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GreekTheatreAncientHistoryEncyclopedia

GreekTheatre

byMarkCartwright
publishedon14July2016

Greektheatrebeganinthe6thcenturyBCEinAthenswiththeperformanceoftragedyplaysat
religiousfestivals.These,inturn,inspiredthegenreofGreekcomedyplays.Thetwotypesof
GreekdramawouldbehugelypopularandperformancesspreadaroundtheMediterraneanand
influencedHellenisticandRomantheatre.ThustheworksofsuchgreatplaywrightsasSophocles
andAristophanesformedthefoundationuponwhichallmoderntheatreisbased.

THEORIGINSOFTRAGEDY
Theexactoriginsoftragedy(tragida)aredebatedamongstscholars.Somehavelinkedtheriseof
thegenretoanearlierartform,thelyricalperformanceofepicpoetry.Otherssuggestastronglink
withtheritualsperformedintheworshipofDionysossuchasthesacrificeofgoats-asongritual
calledtrag-dia-andthewearingofmasks.Indeed,Dionysosbecameknownasthegodoftheatre
andperhapsthereisanotherconnection-thedrinkingriteswhichresultedintheworshippers
losingfullcontroloftheiremotionsandineffectbecominganotherperson,muchasactors
(hupokritai)hopetodowhenperforming.ThemusicanddanceofDionysiacritualwasmostevident
intheroleofthechorusandthemusicprovidedbyanaulosplayer,butrhythmicelementswere
alsopreservedintheuseoffirst,trochaictetrameterandtheniambictrimeterinthedeliveryofthe
spokenwords.

ATRAGEDYPLAY
Playswereperformedinanopen-airtheatre(theatron)withwonderfulacousticsandseemingly
opentoallofthemalepopulace(thepresenceofwomeniscontested).Fromthemid-5thcentury
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BCEentrancewasfree.TheplotofatragedywasalmostalwaysinspiredbyepisodesfromGreek
mythology,whichwemustrememberwereoftenapartofGreekreligion.Asaconsequenceof
thisserioussubjectmatter,whichoftendealtwithmoralrightandwrongsandtragicno-win
dilemmas,violencewasnotpermittedonthestage,andthedeathofacharacterhadtobeheard
fromoffstageandnotseen.Similarly,atleastintheearlystagesofthegenre,thepoetcouldnot
makecommentsorpoliticalstatementsthroughhisplay.

DUETOTHERESTRICTEDNUMBEROFACTORSEACH
PERFORMERHADTOTAKEONMULTIPLEROLESWHERE
THEUSEOFMASKS,COSTUMES,VOICE&GESTURE
BECAMEEXTREMELYIMPORTANT.
Theearlytragedieshadonlyoneactorwhowouldperformincostumeandwearamask,allowing
himtoimpersonategods.Herewecanseeperhapsthelinktoearlierreligiousritualwhere
proceedingsmighthavebeencarriedoutbyapriest.Later,theactorwouldoftenspeaktothe
leaderofthechorus,agroupofupto15actors(allmale)whosanganddancedbutdidnotspeak.
ThisinnovationiscreditedtoThespisc.520BCE(originofthewordthespian).Theactoralso
changedcostumesduringtheperformance(usingasmalltentbehindthestage,theskne,which
wouldlaterdevelopintoamonumentalfaade)andsobreaktheplayintodistinctepisodes.Later,
thesewoulddevelopintomusicalinterludes.Eventually,threeactorswerepermittedonstagebut
nomore-alimitationwhichallowedforequalitybetweenpoetsincompetition.However,aplay
couldhaveasmanynon-speakingperformersasrequired,sothatplayswithgreaterfinancial
backingcouldputonamorespectacularproduction.Duetotherestrictednumberofactorsthen,
eachperformerhadtotakeonmultipleroleswheretheuseofmasks,costumes,voice,andgesture
becameextremelyimportant.

COMPETITION&CELEBRATEDPLAYWRIGHTS
Themostfamouscompetitionfortheperformanceoftragedywasaspartofthespringfestivalof
DionysosEleuthereusortheCityDionysiainAthens.Thearchon,ahigh-rankingofficialofthecity,
decidedwhichplayswouldbeperformedincompetitionandwhichcitizenswouldactaschorgoi
andhavethehonouroffundingtheirproductionwhilethestatepaidthepoetandleadactors.Each
selectedpoetwouldsubmitthreetragediesandonesatyrplay,atypeofshortparodyperformance
onathemefrommythologywithachorusofsatyrs,thewildfollowersofDionysos.Theplayswere
judgedonthedaybyapanel,andtheprizeforthewinnerofsuchcompetitions,besideshonour
andprestige,wasoftenabronzetripodcauldron.From449BCEtherewerealsoprizesforthe
leadingactors(prtagnists).
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TheatreofDionysosEleuthereus,Athens

Playwrightswhoregularlywroteplaysincompetitionbecamefamous,andthethreemostsuccessful
wereAeschylus(c.525-c.456BCE),Sophocles(c.496-406BCE),andEuripides(c.484-407BCE).
Aeschyluswasknownforhisinnovation,addingasecondactorandmoredialogue,andeven
creatingsequels.HedescribedhisworkasmorselsfromthefeastofHomer(Burn206).Sophocles
wasextremelypopularandaddedathirdactortotheperformanceaswellsaspaintedscenery.
Euripideswascelebratedforhiscleverdialogues,realism,andhabitofposingawkwardquestionsto
theaudiencewithhisthought-provokingtreatmentofcommonthemes.Theplaysofthesethree
werere-performedandevencopiedintoscriptsformasspublicationandstudyaspartofevery
childseducation.

