Greek and Roman Tragedy Quiz 1

Mycenaean Bronze Age

1500- 1180 BC

Dark Ages

• 1180-700 BC

• It is referred as the Dark Ages due to not knowing enough about the period

• we learn more about it when Homer is introduced (growing hellenism)

Archaiac Period

• 700-479 BC

• Archaiac= Old

Classical Period

• 479-323 BC

• 480 BC- The Persian Wars

Hellenistic Period

• 323-146 BC or 30 BC-392 AD

• Alexander the Great, died 323

Roman Period

• 146 or 30BC-392BC

Roman Timeline: Foundation

• 753 BC

• end of dark ages

• romulus and remus

Roman Timeline: Monarchy

• 753-509 BC

• Roman Timeline: Republic

• 509-31 or 27 BC

• 31- Battle of Aticum

• Agustus= revered one. Octavious and Agustus are the same person, there was identity change

Homer ~700s BC

• Everything comes from Homer

• Majoriry of greek plots are inspired by Homer

Lyric Poetry ~650s BC

• Most of the tragedies we will read are really musicals

First Athenian Tragedies

534 BC

Aeschylus 525-455BC

• Author of many plays

• fought in the persian wars

Sophocles

406-406/405 BC

Euripides

480-406BC

Senecas

4 BC- 65 AD

Dithyrambic

• large group choruses

• some roles given to elaborate animals in comedy

City/Greater Dionysia March/April

• started 530s, 540 possibly

• Peisistratus in 530s

• seven days counting preliminaries

• celebration for all Attica, with guests from all over. prisoners were even granted freedom during this time, and businesses were close

Trangedy Contest

• 3 triologies, play ~501 on

Satyr

• Half man half donkey and is always drunk

Lenia in late January

• started with tragedies

• featured comedies from mid 5th c. on

• number of plays unknown

Dionysus

• god of wine, and by extension fertility.

• wine= alcohol, leading to sex

• interplayes with masculine and feminine features

• depictions of him in leopad print, which represents a wild side. it showed his personality.

ecstacy

• ecstacy (see lyaios)- doesn’t only loosen you up but laso sets you free

Orgies

• mass state of imdiced anger ad maddness. one of which you don’t operate in a normal matter.

• maenads, satyrs, wild animals, eating raw flesh, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria

theatron

• “theater,” place for viewing

skene

building behind the stage, orchestra

stage

• perhaps one meter in height, wooden

• accessed via doors from the skene and ramps/steps from orchestra

mechane

• machine, device. a crane with a basket

• levetations for gods, dragon chariot, etc.

Ekkuklema

• “wheely-outy-thing,” a low platform on wheels

• disolay results of action of stage

actors

• all parts are played by men in masks (including female roles)

• one person would speak at a time, never overlap (may be beause of the masks, not being able to see thier mouths moving)

chorus

• 12-15 for tragedy, 24 for comedy

• amateurs usually

auletes

accompanies the chorus

costumes

• rags to royal robes

• prosthetics may have been used to excentuate female characters

• no phallasus unless comedy

dialogue

lambic trimeters

antepasts

chorus used this for enterance: short, short, long beats

strophes

lyric meters for songs

choregoi

sponsering the shows/festival, or a chorus leader

Attica Society

• the theater of dionysus could hold around 15-17k people

• they did not care if you could not vote, rich or poor, they wanted everyone there to view the play

currency

• 6 obols in a drachma

• 1 drachma= 1 day’s wages for skilled labor