Theatre of ancient Greece
A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as part of a festival called the Dionysia, which honoured the god Dionysus. Tragedy (late 500 BC), comedy (490 BC), and the satyr play were the three dramatic genres emerged there. Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies. Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements.
"Greek theatre" redirects here. For other uses, see Greek theatre (disambiguation).Etymology[edit]
The word τραγῳδία, tragodia, from which the word "tragedy" is derived, is a compound of two Greek words: τράγος, tragos or "goat" and ᾠδή, ode meaning "song", from ἀείδειν, aeidein, 'to sing'.[1]
This etymology indicates a link with the practices of the ancient Dionysian cults. It is impossible, however, to know with certainty how these fertility rituals became the basis for tragedy and comedy.[2]
, a wheeled platform often used to bring dead characters into view for the audience
ekkyklêma
, pictures hung to create scenery
pinakes
thyromata, more complex pictures built into the second-level scene (3rd level from the ground)
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Ancient Greek Theatre
– Dr. Thomas G. Hines, Department of Theatre, Whitman College
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– Dr. Janice Siegel, Department of Classics, Hampden–Sydney College, Virginia