involve himself with politics.
   
   Influenced by the Sophists and Protagoras, Anaxagoras and Socrates, Eurupides wrote about the Greek legends and myths in an everyday language and without traditional religious and moral values.
   
   Euripides wanted to make his characters as people really were, not what they should be. He was also interested in the individual, rather than the gods and heroes. Many of his protagonists were female characters.
   
   He was very famous in his time, but not exceedingly popular. The writer ended his days at the court of the Macedonian king Archelaos, where he accidentally was killed by the kings' hunting dogs. Euripides perhaps best known work is Medea, but his plays Orestes, Bacchae, Trojan Women and Electra are also famous. Other works were Cyclops, Alcestis, Hippolytus, Helen, Iphigenia at Aulis, Andromache, Children of Heracles, Hecuba, Suppliants, Madness of Heracles, Iphigenia in Tauri , Ion and Phoenissae.
   Euripides used the deus ex machina in his works, the sudden and unexpected intervention of a god which would change the story. He used the chorus less and had them dressed in more realistic costumes.
   
5. Aristophanes - Greatest comedic playwright of his time. Specialized in satires- making fun of political, religious, and social life in Athens. One of history's greatest comedy writers, Aristophanes is still a major source of inspiration to many modern writers.
   He was born in Athens and his fathers name was Philippos. He was well educated and is believed to have owned property on the island Aegina. His three sons, Philippos, Araros and Nikostratos, were all to be comic poets.
   Aristophanes was a conservative, favoring aristocratic to democratic rule, and was against reform and novelty. He preferred philosophy and theology in opposition to the new ideas of the Sophists.
   Eleven of his works have survived, but he is believed to have written over 40 plays. The three first plays he wrote were written under a pseudonym. One was The Achamians (425 BC) where he begs for an end of the war against Sparta.
   
6. Menander - This playwright poked fun at private or domestic life. He made fun og real piople and their situations. The opinion of the instructor is that he is probably the most influential playwright of all time because he tapped into some comedic themes that are still in use to this day: 'cunning servant' (Fresh Prince, Benson), 'nagging relatives', 'protective fathers' 'young lovers', 'kids say the dardest things', etc..... Famous Athenian dramatist of the New Comedy genre who wrote more than 100 comedies. His plays were about human weaknesses and everyday life and usually had as theme love intrigues. Menander was widely praised for his realism, and he was even quoted by the apostle St Paul. Of his best known quotes is "The one the gods love dies young". Few of Menander's works have survived.

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