GREEKCOMEDY-ORIGINS
ThepreciseoriginsofGreekcomedyplaysarelostinthemistsofprehistory,buttheactivityofmen
dressingasandmimickingothersmustsurelygobackalongwaybeforewrittenrecords.Thefirst
indicationsofsuchactivityintheGreekworldcomefrompottery,wheredecorationinthe6th
centuryBCEfrequentlyrepresentedactorsdressedashorses,satyrs,anddancersinexaggerated
costumes.AnotherearlysourceofcomedyisthepoemsofArchilochus(7thcenturyBCE)and
Hipponax(6thcenturyBCE)whichcontaincrudeandexplicitsexualhumour.Athirdorigin,and
citedassuchbyAristotle,liesinthephallicsongswhichweresungduringDionysiacfestivals.

ACOMEDYPLAY
Althoughinnovationsoccurred,acomedyplayfollowedaconventionalstructure.Thefirstpartwas
theparadoswheretheChorusofasmanyas24performersenteredandperformedanumberof
songanddanceroutines.Dressedtoimpress,theiroutlandishcostumescouldrepresentanything
fromgiantbeeswithhugestingerstoknightsridinganothermaninimitationofahorseorevena
varietyofkitchenutensils.InmanycasestheplaywasactuallynamedaftertheChorus,e.g.,
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Aristophanes'TheWasps.

GreekComedyMask

Thesecondphaseoftheshowwastheagonwhichwasoftenawittyverbalcontestordebate
betweentheprincipalactorswithfantasticalplotelementsandthefastchangingofsceneswhich
mayhaveincludedsomeimprovisation.Thethirdpartoftheplaywastheparabasis,whenthe
Chorusspokedirectlytotheaudienceandevendirectlyspokeforthepoet.Theshow-stopping
finaleofacomedyplaywastheexodoswhentheChorusgaveanotherrousingsonganddance
routine.
Asintragedyplays,allperformersweremaleactors,singers,anddancers.Onestarperformerand
twootheractorsperformedallofthespeakingparts.Onoccasion,afourthactorwaspermittedbut
onlyifnon-instrumentaltotheplot.Comedyplaysallowedtheplaywrighttoaddressmoredirectly
eventsofthemomentthantheformalgenreoftragedy.Themostfamouscomedyplaywrightswere
Aristophanes(460-380BCE)andMenander(c.342-291BCE)whowonfestivalcompetitionsjust
likethegreattragedians.Theirworksfrequentlypokedfunatpoliticians,philosophers,andfellow
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artists,someofwhomweresometimesevenintheaudience.Menanderwasalsocreditedwith
helpingtocreateadifferentversionofcomedyplaysknownasNewComedy(sothatpreviousplays
becameknownasOldComedy).Heintroducedayoungromanticleadtoplays,whichbecame,
alongwithseveralotherstocktypessuchasacookandacunningslave,apopularstaplecharacter.
NewComedyalsosawmoreplottwists,suspense,andtreatmentofcommonpeopleandtheirdaily
problems.

LEGACY
Newplayswerecontinuouslybeingwrittenandperformed,andwiththeformationofactorsguilds
inthe3rdcenturyBCEandthemobilityofprofessionaltroupes,Greektheatrecontinuedtospread
acrosstheMediterraneanwiththeatresbecomingacommonfeatureoftheurbanlandscapefrom
MagnaGraeciatoAsiaMinor.IntheRomanworldplaysweretranslatedandimitatedinLatin,and
thegenregaverisetoanewartformfromthe1stcenturyBCE,pantomime,whichdrewinspiration
fromthepresentationandsubjectmatterofGreektragedy.Theatrewasnowfirmlyestablishedas
apopularformofentertainmentanditwouldendurerightuptothepresentday.Eventheoriginal
5th-centuryBCEplayshavecontinuedtoinspiremoderntheatreaudienceswiththeirtimeless
examinationofuniversalthemesastheyareregularlyre-performedaroundtheworld,sometimes,as
atEpidaurus,intheoriginaltheatresofancientGreece.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
MARKCARTWRIGHT
MarkholdsanM.A.inGreekphilosophyandhisspecialinterestsincludethe
Minoans,theancientAmericas,andworldmythology.Helovesvisitingand
readingabouthistoricsitesandtransformingthatexperienceintofreearticles
accessibletoall.

HELPUSWRITEMORE
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aeschylus,PrometheusBoundandOtherPlays(PenguinClassics,1961).
Aristophanes,Aristophanes(LoebClassicalLibrary/Harvard,2000).
Aristophanes,TheWasps,ThePoetandtheWomen&TheFrogsMassMarketPaperback(PenguinClassics,2016).
Bagnall,R.etal,TheEncyclopediaofAncientHistory(Wiley-Blackwell,2012)
Burn,A.R.,ThePenguinHistoryofGreece(PenguinBooks,1966).
Harris,N.,HistoryofAncientGreecebyNathanielHarris(Hamlyn,2016).
Hornblower,S.,TheOxfordClassicalDictionary(OxfordUniversityPress,2012).
Kinzl,H.etal,ACompaniontotheClassicalGreekWorld(Wiley-Blackwell,2010).
Nichols,D.L.etal,TheOxfordHandbookofHellenicStudies(OxfordUniversityPress,2016).
Sophocles,TheThreeThebanPlays(PenguinClassics;1stedition(2000-01-03),2016).
CITETHISWORK

LEGALNOTICE
WrittenbyMarkCartwright,publishedon14July2016underthefollowinglicense:CreativeCommons:
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike .Thislicenseletsothersremix,tweak,andbuilduponthiscontentnoncommercially,aslongastheycredittheauthorandlicensetheirnewcreationsundertheidenticalterms.

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