ATS 7 - Greek Plays

Question 1

What is the ‘Orchestra’?

Answer 1

‘Dancing-place’ (chorus)

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Question 2

What are the ‘Parodos’?

Answer 2

Exits

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Question 3

What is the ‘Skene’?

Answer 3

Set

(which grew much more elaborate over time)

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Question 4

How was the theatre run?

3 points.

Answer 4

• Attendance was cheap (and subsidized)
• Plays were staged within a competition
• Competition had 10 judges appointed by lot

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Question 5

What were the dramatic festivals?

2 points.

Answer 5

• Great Dionysia or City Dionysia (late March → Spring)
• Lenaea (late January - Winter)

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Question 6

How did the ‘City Dionysia’ run?

7 steps.

Answer 6

• Procession (‘introduction’)
  No proceedings during the festival - procession (pompe)
• Sacrifices
• Dithyrambic performances (choruses of boys and men)
• Rituals before start of dramatic competitions
• Dramatic performances
• Winners announced
• Victory procession

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Question 7

What were the rituals before start of dramatic competitions?

4 points.

Answer 7

• Libations
• Proclamation of honours
• Display of tribute
• Selection of judges

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Question 8

What was the program of plays in the City Dionysia?

5 points.

Answer 8

• First: 5 comedies
• Second: 3 days for tragedy
• Each day:
  • 3 tragedies
  • 1 satyr play

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Question 9

What was the role of the ‘Khoregos’?

5 points.

Answer 9

Leader of the chorus

Rich plutocrat:

* Financed the performance
* Gathered the chorus
* Organised the rehearsals
* Provided the rehearsal space (often in their vila)
* Paid for the 'Vicotry monument'

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Question 10

What were the Greek tragedies?

5 points.

Answer 10

• Athenian cultural product
• Tragic hero is a good (not perfect) man who makes a mistake
• Almost exclusively mythical stories (exception Aeschylus’ Persians)
• Song/ speech, actors and chorus
• Death, injustice, decision-making

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Question 11

What is the Greek tragic Canon?

Answer 11

33 extant plays
32 tragedies plus 1 satyr play

Written by:

• Aeschylus
• Sophocles
• Euripides

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Question 12

What was comedy like in the 5ᵗʰ century?

3 points.

Answer 12

‘Old Comedy’

• Political and satirical
• Full of abuse and attacks (politicians, intellectuals… )
• Aristophanes: 11 plays including Clouds (which mocks Socrates)

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Question 13

What are the Ancient Greek dramatic genres?

3 points.

Answer 13

• Tragedy
• Satyr play
• Comedy

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Question 14

Who were the keys to the origin of the Greek dramatic performances?

3 points.

Answer 14

• Peisistratus
• Hippias
• Hipparchus

Also: promotion of public poetic performances

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Question 15

What were the 2 major festivals?

Answer 15

• Panathenaea (epic poetry)
• Dionysia (before 534)

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Question 16

What did Dionysia feature?

Answer 16

Dionysia featured dithyramb (song for Dionysus), tragedy and comedy.

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Question 17

When was the festival reorganised?

Answer 17

Festival reorganised under the democracy, around 508

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Question 18

What is the ‘Theatron’?

Answer 18

‘watching-place’ (audience)

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