History of Theatre- Midterm Study Guide

Greek Theatre:

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Origins of Greek Theatre

• Developed from religious festivals honoring Dionysus, god of wine and fertility

• Began with the dithyramb (choral hymn/song).

• Thespis became the first actor by stepping out of the chorus.

• Greek theatre was both a religious and civic event.

Dithyramb

A choral hymn/song sung in ancient Greece to honor Dionysus, often performed during festivals and considered a precursor to Greek tragedy. Sung and danced by a group of 50 men.

Thespis

The first recorded actor in Greek theatre, known for stepping out of the chorus to interact with it.

City Dionysia

Major dramatic festival in Athens.
• Included:
- Tragedies
- Comedies
- Satyr Plays
• Archon = official who selected plays.
• Choregus = wealthy sponsor of productions.
• Tetralogy = 3 tragedies + 1 satyr plays

Archon

The official who selected plays.

Choregus

The wealthy sponsor of productions.

Teratology

Four plays by one dramatist. Three days were allotted to tragedies and satyr plays, with three tragedies and one satyr play by a single playwright being presented each day.

Three Great Tragic Playwrights

• Aeschylus

• Sophocles

• Euripides

Aeschylus

• Introduced the 2nd actor

• Reduced chorus size from 50 to 12

• Wrote Oresteia

Sophocles

• Introduced the 3rd actor

• Increased chorus to 15

• Wrote Oedipus the King and Antigone

Euripides

• More realistic characters

• Strong female roles

• Wrote Medea and The Trojan Women

Aristotle's Poetics:

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Six Elements of Drama

1. Plot
2. Character
3. Thought (Theme)
4. Language
5. Music
6. Spectacle

Catharsis (Katharsis)

Emotional Release

Hamartia

Tragic flaw/error

Protagonist

Main character

Structure of a Greek Tragedy

1. Prologos - opening scene
2. Parados - chorus enters
3. Episodes - action/dialogue
4. Choral Odes - songs between episodes
5. Exodos - final scene

The Chorus

• Narrates and comments on events

• Provides background information

• Represents public opinion

• Describes offstage events

Types of Greek Drama:

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Tragedy

• Serious stories based on myths

• Focuses on a hero's downfall

Satyr Play

• Comic parody of mythological stories

• Performed after tragedies

• Often risqué/sexual in nature

Old Comedy (Aristophanes)

Political satire
• Fantastical plots
• Agon = formal debate
• Parabasis = chorus speaks directly to audience

Agon

Formal debate

Parabasis

Chorus speaks directly to audience

New Comedy (Menander)

Family and domestic situations
• Stock characters
• Less political
• Influence on Roman comedy

Greek Theatre Architecture:

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Theatron (Part)

Function: Audience seating

Orchestra (Part)

Function: Performance area

Skene (Part)

Function: Stage building

Thymele (Part)

Function: Altar in orchestra

Proedria (part)

Function: Reserved front seats

Stage Machinery

• Mechane

• Deus ex Machina

• Ekkyklema

• Periaktoi

Mechane

Crane for flying gods

Deus ex Machina

God solves the conflict

Ekkyklema

Rolling platform

Periaktoi

Rotating scenery

Hamartia

The traditional interpretation that Aristoles commentary suggests; that the hero suffers because of a tragic flaw in their character. Scholars see the flaw of hubris or excessive pride in many of the Greek tragic figures.

Chorus

Performed a number of dramatic functions. Provided expository or background information, commented on the action, interacted with the other actors, and added spectacle.

Menander (c. 342–291 BCE)

The leading playwright of Greek New Comedy, writing realistic, character-driven plays about everyday Athenian life; love, mistaken identity, family conflict rather than the political satire of Old Comedy. Only one complete play survives (*Dyskolos*, "The Grouch"), plus fragments of others.

Why he matters: He set the template for Western comedy. His plots; young lovers, clever slaves, recognition scenes, happy endings, were adapted by the Romans (Plautus and Terence), and through them shaped Shakespeare, Molière, and the modern sitcom. He also shifted comedy toward believable characters and moral themes, which is why the Dyskolos was recovered from a papyrus in 1957 and remains a key source for understanding Hellenistic theater.

Parts of Greek Theatre

- Theatron ("seeing place") — the semi-circular seating carved into a hillside, where the audience sat.

- Orchestra ("dancing place") — the flat, circular performance area where the chorus danced and sang.

- Thymele — the altar to Dionysus at the center of the orchestra.

- Parodoi (sing. parodos) — the two entrance ramps on either side, used by the chorus and actors to enter and exit.

- Skene ("tent"/building) — the wooden or stone stage building behind the orchestra, serving as backdrop and dressing room; its roof (*theologeion*) could represent the gods' realm.

- Proskenion — the colonnaded porch in front of the skene, where actors performed (more prominent in later periods).

Two famous stage machines are also worth knowing:

- Ekkyklema — a wheeled platform rolled out of the skene to reveal "interior" scenes (like a murder aftermath).

- Mechane — the crane that lowered actors playing gods onto the stage, the origin of deus ex machina.

Old Comedy

Aristophene’s plays, which poked fun at contemporary political, social, and, cultural events as well as personalities, are the forerunners of later satire.

New Comedy

Concerned with domestic and romantic situations prepared the way for almost all popular comedy to follow. It continues to influence contemporary playwrights.

Roman Theatre

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Roman Theatre Historical Background

Rome founded c. 750 BCE
• Republic (500 BCE-27 BCE) → Empire (27 BCE-476 CE)
• Social classes:
- Patricians = wealthy ruling class
- Plebeians = common citizens
- Slaves = large portion of population
• Christianity eventually contributed to the decline of theatre.

