Introduction to

Greek Drama

Theatre
Ms. Jones
 Origin of Drama
 Drama was developed by the
ancient Greeks during
celebrations honoring Dionysus.

 Dionysus is the god of the vine,

which produces grapes for wine.
Wine was associated with
resurrection and suffering.

 With the inclusion of many

choral songs, the early Greek
plays resembled what we call
opera today.
 Festival of Dionysus
 The Festival of Dionysus took place in Athens over the course of five days
in March or April.
 During the first day, the Greeks held a procession honoring Dionysus in
which all citizens participated.
 During the festival’s second day, the choral songs were performed.
 On the last three days of the festival, the actors performed three tragedies,
one satyr (satire – mock heroic tragedies) play, and one comedy.
 Festival of Dionysus
 The archon, a state official, selected three poets to
compete for the prizes in the tragedy division.

 The choregus, a wealthy, prominent citizen of Athens,

was required by law to pay for the cost of training and
costumes for the chorus.

 A jury of 10 citizens selected the winning poet

 The playwright served as a sort of teacher, offering

plays for the ethical and moral improvement of his fellow
citizens to insure the spiritual survival of the community.
 The Greek Theatre
 Theatron = area of seats for the audience hollowed out from
the hillside

 Orchestra = large area in front of the stage where the chorus

sang and danced

 Thymele = the altar centered in the orchestra used for

sacrifices to Dionysus

 Parados = walled walkway used by the chorus to enter and

exit the stage

 Pro-scenium = a long, low stage behind the orchestra

 Skene = building that contained the actors’ dressing rooms

The Greek Theatre
The Greek Theatre was
similar to an outdoor
stadium that could hold
between 15,000 – 20,000
people.
Greek Theater
Greek Theater
Greek Theater
 Greeks’ Special Effects
 There were no curtains, intermissions, lights, or
microphones.
 Consequently, all scenes took place in daylight
settings, all scene changes had to be built into the
actor’s dialogue, and the chorus and actors had to
have strong voices.
 Deus ex machina (meaning: “god from the
machine”) = type of crane used for suspending
figures who portrayed gods.
 Eccylema = moveable or revolving platform.
Greeks’ Special Effects
 The Actors
 The Greek name for an actor was “hypocrite.”
 As there were only 3 actors, they wore masks to play multiple
parts.
 All actors were men, because it was considered undignified
for women to appear on stage
 Actors wore padded costumes, wigs, and high-heeled boots
to make them taller and give them added dignity and power.
 Actors had to be able to speak in poetic language and sing
using a loud and clear voice.
 The Chorus
 The chorus was led by a conductor and
consisted of singers and dancers who moved
and sang together, acting as one character.
 A Choral Ode was chanted or sung in unison.
 Originally, they Chorus started out with 50
people, but Sophocles fixed the number at 15.
 The Chorus
 The playwright used the chorus and their songs to:
 Add the beauty of song and dance.
 Set the mood or express the main themes of the
play by commenting on the action.
 Create a bridge between the actors and the
audience.
 Converse with and give advice to the actors.
 Tell about events that have already happened in the
past.
 Foretell the future by interpreting the actions of the
actors.
 The Stories
 Originally, the stories
were hymns and
prayers honoring the
gods, especially
Dionysus.

 Over time, the content

of the stories changed
to legends of Greek
leaders and heroes.
 Tragedy
 In a tragedy, the plot revealed what happened to
a person who went against the laws of the gods
or who was too proud

 This stems from the Greek belief that man was

subject to the whims of the gods and fate.

 The root of Greek tragedy is that man can not

avoid suffering.

 In nearly all tragedies, man’s biggest fault is

excessive pride – a mistaken belief that he could
somehow avoid fate or the will of the gods.
 Greek Tragic Hero
 The Greek tragic hero had to be a man or woman
capable of great suffering
 The tragic hero is brought to disaster by
hamartia, or a single flaw in a person’s
character.
 Hubris
 Hubris is defined as excessive pride.
 Think of at least three modern examples of characters whose
downfall is caused by their hubris.

 Hubris leaves leads to suffering and then to an

understanding (catharsis) of man’s place in the system
of life.
 Catharsis is an emotional release caused by an intense
emotional experience.

 The purpose of a Greek tragedy is to learn a lesson

through the catastrophes that befall the characters on
stage and to understand that their misfortunes are a
result of not following the will of the Gods or trying to
avoid their own destinies because of hubris.
 Structure of a Greek Tragedy
1. Prologue – the actors present the opening situation
on stage

2. Parados – the entering song and dance of the chorus

3. Episodes – periods of more action by the actors

4. Stasima/Stasimon – choral ode or song

commenting on the action

5. Exodus – the last action of the play

 SOPHOCLES
 Sophocles was born in Colonus, Greece in 497
BCE
 He died in 406 BCE at approximately 90 years
of age.

