Theatre of ancient Greece

Dramatic comedy originated in ancient Greece, and was deemed Old Comedy. It was a way for playwrights to provide their commentary on politics, society, and wars. During the Hellenistic period, comedy was more romantic in tone, and decidedly less satirical and critical. Centuries later, the Catholic church rose to power and took over most dramatic performances, however, they allowed one festival to be run by the lower clergy, the Festival of Fools, that reveled in opposition to authority. In 16th…

The Greeks have contributed many facts and inventions that have influenced our modern society. It is believed that the first Ancient Greek civilizations were formed nearly 4,000 years ago (1600 BC). These early civilizations were formed by the strong Mycenaeans of Crete, a Greek Island. The ancient Greeks contributed to many aspects of our modern civilization, including theatre, architecture, politics, literature, and sciences. The Greeks made lots of stories to help them learn about their…

The theatre began when the ritual played a role in the development of drama in the days of early people. The ancient societies used ritual to represent their understanding of the human condition and of the world around them . The ritual had a religious purpose, and instructive purpose. It was also a form of entertainment. There were common elements found in ritual such as music, dance and mask and costume. In the early years of the fifth century B.C, Greek literature, theatre, and culture…

The civilization of Ancient Greece was one that spanned for several years. During these times, the Greeks excelled in many different fields such as in art, entertainment, math, science and especially in architecture. Greek architecture showed the development and the evolution of their society. This type of engineering came from the people who inhabited the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese, the islands of the Aegean Sea, the Greek colonies in Ionia, and Magna Graecia. It stretches from 900…

The Festival of Dionysus was a great Competition were thousands of People would come to watch New Plays and Writers would gain acknowledgment for their work and more importantly they would honour Dionysus as he was the God of Fertility, Wine and Theatre. When Euripides's…

In Euripides’ play Medea, the chorus is merely used as an instrument to portray social comment and cultural values. The chorus, in Medea, comprises 15 Corinthian women who are non-professionals, having talent in singing and dancing and serving as a bridge between the protagonist and the audience repeating important lines to portray emphasis on a particular issue or viewpoint. In literature, or more specifically, in Greek tragedy, the chorus is a mere commentator, commenting on the actions of the…

The theatre has remained as a social outlet for various ideologies ever since ancient Greece. Throughout the years, the audience vividly observes various social views as expressed by the playwrights. The play, Medea, by Euripides, is no exception. Similar to other playwrights, Euripides uses the theater as a channel to express his social views to other Greeks. Euripides ' play Medea functions as a social commentary to convince the Greeks that their view on the demeaning social status of women…

The first European dramatist Aeschylus is one of three legendary ancient Greek writers, who specialize in Greek tragedy. Joining him are legend’s Sophocles and Euripides. These men framed what societies called theater into what is it today by reconstructing the ways Greeks viewed theater. Aeschylus essentially learned to express the meaning of his plays through experience and creativity. He was a man who’s main purpose was to produce the correlation of man and the many gods the Greek’s believed…

Antigone and the Death of a Salesman Most plays focus on a central theme. The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Antigone by Sophocles are two examples of plays which use betrayal as their central theme. Antigone is a Greek play by Sophocles. It is a Greek tragedy full of loyalty, betrayal, love and death. The play Antigone features many central themes with betrayal being the main theme of the story. The theme of betrayal is evident in the beginning of the play when the king Creon betrays…

Sophocles led an exemplary lifestyle in ancient Greece. He was a playwright, priest, and even took part in the Sicilian Expedition. As a result of these influential events and professions in his life he followed a traditional view of ancient Greek religion and society in his tragedies. As a result we as an audience get such characters as Antigone who deviates from the role and personality of ancient Greek women. In the tragedy Antigone, Polynices is left unburied and Antigone his sister believes…