Theatre played a central role in Greek culture; therefore, theatrical festivals in honor of the Great Dionysia were held, which the greatest playwrights competed to perform their works, and the Athens’s citizens came out to support tragedy or to laugh at uproarious comedy (Matthews et al., 2014). The Greeks divided their theater into three genres: satyr-play, tragedy, and comedy. The Greek word tragedy means “goat song” and this word may refer to a prehistoric religious ceremony in which competing male choruses sang and danced, while intoxicated, in homage to the god of wine; the victory prize may have been a sacrificial goat (Matthews et al., 2014). However, the Greek tragedy is painful and sorrow. Tragedies were primarily based on heroes …show more content…
However, unlike tragedy, Greek comedy was divided into Old, Middle, and New Comedy. Ancient Greek comedy was a famous and influential form of theatre performed across ancient Greece from the 6th century BCE. The Comedy plays were derived from imitation; there are no traces of its origin; however, Aristotle says the plot for comedy came originally from Sicily (Gill, 2017). In order to make Greek comedy funny, actors used burlesque expressions, buffoonery, slapsticks, obscenity, and horseplay while dressed in costumes with padded bellies or rumps to give a funny look (Matthews et al., 2014). Consequently, Greek comedy plays could exist only in a democracy. "The most famous playwrights of the genre were Aristophanes and Menander and their works, and those of their contemporaries poked fun at politicians, philosophers, and fellow artists in a good sense of the average citizen" (Cartwright, 2013, n. …show more content…
It sounds weird saying it; however, at least in theory, tragedies were often about the past, whereas comedies tended to be about current and everyday life. Therefore, the tragedies could have possibly saved the city. As far as we know, tragedy failed in the end to protect Athens. Nevertheless, we cannot doubt the realism of Greek theater, during the great century of its efflorescence, Athenian theater provided thousands of citizens with opportunities to reflect deeply on their lives and on the city with which those lives were bound (Cartwright, 2013). The theater was a way of the Ancient Greeks expressing themselves and what it teaches us is that human happiness never remains long in the same place. The Ancient Greeks took their entertainment very seriously and used drama as a way of investigating the world they lived in, and what it meant to be
The theater of Dionysus stands at the foot of the acropolis and its date originates back to the 6th Century, B.C.. Its originally wood seats rise in tiers above one another against the slope of the acropolis, creating a natural setting for the plays (D'ooge, 231). The Greek Theater was built to house a drama which, during the festivals of Dionysus, had evolved from the long tradition of choral hymns which were presented each year. As Greek culture changed and flourished, entertainment transformed from being a series of choral chanting and dancing to placing an emphasis on the actor. As the actors' importance grew, there became a need for a stage from which they could be seen by each of the fourteen thousand spectators the theater housed. The chorus was still a very active part of the entertainment and they resided in the orchestra (Norwich, 64). The orchestra was the oldest part of the Greek theater and thus, when the actor was given
3 & 4. 27 B.C – A.D 68 by unknown artist, but restored by Pacetti Vincenzo
Theatre is an evolving art form, due to its prevalent themes, in which the creators ‘…express the complications of life through a shared enterprise’ (Lee Hall, 2008). The modernisation of a text whilst maintaining the history relevant to the play has been reinforced by Brisbane based Physical Theatre Company Zen Zen Zo through their 1996 reinterpretation of Eurpide’s The Bacchae, adapted into ‘The Cult of Dionysus’ (Zen Zen Zo, 2016). ‘The Cult of Dionysus’, entails the story of Dionysus, the Greek God of fertility, wine and pleasure, seeks revenge on the ruler of Thebes’ Pentheus, who has just outlawed the worship of Dionysus. The elements of drama have been manipulated to engage the audience, specifically
It was not just sculptures and architecture that showed Greek pride in the individual. Greek drama showed a huge appreciation for humans in all their glory. The Greeks valued human emotions; their plays covered a wide array of subjects, all the way from the tragedies of war to the comedic side of a society in the perils of war. These subjects made it possible to reveal the Greek appreciation for real life situations, showing the value they placed on human actions, but most of all on human nature.
"Different Types of Greek Drama and their importance." PBS. Public Broadcasting Station, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location. and architectural features of the building. In ancient Greece, festivals were mainly held at the Great Dionysia. This was the oldest theatre in Greece and many plays were performed. here, for example, the first performance of Antigone.
Dionysus, god of wine, in ancient Greek and Roman mythology is argued to have come late to the divinity family. Scholars continue to debate the idea. Myth scholars, fascinated by his stature and appearance believe that Dionysus was perceived as a god, and yet there are images of Dionysus that depict him as a goddess as well. The divine family tree of Dionysus begins with Dionysus as a gender specific male. I merely argue that, perhaps it is not a question of gender, but of perception. In order to receive the full understanding of Dionysus, one must start at the very beginning of Dionysus's "divine story."
