Essay on Ancient Greek Theatre - 1179 Words

The Greek theatre tradition of the time was rooted in the spirituality of its people, developed with the help and instruction from the politicians of the day and analysed by the philosophical contingent of the age. To discover how the theatre tradition of the fifth century was influenced by the spiritual, philosophical and political mindset of its time, one must first look at how the theatre of this age was first developed. The Greek theatre tradition was born at a theatre built beneath the Acropolis in Athens, at an annual religious festival at which a large chorus of men would dance, play instruments and sing odes to the God of the festival, Dionysus. These choral odes to Dionysus were called dithyrambs, performed by fifty men†¦show more content†¦Thespis had initiated a protagonist into his own work and into the theatre of the drama contests at the City Dionysia. The implementation of a protagonist into theatrical performances there made the dramas more dramatic; the character could face a dilemma, respond to questions from the chorus and create conflict with the chorus. Conflict lies at the very root of what factors of drama appeal to the human condition, and would be developed by the dramatists successor. Thespis is also credited as being the inventor of the mask, beginning one of the central conventions of Greek theatre by having himself, as the protagonist and the chorus perform in u npainted linen masks. No more is known of Thespis of Icarus as none of his plays were preserved for posterity. The drama contests in the Theatre of Dionysus over the next fifty festivals became increasingly popular and new innovations of theatre were introduced and developed with each competition. At the start of the fifth century B.C. Aeschylus had started producing and performing his own plays at the contests. Aeschylus has been accredited with innovating theatre of the time by reducing the fifty man chorus and initiating a second actor to perform his plays. This improvement to the plays of the time allowed two characters to be on stage at one time as well as the chorus adding a further possibility for conflict and rebuttal. Aeschylus wrote over seventy playsShow MoreRelatedQuestions On Ancient Greek Theatre1413 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to Theatre 14 December 2015 Take Home Final: Collection 3, Question 1~5 Question 1 The ancient Greek theatre was born with Greek’s belief of God in their festival. So at the beginning of its evolution it was only a worship ceremony in Greek society. Later the ancient Greek theatre was not built for the audience, but for the artist. It can reflect the partnership between the architect and the playwright and actors. Ancient Greek drama is the world’s oldest theatre and also theRead MoreAncient Greek Theatre and Drama1648 Words   |  7 PagesAncient Greece, the birthplace of theatre, continues to greatly influence theatre today. Drama is a form of poetry, because dialogue was spoken or sung in verses. Many Greek plays are still relevant today. Some plays survived on their merits, while others were preserved from academic interest or by accident (Peter Arnott). The Great Dionysia was an important yearly religious celebration and festival, honoring Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility. The Great Dionysia is where theatre firstRead More Ancient Greek Theatre Architecture Essay2612 Words   |  11 Pageslook for our beginnings. Whether we look for them in our personal life or in our professional life, we still look for them. As I was looking around the theatre recently, I was looking at and wondering where the idea of the theatre came from. Rather, who built it and why it is built the way it is. 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In one play, Kadmos by Sophokles the Younger, Nikeratos is required to wear an old mask of Apollo as part of his costume. The mask is fifty years old and is rumored to bring good luck. Nikeratos is impressed with the mask and comes to believe that it possesses special powers. He begins to make reverent gestures towardRead MoreAnalysis Of Nei l Fraser s The Golden Age 1893 Words   |  8 PagesTheatre History Explained Neil Fraser outlines the history of theatre from Greek and Roman times, all the way through the twentieth century. Fraser makes a claim that theatre truly began in Greek culture with even the Roma’s looking upon that time as â€Å"the golden age†. â€Å"The Romans looked back on Greek theatre of circa 600BC as a golden age, and we can still make a case for the great plays of that period as having never been bettered.† (Fraser, 2004, pg.5). 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