Patricians

Wealthy ruling class.

Plebeians

Common citizens

Slaves

Large portion of population.

Influences on Roman Theatre

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Etruscans

• Religious festivals

• Music and dance

• Professional performers

• Improvisation

Greek Theatre

• Greatest influence on Roman drama

• Romans adapted Greek plays and conventions

Popular Forms

• Mime = comedy, music, dance, acrobatics

• Atellan Farce = improvised comedy with stock characters

Mime

Comedy, music, dance, acrobatics.

Atellan Farce

Improvised comedy with stock characters

Roman Comedy characteristics

• No chorus

• Musical accompaniment

• Mistaken identities and eavesdropping

• Usually set on a street

Plautus (254-184 BCE)

• Most popular Roman comic playwright

• 20 surviving plays

• Combined Greek plots with Roman humor

• Famous play: Pseudolus

Terence (185-159 BCE)

• More sophisticated and realistic Roman playwright

• Focus on character development

• Six surviving plays

• Important influence on Renaissance drama

Roman Tragedy

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Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE)

• Most important surviving Roman tragedian

• 9 surviving tragedies

Features of Senecan Tragedy

• Violence shown onstage

• Revenge plots

• Supernatural elements

• Soliloquies

• Strong emotional intensity

Dramatic Types of Roman Theatre

• Fabula Crepidata = Greek subjects

• Fabula Praetexta = Roman subjects

Fabula Crepidata

Greek subjects

Fabula Praetexta

Roman subjects

Horace & Dramatic Criticism

Ars Poetica:
The purpose of drama is to:
"Profit and Please"
Key Rules:
• Five-act structure
• Do not mix comedy and tragedy
• Maximum of three speaking actors onstage at once
• Characters should follow decorum (appropriate behavior)

Decorum

Appropriate behavior for characters.

The purpose of drama is to….

“Profit & Please”

Roman Theatre Architecture:

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Theatre of Pompey (55 BCE)

First permanent Roman theatre

Structural Terms for Roman Theatres

• Cavea

• Orchestra

• Pulpitum

• Scaena

• Scaena Frons

• Vomitoria

Cavea

Audience seating

Orchestra

Seating area for officials

Pulpitum

Stage

Scaena

Stage building

Scaena Frons

Decorative backdrop

Vomitoria

Entrances/exits

Roman vs. Greek Theatres

• Freestanding structures

• Larger buildings

• Connected stage and seating

Popular Entertainment

• Chariot races

• Gladiatorial contests

• Animal combats

• Mock sea battles (Naumachiae)

Naumachiae

Mock sea battles

Important Venues

• Circus Maximus = chariot racing

• Colosseum = gladiators and spectacles

Circus Maximus

Chariot racing

Why Roman Theatre Declined

1. Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE)
2. Rise of Christianity
3. Theatre viewed as immoral/pagan
4. Collapse of Roman urban culture

Fabula Togata

Comedies that dealt with roman issues. None of these plays were popular; nor did they survive.

Fabula Palliata

Roman comedies that did survive, all based on Greek models and Subjects.

Plautus

Roman comedy. An actor turned playwright who wrote what might have resembled modern musical comedies. He was the most famous adapter of Greek New Comedy into Latin. He based his plays on Greek originals (especially Menander's successors) but made them broader and more energetic — slapstick, puns, mistaken identity, clever slaves, and musical songs.

Pseudolus

A play about servants, masters, and hindered love, is a typical comedy by Plautus. Revolves around a foolish father trying to block his son from engaging in what he believes is a socially unacceptable love affair, a servant who outwits his master, and many disguises, accusations, and intricate plot complications. In the end, the titular servant brings the young lovers together and wins a friendly bet with his master.

Horace

Son of a freed slave and leading lyrical Roman poet at the time of his death. Emphasized decorum.

Scaena Frons

The roman version of the skene or scene house.

Pantomime

A unique Roman stage presentation, distinct from mime. Required a principal dancer, an assistant, a chorus, and musical accompanists and might be compared to ballet. The major performer danced a mythological, historical, or occasionally comical story. Performers were often supported by emperors and wealthy individuals.

What does Horace mean by "profit and please"?

Writers should both entertain and instruct their audiences.

Parts of a roman theater

Parts of a Greek theater

Why did Roman theatre decline?

- Rise of Christianity — The Christian church condemned theatre as immoral and pagan, and as it gained political power, it actively suppressed performances.

- Decline of the Roman Empire — Political instability, economic troubles, and barbarian invasions weakened the institutions that supported theatre.

- Shift from drama to spectacle — Audiences increasingly preferred gladiatorial combats, chariot races, and other spectacles over literary plays, so the drama of Plautus and Terence faded from the stage.

- Dominance of mime and pantomime — By the late empire, these non-literary forms had replaced scripted drama almost entirely.

What forms of entertainment were popular in Rome?

- Chariot races, Gladiatorial combats, Wild beast hunts, Mock naval battles (naumachiae), mime, pantomime, and Atellan farce

Early Asian Theatre

• Total Theatre = acting + dance + music + mime + text

• Asian theatre emphasizes symbolism, movement, and religious/philosophical influences

• Major traditions: Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian Theatr

Indian Theatre:

Key terms:

Natyasastra

Ancient Indian theatre handbook

Rasa

Emotional/spiritual response produced in the audience

Sudtradhara

Leader of the acting troupe

Important Indian Playwrights

• Bhasa

• Kalidasa

• Shakuntala

Bhasa

13 surviving plays