Classical Burlesque, one of the earliest works of burlesque came from Aristophanes, a poet-philosopher, a comic dramatist. Aristophanes had a highly influential personality whose lewd burlesques intended to challenge everything and everyone in ancient Athens. He mocked and spoofed their icons with his performances he played out in riddles with insight and comments, much to the pleasure of the Athenian people who saw respect and truth in humor. Many thought Aristophanes’ with his influence and power could be fatal. Aristophanes was named the Father of Comedy, Aristophanes’ burlesques were comical plays written in a poetic style. The plays were full of figurative language, wisecracks and jousting most of which is lost in translation today. Most of the classical burlesques were intended to be read while others were performed in theatre settings.
Aristotle insists that tragedy should have the right ending, which generally means that it will have an unhappy ending. We see this in Desire Under the Elms when Eben and Abbie are taken to jail for the crime. Characters in comedy and tragedy are generally quite different. Comic characters are (or used to be) lower class individuals (Aristotle, Goldsmith). Indeed, this is the case with the players in Midsummer Night's Dream.... ...
Theater was an important part of Ancient Greek Civilization. History of Greek theatre began with religious festivals which aim to honor Dionysus, a god. During the festivals some citizens sing songs and perform improvisation plays and other participants of festivals judges this performances to decide which one of them was the best. These plays form the foundation of the Greek Theatre. Because of the competition between performers to create best performances, plays gained an aesthetic perspective and became a form of art. So, theatre as a part of religious rituals took attention of people and gained an importance in Ancient Greek Society.
Aristotle (384-322 B.C. believed that tragedy, as an imitation or mimesis of life as it could be, held more importance than history, which simply records the past. He considered that performance of a tragedy provided the perfect cathartic experience for an audience, leaving them spiritually purified and inspired. He felt spectators seeing and experiencing great hardship befall the play’s hero or heroine would achieve this emotional state and benefit from it.
In ancient Greece, plays were more then simply a form of entertainment. "Athenian drama was supported and financed by the state. (...)Greek theater was directed at the moral and political education of the community." (Kennedy and Gioia, pgs 1357-1363) Sophocles understood this, and dissipated any pollyanic view of society by presenting us with plays that were intended to teach. Sophocles's Oedipus the King issued a warning for those who foolishly believed that they could challenge the forces of nature. Sophocles was known for presenting characters that are fluid not static. So it should come as no surprise that the Oedipus the reader encounters at the outset of the play, an extraordinary leader, but one who's pride has lead him to challenge his fate, has changed by the end of the play. He comes to realize that all his efforts to change the outcome of his life were acts of futility. We are shown a man who has finally accepted divine will and though now fallen from high estate is uplifted in moral dignity. (Kennedy and Gioia Pg 1364-1365)
Greek tragedies began at a festival in honor of Dionysius, who was the god of wine. At the early festivals, drinking, quarrels, and sexual activity occurred frequently. Later on, tragedies gained much more respect and were taken very seriously. The plays dealt with man's relationship with god(s). These plays also dealt with a specific instance of life. The chorus wore goat-skins and served a great purpose in the tragedies, themselves. Thespis, the father of the tragedy, created an actor who talked with the leader of the chorus to further make the importance of the chorus seen.
Theater originated from the religious rites of ancient Greek tribes. Located in northern Greece, a cult was formed to worship the God of wine and fertility, Dionysus. The cult held religious celebrations which included large consumptions of alcohol, animal sacrifices, and sometimes massive orgies. Theater was thought as a ritual to release powerful emotions and create pure ecstasy. The cult spread south into Greece and by 500 BC annual festivals in honor of Dionysus were held every spring.
Theater is a natural outlet for our desire to hear and tell stories, and in some ways it is even more primal and powerful than the written word. At its worst, theater will merely bore; while at its best it will not only entertain but move and shape its audience. Two such genres of theater, or drama, have consistently achieved this effect. Tragedy, represented by the weeping actors’ mask, usually features the title character’s fall from greatness to ruin, guided by the gods or fate. Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is the epitome of classic Tragedy, as defined by Aristotle (96-101). Here, Oedipus falls from kingship to blindness and exile. Drama’s other great genre, Comedy, is represented by the laughing actors’ mask. In Comedy the action is usually propelled by a problem or crisis of some sorts, but unlike tragedy it usually ends well. Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes, is a perfect example of classic Comedy. The farcical story line follows the title character, who rallies the women of Greece to withhold sex from their mates all in the good cause of ending war. At first glance these two genres would seem to have nothing in common with each other. Comedy entails laughter and good feelings while the audience will leave a Tragedy in tears. But the best of Comedy and the best of Tragedy will produce the same affect: catharsis. Catharsis is the purgation and purifying of the emotions, specifically fear or pity. (“Catharsis”) The plays that manage to produce catharsis in their audience are the ones that we return to time and time again. Although catharsis is one of the main objectives of Greek Tragedy (Jacobus 34), Comedy done well will shape and move its audience in the same way. These two classic genres use characters that are co...