Greek Theater
Overview of Greek Theater
• The land
• Antigone
• The Theater
The Land
• Greece has
thousands of
inhabited islands and
dramatic mountain
ranges
The Land
•Greece has a
rich culture
and history
The Land
•Democracy
was founded
in Greece
The Land
•Patriarchal (male
dominated)
society
The Land
•Philosophy, as a
practice, began in
Greece (Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle)
The Land
Located in Europe in the Aegean
Sea
The Land
The Land
Overview of Greek Theater
• The land
• Antigone
• The Theater
The Theater
Six Main Portions of
Greek Theater: The Theater
Theatron
– Seating
for
audience
Six Main Portions
of Greek Theater: The Theater
Orchestra –
“Dancing
Place”
where
chorus sang
to the
audience
Six Main Portions
of Greek Theater: The Theater
Thymele –
altar to
Dionysus in
center of
orchestra
where
sacrifices
were made
Six Main Portions
of Greek Theater: The Theater
Skene –
wooden
scene
building
used as a
dressing
room.
Six Main Portions
of Greek Theater: The Theater
Parados –
entrance
to the
theater
used by
the
Chorus
Six Main Portions
of Greek Theater: The Theater
Proskenion
– where
most of the
action took
place; also
served as a
backdrop
The Stage
Dionysus
•God of
Wine
and
Partying
(Revelry)
The Theater
• Greek plays were performed
during religious ceremonies
held in honor of Dionysus,
the Greek god of wine and
revelry (altars generally on
stage)
The Theater
• Business would shut down
for days, people would
travel from all around to see
the drama competitions—
even prisoners were
temporarily released to see
the plays
The Theater
•Tragedy means
―goat song‖
(relates to
Dionysian rituals)
The Theater
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
In an
…
amphitheatre
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
…With a chorus who described most of
the action.
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
……With masks
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
Each morning, one of
the playwrights
presented three
tragedies and a satyr
play.
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
That afternoon,
another playwright
presented a
comedy.
Where and how were the dramas
performed?
This went on for
three days and
then a winner was
chosen.
Major Greek Dramatists
Dramatist Born Wrote
Aeschylus 524 B.C. Seven Against
Thebes
Sophocles 496 B.C. Antigone
Oedipus
Euripides 480 B.C. Medea
How were the dramas developed?
• Thespis was the
first playwright to
tell a story. He had
one chorus
member step away
from the others to
play the part of a
hero or god.
How were the dramas developed?
Aeschylus added a
second individual
actor to the
performance, thus
creating the
possibility of
conflict.
How were the dramas developed?
• Sophocles
adds a third
actor; now
we have full-
blown drama.
Overview of Greek Theatre
• The land
• Antigone
• The stage
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Is based on the
myth of
Oedipus
Sophocles’ Antigone
• Oedipus is given away by
his parents, Laios and
Jocasta when they learn
from an oracle that their son
would kill his father and
marry his mother.
• The ancient citizens of
Greece would sacrifice and
pray to an ORACLE.
• An oracle was a priest or
priestess who would send
a message from the gods
to mortals who brought
their requests.
The Oracle at Delphi
Most famous oracle in Greek
mythology.
Sophocles’ Antigone
• Oedipus learns of the oracle
and believing the king and
queen of Corinth are his
parents, he leaves to avoid
the oracle.
Sophocles’ Antigone
• Oedipus travels
to Thebes, killing
Laios on the way.
He saves the city
from a terrible
monster, the
Sphinx.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Thebes reward him
by making him king
and giving him the
queen to marry.
Sophocles’ Antigone
• A plague hits the city and
the oracle warns that it
won’t go away until the
killer of King Laios is
punished.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Oedipus
investigates and
finds out he killed
his father and
married his mother.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Oedipus
blinds
himself and
Jocasta kills
herself.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Set in Thebes (a
city in ancient
Greece)
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone is the
daughter of
Oedipus and
Jocasta.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone’s brothers,
Eteokles and
Polyneces, were to
rule in alternate years.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Eteokles refused to
give up the throne
for Polyneces at the
end of his year.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Polyneces went to
Argos and raised
an army to gain
the throne.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Eteokles and
Polyneces killed
each other in
battle.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•Antigone’s uncle,
Creon, became
king of Thebes.
Sophocles’ Antigone
• Antigone’s uncle, Creon,
gives Eteokles, his ally, a
hero’s burial and issues
a decree against burying
Polyneces.
Sophocles’ Antigone
• Antigone believes that
he is wrong and that
both of her brothers
should be buried with
honor.
Sophocles’ Antigone
•The conflict between
Antigone and Creon
is the basis for the
play.
Copy Only The Boxed
Portion!
The End
Euripides’ Medea
• Medea is a princess from Colchis
• Medea marries Jason, who is in Colchis
on a quest for the Golden Fleece
• Medea betrays her father and murders her
brother for her love of Jason
• Medea has magical powers
• Jason takes Medea back to his homeland,
Corinth, where they have children
• Jason takes another wife, the king of
Corinth’s daughter
Jason’s Voyage on the Argo
Jason and
Medea meet
Corinth: Where Jason
and Medea settle down
Myths played a key role
in Greek drama
The Myths – Why they were written
1. Explained the unexplainable
2. Justified religious practices
3. Gave credibility to leaders
4. Gave hope
5. Polytheistic (more than one god)
6. Centered around the twelve Olympians
(primary Greek gods)
Explained the Unexplainable
• When Echo tried to get
Narcissus to love her, she
was denied.
• Saddened, she shriveled to
nothing, her existence
melting into a rock.
• Only her voice
remained.
• Hence, the echo!
To justify religious practices
• Dionysian cults in ancient Greece were founded
to worship Dionysus, god of grapes, vegetation,
and wine.
To give credibility to leaders
The Romans used
myths to create family
trees for their leaders,
enforcing the made-
up idea that the
emperors were
related to the gods
and were, then,
demigods.
Mount Olympus…
…Where the
Olympians
lived.
Who are the Olympians?
The Olympians Are the 12 Main
Gods
Temperaments of the
Olympians
Zeus
• King of gods
• Heaven
• Storms
• Thunder
• lightning
Poseidon
• Zeus’s brother
• King of the sea
• Earthquakes
• Horses
Hades
• Brother to Zeus and
Poseidon
• King of the
Underworld (Tartarus)
• Husband of
Persphone
Ares
• God of war
Hephaestus
• God of fire
• Craftspeople
• Metalworkers
• Artisans
Apollo
• God of the sun
• Music
• Poetry
• Fine arts
• Medicine
Hermes
• Messenger to the
gods
• Trade
• Commerce
• Travelers
• Thieves & scoundrels
Hera
• Queen of gods
• Women
• Marriage
• Childbirth
Demeter
• Goddess of Harvest
• Agriculture
• Fertility
• Fruitfulness
• Mom to Persephone
Hestia
• Goddess of Hearth
• Home
• Community
Athena
• Goddess of wisdom
• Practical arts
• War
Aphrodite
• Goddess of love and
beauty
Artemis
• Goddess of hunting
and the moon.