 He Lived during the Golden Age ofl Greece

 (The Golden Age of Greece was from
approximately 800 BCE to 300 BCE)

 He was a successful musician, athlete, and

respected playwright.

 He was also active in social and political life.

 He held several priesthoods, was imperial

treasurer in 443 BCE, and a general in 440
BCE
 Sophocles as a Playwright
 In the drama festivals of his day, Sophocles won
the first place prize for best play 24 times!

 He wrote more than a hundred plays but only

seven remain.

 The most famous of his plays are: Oedipus the

King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, and Electra.
 Sophocles’ Impact on Drama
 Sophocles expanded the format
of drama by adding a third actor.
 He increased the amount of
dialogue within a play.
 He decreased the importance of
the chorus by fixing its number at
15.
 He invented painted scenery and
added flute music in the
background of his plays.
 He made each play of a trilogy
stand by itself as a separate
story.
 Antigone

 Antigone is the third of

Sophocles’ Theban plays.

 Antigone is Oedipus’
daughter, princess of
Thebes.

 She breaks the law to

bury her brother who has
been labeled a traitor by
the king, her uncle.
 Oedipus
 King Oedipus, aware that a terrible curse has befallen Thebes, sends his brother-in-
law, Creon, to seek the advice of Apollo. Creon informs Oedipus that the curse will
be lifted if the murderer of Laius, the former king, is found and prosecuted. Laius
was murdered many years ago at a crossroads.
Oedipus dedicates himself to the discovery and prosecution of Laius’s murderer.
Oedipus subjects a series of unwilling citizens to questioning, including a blind
prophet. Teiresias, the blind prophet, informs Oedipus that Oedipus himself killed
Laius. This news really bothers Oedipus, but his wife Jocasta tells him not to believe
in prophets, they've been wrong before. As an example, she tells Oedipus about how
she and King Laius had a son who was prophesied to kill Laius and sleep with her.
Well, she and Laius had the child killed, so obviously that prophecy didn't come true,
right?
Jocasta's story doesn't comfort Oedipus. As a child, an old man told Oedipus that he
was adopted, and that he would eventually kill his biological father and sleep with
his biological mother. Not to mention, Oedipus once killed a man at a crossroads,
which sounds a lot like the way Laius died.
Jocasta urges Oedipus not to look into the past any further, but he stubbornly
ignores her. Oedipus goes on to question a messenger and a shepherd, both of
whom have information about how Oedipus was abandoned as an infant and
adopted by a new family. In a moment of insight, Jocasta realizes that she is
Oedipus’s mother and that Laius was his father. Horrified at what has happened, she
kills herself. Shortly thereafter, Oedipus, too, realizes that he was Laius’s murder and
that he’s been married to (and having children with) his mother. In horror and
despair, he gouges his eyes out and is exiled from Thebes.
Oedipus Background
 The Oracle of Delphi, a prophet, tells
King Laios and Queen Jocasta that
their future son will kill his father
and marry his mother.

 With the fear of this prophey never

far from their minds, the King Laios
and Queen Jocasta abandon their
son, Oedipus, shortly after his birth.

 Though he had been left for dead,

Oedipus was found and raised by the
King and Queen of Corinth
 Oedipus Background
 Years later, Oedipus meets a
traveller on the road. An argument
begins, and Oedipus kills the
traveller in his rage.
 Though he did not know it, the
traveller that Oedipus killed was his
birth father, the King of Thebes.

 Shortly he unknowingly kills his

father, Oedipus defeats the Sphinx
and is rewarded with the Kingdom
of Thebes and its queen.
Oedipus Background
 Oedipus marries the
Queen of Thebes,
Jocasta, not knowing
that she is really his
mother.
 Oedipus and Jocasta
have four children
together, Antigone,
Ismene, Eteocles, and
Polyneices.
Oedipus Background
 Soon, Oedipus and Jocasta discover the truth
about their biological relationship.
 Upon learning the truth, Jocasta hangs herself.
 Oedipus, sickened by the news, gouges out his
own eyes before permanently exiling himself.
 Oedipus’ Sons
 Before his death, Oedipus leaves
orders that his two sons share the
role of king.
 One of his sons, Eteocles, refuses
to step down.
 Consequently, Polyneices attacks
Thebes with an army.
 Both brothers die in battle.
 Creon (Jocasta’s brother) is
declared King.
 Oedipus Family Tree

CADMUS
Founder of Thebes
indicates sibling relationship

POLYDORUS
King of Thebes

LABDACUS MENOCEUS
King of Thebes

LAIUS  JOCASTA CREON  EURYDICE

King of Thebes

OEDIPUS
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ETEOCLES POLYNICES ISMENE *ANTIGONE HAEMON

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