Origins,+Development,+&+History+of+Classical+Greek+Drama

‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍﻿ __History and Development of Greek Drama__

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**[|Drama]** : an action filled story, prose, composition or dialogue intended to be acted out on stage using actors.

The Greeks were the very first to have dramas. Between 600 and 200 BC (Twenty-five hundred years ago) was when the Western theatre was born in [|Athens, Greece]. The ancient Athenians theatre culture is still around and used today. The Greek created plays that are still considers the world’s greatest works of drama. The Athenians thought that the ideas for the dramas came from one of their gods called Dionysus. toc

** __Beginnings of Greek Drama :__ **

 * Greek Drama began as a form of religious worship to the Greek God Dionysus.
 * The earliest forms of drama included religious chants and songs performed by a chorus.
 * New myths were added to introduced.
 * Second and third actors added to the drama when acted out.
 * Chorus reduced from as many as 50 people to 15 people.
 * The dialogue of actors became gradually more important.

**__Types of Drama__**
There are three main types of drama which are the following:
 * Comedy- a funny drama that often made fun of men who were high in power. Famous comedy writers include Aristophanes and later Menander.
 * Tragedy- about a character who commits a crime. These played typically involved love, pride, power, loss. The plays were also God and man centered. Famous tragic writers include Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
 * Satyr- a quick play that pokes fun at the main characters situation and that is performed in-between acts of the tragedy plays.

** __Who is Dionysus?__ **


Dionysus is the God of wine and vegetation. He is kind and gentle-natured to the Maenads or Bacchantes. But, Dionysus is cold and cruel to those who don't believe in him.Dionysus is believed to die every Winter and rebirth in the Spring. This cycle is an embodied idea of resurrection by his believers.

** __Important People:__ **
~**Thespis** is known as the first actor. Apart from leading the chorus in hymns, he stepped out and spoke to the chorus. ~**Sophocles,** (496 B.C.- 406 B.C.) was the most successful playwright at the Greater Dionysia (Amphitheater).
 * ~**Aeschylus** wrote //The Persians// and that was first performed in 472 B.C//. The Persians// is the oldest surviving Greek play. He was the one who added the second speaking role in the drama; this second speaking part in know as the antagonist. Antagonist is a term that we still use in today’s writings. Aeschylus had a pupil named Sophocles who added a third character to his own plays.

~**Euripides,** added the prologue, introduction and the dues (a godly figure that finished the drama) to his plays and once again we still use those in our modern writings just like the antagonist. ~ ** Aristotle **, a philosopher and a teacher, analyzed plays, classified the kinds of drama, and laid down rules for the topic of tragedy.

**__Theatre and Tradition__**
Theatres were built into natural hillsides. Greek actors were all men. These actors wore large masks to indicate emotion and the nature of the character being portrayed. Also, each mask had a megaphone so everyone in the audience could hear well.
 * During the Dionysian Festival, an event, the __Greater Dionysia__ was held for 5 days during the spring. During these few days, each writer would present 3 tragedies and a satyr play. 15,000 people would sit through each play, intently watching. In the end, they would vote for their favorites by casting stone ballots.The winners would be awarded the Laurel Wreath.Sophocles won this award more than 20 times.

[[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbJl0DR1nL9bnYNx6l3ozFU6LFLZaE-r7CkggoMf-XktCDsRlVow width="99" height="105" caption="Laurel Wreath awarded to winner of the Greater Dionysia."]]

 * __Greek Drama Examples:__ **
 * Diskolos (__The Grouch__, 317 B.C.) A comedy by Meander
 * Oedipus Trilogy by Sophocles
 * Antigone by Sophocles
 * The Oresteia by Aeschylus
 * Helena by Euripides

**__Ancient Theater Video __**

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__ Timeline of Greek Theatre __
 * 543 B.C – Tragedy introduced at City Dionysia Festival
 * 525 B.C – Aeschylus was born
 * 496 B.C – Sophocles was born
 * 480 B.C –Euripides was born
 * 470 B.C – Socrates was born
 * 468 B.C – Sophocles won first prize with //Triptolemus//
 * 458 B.C – Aeschylus won first prize with //Oresteia//
 * 456 B.C – Aeschylus died
 * 440 B.C – Euripides produced //Rhesus//, Sophocles exhibits //Antigone//
 * 430 B.C – Sophocles creates //Oedipus the King//
 * 425 B.C – Euripides creates //Electra//
 * 423 B.C – Aristophanes creates //Clouds//
 * 421 B.C – Aristophanes creates //Peace//
 * 415 B.C – Euripides creates //Heracles//, //Trojan Women//, and //Iphigeneic//; Aristophanes exhibits //Birds//
 * 411 B.C – Aristophanes creates //Lyrsistrata//
 * 410 B.C – Sophocles exhibits //Electra//
 * 408 B.C – Euripides creates //Orestes//
 * 405 B.C –Euripides and Sophocles die, Aristophanes creates //Frogs//, Euripides’ //Bacche// was produced
 * 401 B.C – Socrates’ //Oedipus at Colonus// was produced
 * 399 B.C – Socrates was executed
 * 388 B.C – Aristophanes died
 * 384 B.C – Aristotle was born
 * 350 B.C – Theater of Epidaurus was built
 * 342 B.C – Meander was born
 * 336 B.C – Aristotle creates //Poetics//
 * 322 B.C – Aristotle died
 * 316 B.C – Meander exhibits //The Malcontat//
 * 305 B.C – Meander creates //The Women From Samos//
 * 291 B.C – Meander died
 * 250 B.C – Theatre at Syracuse was rebuilt, Theatre at Ephesus was built