Greek Theater in 5th Century BCE

Greek Theatre in 5th Century BCE

The Ancient Greeks, probably one of the most fascinating civilizations to study contributed several discoveries and technological advancements. One can not discuss the Greeks without discussing Greek Theatre though. Greek Theater paved the way for literature and art in later history in many ways. If it wasn’t for Greek Theatre famous play writers like Shakespeare would have never done what they are so very well known for. When studying Greek Theatre it is virtually impossible not to hear about it in the 5th Century BCE, and that is because the 5th Century BCE was rather exciting when it came to Greek Theatre.

The origin of Greek Theatre in 5th Century BCE is not known. Dozens of hypotheses exist, but there is not really any conclusive hard evidence. What is known on the other hand is that tragedies were first performed in Athens in 6th Century BCE, and that they were very simple. They only had one actor and one chorus. In the 5th Century BCE this changed though. A second and third actor were added to plays, but there were no more then three speaking actors on stage at once. Throughout 5th Century BCE the average size of the chorus was twelve through fifteen members.

The theatrical performances were part of the worship of the god Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine. Out of the four festivals of worship for Dionysus, two them included theatrical perfo...