An Intrepretation Of Greek Theatre

Greek Theaters

An Interpretation of Greek Theaters

I. Introduction

II. Body

A. History of Greek Theaters

B. Architecture of the Greek Theaters

C. Greek Actors' Costumes and Masks

D. Figure 1

E. Figure 2

III. Conclusion

Ancient Greece is known for their beautiful artistry ranging from frescoes to sculptures, and their architectural innovations, most of which were dedicated to their gods. The Theater of Dionysus was a major theatre in ancient Greece, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis (Wikipedia 1). Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine the theater could seat as many as 17,000 people, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens' biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia (Wikipedia 1). It was the first stone theater ever built Ð'-- cut into the southern cliff face of the Acropolis Ð'-- and the birthplace of Greek tragedy (Wikipedia).

Early tradition holds that drama and comedy evolved from the dithyramb, the songs, folk tales and dances offered to Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility and wine (Wikipedia 1). Flickinger (66) notes the "Greek theater seats were originally made of wood;" it took nearly two centuries for theaters to be made of stone. Every Greek theater consisted normally of three parts: orchestra, auditorium, and scene building (Allen 1).

By the 5th century BC, theatre had become formalized and was a major part of Athenian culture and civic pride, and this century is normally regarded as the Golden Age of Greek drama (Wikipedia 3).

With the size of the theater it would be hard to believe that the audience was able to hear the actors. Mathematics played a large role in the construction of these theaters, as their designers had to be able to create acoustics in them such that the actors' voices could be heard throughout the theater, including the very top row of seats (Wikipedia 4). The plays had a chorus of up to 50 people, who performed the plays in verse accompanied by music (Wikipedia 4). The performance space was a simple circular space, or orchestra, where the chorus danced and sang (Wikipedia 4).

There are not many remnants left behind of Greek theaters, plays, and of actors' costumes and masks. Although there were many playwrights in this era, only the work of four playwrights has survived in the form of complete plays (Wikipedia 3). These playwrights are the tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and the comic writer Aristophanes (Wikipedia 3). Their plays, along with some secondary sources such as Aristotle, are the basis of what is known about Greek theatre (Wikipedia 3).Many ideas of what the Greek theater consisted of and how it was maintained comes from the works of these play writers and artwork; therefore little is known of the Greek theaters.

Greeks are known for illustrating the differences between men and women in their artwork and also in their plays, by the use of costumes and masks. No women appeared on stage, female roles were played by men(Wikipedia 3). In order to play female roles, actors wore a "prosterneda" (a wooden structure in front of the chest, to imitate female breasts) and "progastreda" in front of the belly. (Wikipedia 5).According to Wiles (189), "the males wore chitons, women wore full length chitons, and older women wore cloaks over their chitons.

The shift from a narrative to a dramatic mode was made by Thespis through his introduction of the mask (Wise 61). The distinguishing features correlate with this system of thought (Wiles 152). The woman always has a whitish face; old men in our monuments are distinguished from young men principally by the fact that they have beards (Wiles 152). Wiles note the differences between "men and women mask with complexion, hair, mouth, and eyes as critical features."

The first actor often emerges with a single character; the Second Actor has one-to-several major roles, while the third actor amasses a long list of minor characters (Ashby 131). A Greek actor, required to play an assortment of ages and genders, needed a more extensive vocal range than his modern counterpart (Ashby, 133).