Greek Drama/Tragedy

Origin of tragedy
Originated in the city of Athens, Greece
Reached peak in 5th century B.C. and have had a lasting impact on Western drama and culture
Grew out of ancient religious festivals in honor of Greek god Dionysus (Roman god Bacchus) in approximately 7th century B.C.
Son of Zeus and a mortal woman
God of wine and fertility in nature; also god of the common people
Thought to liberate worshippers from personal troubles
Worshipped with ceremonies not compatible with Greek tradition
Improvisational beginnings
Rapid movements of the hands and body
Hysterical screaming
Went against teachings of popular god – Apollo, the god of restraint – teachings of “Nothing too much” and “Know Thyself”
Often worship of Dionysus was forbidden
More women worshippers than men
Suffering god
Underwent death and resurrection
Religious ceremony mirrored this

1.Lamenting mirrored god’s death

2.Rejoicing with wild dancing and singing mirrored god’s resurrection

3.Often involved animal sacrifices

After service, worshippers left with peace of mind – served as social safety valve
Worship consisted of dithyrambs – hymns and prayers sung in honor of the god
Sung while dancing around an alter
Accompanied by a flute
Performed by fifty men in goat skins

1. Later evolved into chorus

2. Goats were sacred animals of the gods

3. Goats were later awarded as prizes in tragedy festivals

4. Represented satyrs – woodland companions of Dionysus

5. Word “tragoidia” Greek word meaning “goat-song”

d. As time passed, dithyrambs changed

1. Became poetic in form

2. Expanded to include stories of other gods, past leaders and

heroes

3. Arion – first man to write dithyrambs in poetic form

4. Leader of chorus (choragus) filled intervals between recitations

about gods or heroes

Sixth century B.C. Peistratus, ruler of Athens, gave official recognition to tragedy and festivals were instituted
Thespis – “Father of Drama” (6th century B.C.)
Introduced first actor – “hypocrites” (answerer) – and thus dialogue
Actors always men
Performed between dance of chorus
Would take several roles
Conversed with leader of chorus
Aeschylus (535 – 426 B.C.)
Added a second actor
Drama was born
Possibility of conflict
Reduced chorus to 12 members
Wrote tragedies on unified theme
Sophocles (496 -406 B.C.)
Prominent citizen of Athens
Generally considered the greatest of ancient Greek playwrights
Known for musical, poetic, and dramatic talents
Career spanned 62 years
At age of 17 – leader of chorus
At age of 28 – won prize and defeated leading playwright of day
Wrote 120+ plays
Won 1st prize 24 times – 72 plays
Never won less than 2nd prize (7 times)
Names of nearly 100 plays known today
Seven complete plays survive today
Added third actor
Fixed number of chorus members at 15
Introduced painted scenery
Made each play of trilogy separate in nature
Wrote Oedipus (430 B.C.), Oedipus at Colonus (405 B.C.) and

Antigone (440 B.C.)

Plays always contain moral lesson – usually a caution against pride and

religious indifference

Tragedy festivals
Reached height in 5th century B.C.
Presented in honor of god Dionysus
City Dionysia – most important festival
Held in March/April
Plays produced by the government
Structure of 6 days of festival
Day one – grand procession

Statue of Dionysus carried to the theater
Herald would announce the competing plays
Days two and three

1. Five dithyrambs presented by men

2. Five dithyrambs presented by boys

c. Days four through six

1. Drama contests

2. Each of three playwrights presented plays

a. Three tragedies

b. One satyr play -ridicule gods or heroes – provided relief

from intensity of tragedies

c. At height of festivals – comedy also added

4. Playwrights chosen at competitions earlier in year

5. Actors also chosen by government

D. Attendance was mandatory

1. Viewed as religious obligation

2. Part of entertainment

3. As many as 17, 000 spectators

4. Public businesses suspended and prisoners released on bail

5. Citizens often required to participate – either as choir or responding to

lines written for them

E. Admission originally free

1. Later charge required because of disputes over seats

2. Government provided funds for those who could not pay

F. Playwrights had many responsibilities

1. Wrote plays

2. Composed music

3. Directed plays

4. Supervised rehearsals

5. Acted in plays

G. Playwrights were assigned actors, musicians, chorus, etc. by government

H. Cost of production paid for by wealthy citizens

1. Considered honor

2. Considered public service

3. Required as special tax on wealthy

4. Sponsors shared honors with winning playwrights

I. Prizes given – wreaths, bull, goat, etc.

J. Elaborate precautions taken to prevent corruption in process

K. Ten to twenty judges chosen by government

III. Structure of Theater

Theatron – seeing place where audience sat
Orchestra – circular dancing place where the actors and chorus performed
Thymele – alter of Dionysus in center of orchestra
Skene – building used as dressing room
Proskenion – façade of skene building which served as backdrop
Parados – entrance to the theater used by chorus
Exodus – exit to the theater used by chorus

