Structure Of Ancient Greek Theatre

In Ancient Greece, theater began with festivals that honored Dionysus, the god of arts and revelry. It emerged in Athens during the 6th century B.C. and served as a source of the Cultural Revolution that sparked in Greece. The early theaters were multipurpose, since they incorporated different aspects of Greek life such as religion and democracy. This allowed for playwrights to openly express their opinions which created a powerful, emotional, and thoughtful experience for the audience. Even the dynamic structure of the theater, itself, allowed the audience to become fully engaged in the performance. These uses and structures of ancient Greek theater have influenced the development of plays throughout history and established the foundations …show more content…
The seating arrangements in the theaters reflected the nature of Athenian society and showed the relationship of theater and democracy. Theaters were often very large, in order to accommodate multitudes of people, usually reaching up to approximately fourteen thousand. From the audiences’ point of view the actors and chorus on stage appeared small, but the acoustics in the theater were remarkable. Builders crafted the theaters in a way so the smallest sounds could be heard throughout the whole theater. The Greeks tended to build these structures in a natural hollow, in order to assign seats in the ancient theater. It is evident from theaters such as the Theater of Dionysus, that certain seating areas were reserved for particular people. For instance, priests, magistrates, and other notable figures sat front row and center. There was also designated seats for members of the boulê, which was the 500 member executive Council of the Assembly. However, average citizens may have been assigned seats based upon the ten Attic tribes. Theater tickets were traditionally stamped with a Greek letter, indicating a specific wedge of seats. The price for these tickets was two obols which was equivalent to the …show more content…
The chorus generally consisted of 12 people who received eleven months of training, which was the most expensive part of the entire production. The purpose of the chorus was to add movement through song and dance, to set the mood and heighten dramatic effects, to create rhythmical function which allowed the audience to pause and reflect on what occurred in the play, and to establish an ethical framework which set standards for how the actions of the characters should be judged. They were considered to be the ideal spectators, who reacted as the playwright hoped the audience would