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With analysis, it is easy to see the connections between modern day acting methods, and their roots. The Greeks paved the way for the theatre world to make adjustment and to make their performance better.
The Chorus of Greek plays were used to help explain the situations to the audie and to add emphasis to the play. Here in the video, we are able to see an authentic representation of a Greek chorus reciting a piece from Oedipus Rex.
Though actors are an essential part of theatre, Ancient Grecian theatre was focused on the writing aspect of performing. Greek theatre was the birth of Tragedy and Comedies. Writing relate able plays was key to receiving an audience.
Sophocles, born about 496 B.C. in present day Athens, would become of the greatest play writers of the golden age. Being the son of a wealthy merchant, he would be comfortable and enjoy all the aspects of living in a thriving Greek empire. Coming form a wealthy background, Sophocles was given the best traditional aristocratic education. He was given the opportunity to study all the arts. At age 16, though his beauty and grace, Sophocles was chosen to lead a boys choir at a victory celebration of Salamis in 480 B.C. By the age of 28 in 468 B.C., he defeated Aeschylus in a dramatic competition. However, in 441 B.C., he was defeated by Euripides in an annual Athenian dramatic competition. From 468 B.c>, Sophocles was provided with first place about 20 times, and plentiful second place titles. He was so popular among the Athenians, he was elected to high military office with no political or military inclination. Sophocles wrote more than 100 plays, which seven are complete tragedies and fragments of 80 or 90 other plays are preserved. He was the first to add a their actor, he also abolished the trilogy form. As a writer, Sophocles decided to create each tragedy a complete story in itself, and as a result, he had to include all of the action in the shorter form to offer a greater dramatic possibility. He transformed the spirit and significance of tragedy, the plights, decisions and fates of individuals became the chief interest of Greek tragedies.
Born in 480 B.C., Euripides was the youngest of the main three fifth-century tragic poets. His popular work was focused and influenced on Roman Drama. He began to present his plays in the Attic drama festivals in 454 B.C., but it wasn't until seven years later in 442 B.C. that he won first prize. This ranking was only awarded to him four other times, Besides writing, his other interests were philosophy and science.
The most well known wars that the Greeks were involved in were the Greco-Persian wars. They were a series of wars that went along for almost half a decade. This series were about taking control of the Greek land. The Persians invaded three times, and fought three huge battles - Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. Each time the Persians were convinced they could easily conquer the Greeks. Each time, the Greeks drove them away.
Aristophanes was a greek comic writer, son of Philippus. Though a comic writer, most of his plays were political satires highlighting troubles in Athens during that period. Many of his plays were performed at festivals, and they were watched and voted for by the people. Out of the 40 plays he wrote, only 11 remain today. The Acharnians (425 B.C., first surviving work) highlights the problems the people of Attica were facing with constant raids on their land and frequent enemy invasions. The Knights (424 B.C., second surviving work) Aristophanes makes fun of the Athenian leader (Cleon) of that time for his tyrannical leading ways, and for his alcoholic ways. Due to the very sharp attack on Cleon, it was necessary for Aristophanes to play the part of Cleon himself. After being performed at the festival, The Knights won first place.
In Ancient Greece, men and women had different responsibilities and abilities. Men spent their time either training in military, discussing politics, or went to the theatre to watch performances they could relate to. The lives of women in Ancient Greece were closely related to domestic work, spinning, weaving and other domestic tasks; they were not involved in public life or politics. Children of ancient Greece usually occupied themselves playing with toys or playing games.
Born in Eleusis in 525 B.C., Aeschylus is infamous for being earliest of the city's greatest tragic poet. As the prototype of Sophocles and Euripides, he is the founder of Greek tragedy. He successfully fought against the Persians at Marathon in 490 B.C., at Salamis in 480 B.C., and possibly at Plataea the next year. Aeschylus created a big advancement in Greek theatre when he introduced the second actor in plays. He also attempted to have the chorus involved in to the action of the play directly. It is said that Aeschylus has written 90 plays. 79 titles are known, but only 7 remain. His tragedies were usually performed as trilogies in 500 B.C.. Each trilogy was followed by a satyr comedy.
The Greeks invented an athletic way to show their appreciation and worship to gods. Through many agility and strength tests, contestants were able to show their true power and abilities. Though the name and occurrence of these games varied by region, the most famous series were the Olympics held at Olympia every four years. The games started around 700 B.C., in honor of Zeus. Women were not allowed to watch the games, and only Greek nationals could participate. The Olympics lasted five days, each with varied events. Though the sequence of events was not known, the first day of the festival was dedicated to sacrifice to show worship and acknowledgment to gods.
1. How does theatre of a time period mirror or represent the events in that time period?
2. How did this period of theatre history pave the way today?
The topics on which the performances were based upon shows the troubles/victories that society faced during that time. Also, the genre represents the overall "aura" of the society.
