|
|
|||
|
Theater. Religion. Morality. Catharsis. Greek drama, far from being entertainment, had a more seious moral purpose. Growing out of choral chants in honor of Dionysos, god of wine and fertility, the drama evolved. First Thespis invented the actor: one of the chorus pretended to be someone else, making dialogue with the chorus possible. Then Aeschylus added a second actor-- making conflict and dialogue as we know it possible. Finally, a third (and final) actor was added. The theaters? Like football stadiums, often built into hills and with unbelievable acoustics. The orchestra was a large space where the chorus sang and danced (trust me: NOT West Side Story or Sound of Music). Behind that was a platform for the actors, who wore masks with built-in megaphones. The run? One time only. Each of three playwrights presented three tragedies and a satyr play on three consecutive days once a year. And the stories? Always chosen from the same cycles of myths, always known to the audiences who saw these plays, the playwrights aimed not merely for moral lessons but for a feeling of intense identification and emotional release-- catharsis--a level of feeling deeper than thought. |
||
|
Reading Greek tragedy: background and play structure timeline, origins, an structure of Greek theater from Reed College introduction to Greek theater from CUNY Terminology for Greek drama from about.com The Illustrated Greek theater from Dr. J. tragedy: setting the stage from About.com; great background page two: some images and information on the theater page three: some inormation on play structure The ancient Greek theater page lll
more links to specific plays and playwrights are in progress. Wheeler High School |
 |
||
|
|
|||