Other devices of the theater

Eccyclema – stage mechanism consisting of a low platform that rolled on wheels or revolved on an axis and could be pushed on stage to reveal an interior or offstage scene
Periaktoi – revolving triangular prism made of wood, bearing on each side a different pictured scene
Deus ex machina – a god lowered by a stage machinery to resolve a plot or extricate a protagonist from a difficult situation

Men and women were segregated in the theater

IV. Actors and Acting

A. Hypocrites (answerer)

1. Never more than three – changed characters

2. All male performers – played females also

B. Costumes and masks

1. Long, flowing robes

a. Colored symbolically

b. Often padded to add stature

2. High boots, often with raised soles

3. Larger than life masks which sat on shoulders

a. Made of linen, wood, cork

b. Human and animal hair used

c. Exaggerated features – large eyes, open mouth

d. Used to inspire awe in audience by appearing lager than mortals

e. Could hide actor’s face from gods as impersonated them

f. Acted as megaphone to amplify voice

g. Also identified age, gender and rank of character

h. Called a “persona”

i. Gave identification but no emotion – this was shown through

voice and gestures

4. Props carried to help identify roles (ex. – King and scepter)

5. Choir masks much simpler

V. Chorus – functions as a character; made up of elders who express the opinions of the

general public

Center of Greek tragedy

Gives background information and establishes mood
Introduces and questions new characters
Points out significance of events
Acts as ideal spectator – reacts to events the way playwright hoped audience would
Gives advice to character
Covers a passage of time
Serves as a transition between scenes
Identifies themes
Entertains
Provides tension release

Conventions

A. Unities

1. Time

2. Place

3. Action

B. Techniques

1. Stichomythia – individual lines of verse/dialogue are assigned to

alternate speakers; provides contrast in lengthy speeches

Strophe – chorus moves in unison in stately manner left to right on

stage while chanting (comment or question)

Antistrophe – chorus moves in unison in stately manner right to left on

stage while chanting (counter-comment or answer)

4. Epode – third part – chants in middle of orchestra

5. In media res – in the middle of the action

C. Messenger

1. Tells news happening offstage

2. Reports acts of violence

D. No violence on stage

E. Action always outdoors

F. Continuous presence of chorus on stage

G. Limitations of theater

1. No intermission

2. No lighting, no curtain

3. Myths known to audience – playwright had to rely on

dramatic irony to add suspense

Structure of tragedy

Prologue – opening scene – background of story is established – usually

through a single actor

B. Parados – entrance of chorus while chanting

C. Episodes – counterpart of Acts – 4-8 in tragedy – known as scenes in our

translation

D. Stasimon – choral ode at end of each episode – originally a poem written to be

sung – serves to separate scenes since no curtains were present; provides the chorus’ response to the preceding scene

E. Paean – a choral hymn in praise of a god – in Antigone, praise to Dionysus, in

whose honor the Greeks presented their plays

E. Exodus – ceremonial exit of the chorus and actors at the end of the tragedy

VIII. Definition of tragedy

A. Defined by Aristotle in book entitled Poetics in 335 B.C.

B. Told to arouse emotions of pity (hero not an evil man – punishment too great)

and fear (possibility of error in ourselves) in audience

C. Produces catharsis (cleansing) in audience – they come away with a new

understanding of gods and man

D. Tells story of downfall or catastrophe of a tragic hero, a basically good and

noble man who tempts fate because of a tragic flaw (hamartia) (a good quality carried to the extreme) in his or her character

E. Most common tragic flaw – overbearing pride (hubris)

F. Breaks law of god or man

G. Tragic hero brings upon himself extraordinary amounts of sorrow and

suffering

H. Has a reversal of fortune (peripateia)

I. Has a moment of awareness (anagnorisis)

J. Usually dies in the end

K. In the end of the play, order is restored

IX. Basic concepts of Greek culture

A. Believed every person’s life ruled by predetermined fate; a natural force set in

motion by gods and one that could not be altered

Believed every person’s fate held in store a personal allotment of unavoidable

misery

Believed man possessed a certain freedom of will and action and could live

out his life (fate) with dignity, bringing upon himself no more than his

allotted share of grief

D. Believed man was inferior to gods because mortal and fallible

E. Believed man was to be punished if defied the gods