Through the Greeks, we were able to gain the tragedy and comedy genres, Thespian activity, and the idea of writing trilogies. The design of the amphitheatres gave us a foundation of how to produce our theatres today to help better the performance.
The Greeks introduced many helpful, technical strategies that aid modern day actors, and allowed us to adapt to those ideas and create more inventive and helpful tactics.
Since women were not allowed to participate in the acting factor of Greek theatre, masks were used to change the appearance of actors, and to help with the projection of their voice. The masks helped the actors bring a larger than life aspect to their performance, as a result of the over exaggerated facial expressions of the masks.
The great amphitheatre was a major technical advancement. The simple, yet innovative design of the stadium was one of the most useful structures of the Greeks. The semi-circle rows helped in aiding the actors and the chorus with projection in their voice.
The chorus in Ancient Greek performances was a group of actors who added commentary and described the main action of a play with song, dance, and recitation. This started with tragedy plays, when a group of 50 men dance and sang lyric hymns in praise to the god Dinoysus. The middle of the 6th century was when an actor, Thespis, for the first time, engaged with the chorus.
The Greeks were known for their enormous amphiteatres, used to aid the performers in the projection of their voice. The design and idea of the amphitheatre was so unique and useful, that in present day performances, we use modern versions on the original amphitheatres.
Amphitheaters were used in Grecian theatre to aid the actors and the chorus in their vocal projection. The estimated capacity of the audience is 12,000-14,000 with 55 semi-circle rows. The most famous amphitheatre was located in Delphi, above the famous Temple of Apollo.
The two most famous and well known Greek plays were the stories of Oedipus Rex and Antigone-both written by Sophocles.
Oedipus Rex is one of the most famous Greek plays, written by one of the four famous Greek play writers, Sophocles. Oedipus Rex is the story of King Oedipus and his attempt to save his kingdom from a terrible curse. Oedipus send his brother-in-law, Creon, to see the advice of Apollo. Creon returns with the resolution, which is the curse will be lifted when the murderer of Laius, the former king, is found and prosecuted. King Laius had been murdered many years ago at a crossroads by an unknown man. Oedipus is determined to find the man responsible. He bring in many unwilling citizens to questioning, but the blind prophet Tiresias informs Oedipus that it was him, Oedipus that killed Laius. Jocasta, Oedipus's wife, tries to comfort him by saying that prophets aren't always right. She tells him the story of how her and King Laius had a child who was destined to kill Laius, but that child was killed. The story did not comfort Oedipus, so he set out of question a messenger and a Shepard about his birth. In that moment, Jocasta realizes that she is both Oedipus's wife and mother, and kills herself. Oedipus then realizes that he is the one who murdered his father, and was married to and had children with his mother. In the horror of it all, Oedipus gouges his eyes out and is banned from Thebes.
Antigone is the sequel of Oedipus Rex, opening with the now blind Oedipus wandering around Thebes with the help of his daughter, Antigone. Oedipus eventually dies, leaving the throne open. His two sons, Etocles and Polynices battled for control of the kingdom, but both die in the process. Creon, Antigone's uncle, becomes the official ruler of Thebes. Creon buried Eteocle's body with honor, but since Polynice was seen as a traitor, his body was left to rot, despite the fact that leaving human remains unburied and exposed was an affront to the Greek Gods. Antigone decides to defy Creon's decisions, giving her brother a proper funeral. Ismine (Antigone's sister) warns her of the consequences, and Antigone continues to believe that the law of the gods supersedes a king's demand. Creon is upset with Antigone, and sentences her to death. Ismene asks to be executed with her sister, but Antigone discourages her by saying it was all her doing. Antigone is in a relationship with Creon's son, Haemon. Haemon tries to convince Creon that mercy and patience is necessary, but the more they argue, the angrier Creon becomes. Haemon leaves, threatening to do something drastic. The people of Thebes (chorus) are indecisive as to to who is right or wrong. Creon begins to doubt his decisions, and orders Antigone to be sealed in a cave. After she is placed in the cave, Tiresias (a blind Prophet) brings Creon a message stating how much of a mess he made. Suspicious of the old man, Creon becomes angered and refuses to accept Tiresias' wisdom. The old man becomes offended and cranky, and predicts a bad future for Creon. Creon, finally scared, rethinks his choices and asks to release Antigone. By the time he gets to her, it's too late. She has already hanged herelf, with Haemon by her side. Haemon attacks his father with a sword, but misses and stabs himself. Eurydice (Creon's wife) kills herself in the news of her son dying. When Creon returned to Thebes, the chorus tells Creon that "There is no escape from the doom we must endure", And Creon realizes where stubbornness has led him.
To thoroughly explain and describe Pre Greek and Ancient Greek theatre while making connections to modern day theatre and performances.
Based on Jim Harvey's speech structures