Greek Theater Flashcards
Kômos
Comedy
Tragoidia
Tragedy
Who first wrote about the history of drama and when?
Aristotle, 4th Century BC (335 BC)
Festivals where drama originated?
Dionysian festivals (celebrated in archaic Greece since 2500 BC)
Hypokrites
The first actor - “interpreter”
Chorus
Group of performers engaging in dialogue with the actor
In what year did tyranny end in Athens?
508-507
Two major wars that threatened Athenian democracy and left a trace on the culture/inspired theater?
The Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian Wars
Location/time for plays in Athens?
Theater of Dionysus in spring (late March/early April), near the other establishments of democratic life (Acropolis, Agora, Areopagus, Temple of Zeus/Temple of Hephaestus)
Polis
The city, the public, the State
Oikos
The domestic, the private, the family
Didaskalos
Dramatist/teacher - writer of the plays
What did the dramatists have to present to the magistrate?
Three tragedies (trilogy) and one farcical satyr play. In total, a tetralogy
Orchestra
Where the acting/singing/dancing was performed
Parodos (place)
Where the chorus entered the stage (2 corridors)
Skene
Backstage - where change of mask/attire happened. Represented symbolically the House or Royal Palace in the play
Theatron
Where the audience sat
Peripeteia
Reversal/shift in fortune from high to low
Anagnorosis
Recognition (ignorance to knowledge)
Hamartia
Error of judgement (not character flaw)
Pathos
Suffering
Characters
Not ordinary or saintly; must be consistent and with a moral purpose
Prologue
Spoken by 1 or 2 characters before chorus appears
Parados (play part)
Song sung by chorus as they first enter and dance
Episodes
Action of the play
Stasimon
Choral ode sung by chorus at end of each episode
Exodus
Exit of chorus and processional song
Who introduced the second actor, and what were some elements of his plays?
Aeschylus. Anxieties about rule of tyrants (he was democratic), element of ritualization, theme of justice
Who introduced the third actor, and what were some elements of his plays?
Sophocles. Reduces importance of the chorus, focuses on clash between individual’s desire and subjectivity and the demands/moral values of society
Whose plays focused on women, and what were some elements of his plays?
Euripides. Subjects often seen as undignified for tragedy genre, introduces realistic elements in his plays
Only surviving trilogy?
Oresteia
How many tragedies remain from the 1000 performed in 5th century Athens?
33!
Mythos
The story
Catharsis
Cleansing (but not in the context of negative emotions! For the Greeks, emotions are never negative)
Sophists
Provided the training for eloquence and public speaking
Mimesis
Representation
What kinds of debates were being held in 5th century Athens?
Debates about traditional values. Do we trust seers? Prophecies real? Gods hold authority on human life?
In what century did Greek theater flourish?
5th century BC
