Theater History: Historiography, Ritual, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering historical methodology, ritual and theater distinctions, Greek tragedy and Old Comedy, and Roman popular entertainment.

Premises

Assertions or propositions which form the basis for a theory.

Biases

Prejudices in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Primary Source

A first-hand account or analysis, rather than a later or secondary analysis of that source.

Logeion

An elevated stage employed by the ancient Greeks in theater, the existence of which during the fifth century B.C.E. remains a subject of historical debate.

Rituals (formal sense)

Group activities that have a performer/audience element, serve a recognized social function, follow repeated patterns, and are often intended to achieve supernatural or practical results.

Efficacious

Intended to achieve results beyond the performing of the activity itself.

Propitiate

To make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.

Commercial Theater

Theater produced first and foremost to make money, relying on ticket sales and full houses to survive.

Ceremony

Formalized rituals meant to sanction (approve) a political, social, or religious concept, typically led by an acknowledged authority figure with institutional or legal backing.

Absent Other

Richard Schechner's term for an entity or agency not literally present in the audience—such as a spiritual force or secular institution—toward whom a ritual is directed.

Peripeteia

A reversal of fortune experienced by the tragic hero, moving from good at the beginning of the story to bad (great suffering) by the end.

Hamartia

An archery term literally translating to 'missing the mark' (or 'striking inadequacy'), designating the way a tragic hero contributes to their own downfall.

Anagnorisis

The 'recognition' scene in a tragedy where the hero realizes their reversal of fortune and understands the reason and their own role in it.

Episodes

The scenes in Greek tragedy that occur between individual characters rather than the chorus.

Choral Odes

The sung and danced interludes performed by the chorus between the dramatic episodes in Greek drama.

Old Comedy

An ancient Greek dramatic sub-genre (exemplified by Aristophanes) characterized by topical socio-political satire, fantastical elements, a happy idea, an agon, parabasis, and komos.

Topical

Of immediate relevance, interest, or importance owing to its relation to current events.

Satirical

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics.

Happy Idea

The central thesis or fanciful premise introduced in the prologue of an Old Comedy (such as the women of Athens withholding sex to stop a war in Lysistrata).

Agon

A formal debate scene in Old Comedy where the protagonist and antagonist argue the merits of the happy idea following a prescribed meter and formula.

Parabasis

A prescribed 100-line choral address in Old Comedy where the chorus speaks directly to the audience, mocking individuals or commenting on external issues.

Komos

A scene of joyful celebration concluding an Old Comedy that signifies reconciliation between opposing parties, often featuring a gamos.

Gamos

A Greek term meaning 'wedding' or literally 'sexual unification,' celebrated during the final komos of an Old Comedy.

Phallus

An image or representation of an erect penis worn by male characters in Old Comedy, symbolizing fertility, potency, or male dominance.

Popular Entertainments

Theatrical or quasi-theatrical presentations designed to thrill, please, and amuse all levels of society without requiring education or provoking deep reflection on existential dilemmas.

Naumachiae

Spectacular mock sea battles staged by the Romans on lakes, artificial bodies of water, or in flooded amphitheaters, first produced by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C.E.

Circus Maximus

A massive Roman arena constructed in 600 B.C.E. specifically for chariot racing, seating over 60,000 spectators.

Atellan Farce

A popular Roman comic entertainment dating from the 300s B.C.E. featuring short, bawdy sketches with recurring stock characters like the braggart and the glutton.

Roman Mime

A broad, popular Roman entertainment form performed in found spaces featuring acrobatics, juggling, spoken dialogue, risqué comedic sketches, and female performers.

Roman Pantomime

A solo Roman theatrical dance performance comparable to ballet, featuring a masked principal dancer accompanied by a chorus that chanted the narrative.

Found Spaces

Spaces such as public squares or open courtyards used for theatrical performance even though they were not specifically constructed for that purpose.

Venationes

Roman staged hunts in arenas where thousands of wild animals were brought in from across the empire and slaughtered before spectators.

Ludi Romani

The primary Roman civic and religious festival ('Roman Games') held in honor of the god Jupiter, featuring theatrical performances and spectacles.

Ludi Florales

A Roman fertility festival established around 238 B.C.E. where mime troupes served as the primary theatrical entertainment.