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Theatre of Ancient Greece

Theatre of Ancient Greece. Greek Drama Background. This civilization is removed from ours by 2500 years. Everything we know of today’s theater – script, stage, acting techniques – traces its heritage to the Golden Age of Greece. Theatre was and continues to be a vital means of expression.

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Theatre of Ancient Greece

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  1. Theatre of Ancient Greece

  2. Greek Drama Background • This civilization is removed from ours by 2500 years. • Everything we know of today’s theater – script, stage, acting techniques – traces its heritage to the Golden Age of Greece. • Theatre was and continues to be a vital means of expression.

  3. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King • Athenian tragedy of the fifth century. • You should understand the ritualistic nature of the drama, the physical structure of the Greek theatre, and the characteristics of the performance.

  4. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King • There are close ties between Greek drama and Greek religious ritual. • It is a celebration of the Olympian gods; the gods often appear as characters in the play determining the fate of mankind and reflecting religious beliefs. • Legendary heroes and kings often became the protagonists in Greek tragedy.

  5. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King • The government viewed the ritualistic celebrations as significant enough to suspend business and daily activities for week long festivals. • Everyone was expected to attend. • The Greeks believed the plays should be instructional as well as entertaining and that the audience was expected to glean a valuable lesson for their own lives. • Pro-Athenian political bias is evident.

  6. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King • The chorus – ritualistic origins – first spoke all the lines of the text. • In 534 B.C. Thespis, the first actor, stepped from among the ranks of the fifty member chorus to speak lines as a god. The concept of dialogue began. • Roles of actors increased, and the role of the chorus decreased to an eventual twelve-fifteen men.

  7. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King • The number of characters speaking within a scene never exceeded three. • There were many more than three characters in a play. • Actors played more than one role and roles had more than one actor. • The actor’s costume, in particular his mask, would allow him to change roles quickly and easily.

  8. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King • Costuming was designed to make the actors appear larger than life. • Costumes were oversized and cumbersome. • The Greeks used a declamatory style of acting: lengthy monologues and debate were common.

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