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Essay on "ancient Greek democracy
Essay on "ancient Greek democracy
Ancient greece civilization influence
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Have you ever wondered what life was like before technology? The playwrights of ancient Greece had to do all that work without wikianswers. Ancient Greek Theatre was a big and celebrated occasion in that time period. The Ancient Greek play by Aeschylus, The Persians, was greatly influenced by the culture as well as the economic status of Greece, and the political leaders at the time.
Thus began the Age of Pericles, the period of Greek history when Pericles ruled Athens. Under Pericles, Athens went through a period that has become known as the Golden Age of Athens (480-404) B.C. Athens developed a more democratic form of government that gave power to those who were Athenian. These rights did not apply to women or slaves. In 490 B.C, the Athenians defeated Persian invades at the Battle of Marathon. In 480 B.C. Xerxes the First, the Emperor of the Persians, (c.519- 465) B.C, and a large Persian force attempted to even the score. In the battle of Thermopylae, The Persian’s outnumbered the Spartans. The Persians then marched to Athens for revenge. The Greeks defeated the Persian Navy at the battle of Salamis that same year proved to be turning point in the conflict and Xerxes withdrew most of his men in Asia. The finale battle of the Persian War was near Plataea in 479 B.C with Greeks winning. In 477 B.C, the Delian League was formed. The members were Greek city-states, who band together to protect themselves against future threats by the Persian Empire. In 461, Pericles, the leader of the Athenian Democratic Party, became ruler of Athens. After Pericles death, the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta raged on for almost three decades (Pericles).
Religion in Ancient Greece was complex and consisted of many gods and goddesses. Th...
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... the Greeks and drafted the entire male population. The Greeks won the battle. Xerxes escapes and tells the gory outcome of the scene. Atossa returns to Xerxes fathers tomb, Darius. King Darius returns as a ghost. He is ignorant of his empires collapse. Atossa tells her husband that their son is the reason his empire failed. The chorus then tries to make Xerxes a slave. Darius forbids it. He tells them to teach his son self-control and leaves reminding everyone of the value of life. King Xerxes tells his citizens of the battle and begs for forgiveness. He honors the dead with sadness (Aeschylus).
The plays of Ancient Greece are very different from today's musicals and plays. They did not have the gigantic expensive settings that we do today. They had to use the sunlight and the nature around them to create an atmosphere that portrayed the play they were performing.
Xerxes was a man of power. The Great King of Persia, his empire encompassed the majority of the known world. On his invasion of Greece in the spring of 480BCE, he reportedly commanded a horde of over two million men. Even the Greek oracle at Delphi encouraged prudence in face of such an overwhelming force (7.140). Thus the question arises of why such an army failed to compel Greece into submission. I will explore this with focus on the key battles and the important factors, most notably the timing of the attack, the quality of his expeditionary force and Xerxes’ personal faults.
... media such as newspapers, TV, magazines, the Internet, and the radio. These are all similar to the chorus and choragos in Antigone, because they all inform the audience/public about the current events taking place. Without the media, no one would be notified about political events, world events, or even local events. Likewise, without the chorus, the audience would not be able to value the play as well. So next time you come across something from ancient Greece, don't quickly glance at it, but really take a look. Maybe you'll realize that a lot of ideas and culture that we have today were taken from the Greeks.
A "Golden Age" for Athens? The 5th century BCE was a period of great development in Ancient Greece, and specifically in Athens. The development of so many cultural achievements within Athens and the Athenian Empire has led scholars to deem this period a "Golden Age. " It is true that his period had many achievements, but in the light of the Athenians treatment of women, metics (non-Athenians living in Athens), and slaves it is given to question whether or not the period can truly be called "Golden."
However, the Greeks, commanded by the most prominent Greek city-states Athens and Sparta and their allies, were successful in defeating the Persian armies in several widely recognized clashes, including Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis (Invicta, 2019). Their victories were notable not merely for their military brilliance, but also for the cultural and political consequences they resulted in such as: The rise of Athens as a dominant power. First, the Greco-Persian Wars helped to unite Greek city-states and establish a sense of common identity and purpose. The Greeks, who had previously been divided and at odds with one another, rallied together to defend their homes and dignity from a common foe.
In ancient Greece, plays were more then simply a form of entertainment. "Athenian drama was supported and financed by the state. (...)Greek theater was directed at the moral and political education of the community." (Kennedy and Gioia, pgs 1357-1363) Sophocles understood this, and dissipated any pollyanic view of society by presenting us with plays that were intended to teach. Sophocles's Oedipus the King issued a warning for those who foolishly believed that they could challenge the forces of nature. Sophocles was known for presenting characters that are fluid not static. So it should come as no surprise that the Oedipus the reader encounters at the outset of the play, an extraordinary leader, but one who's pride has lead him to challenge his fate, has changed by the end of the play. He comes to realize that all his efforts to change the outcome of his life were acts of futility. We are shown a man who has finally accepted divine will and though now fallen from high estate is uplifted in moral dignity. (Kennedy and Gioia Pg 1364-1365)
In modern times, no film can be produced without being scrutinized by a number of paid movie critics who are chosen to tell the public what movies implement factors that constitute it as an acceptable film to watch. In Ancient Greece, this idea of a movie critic was nonexistent, due to the fact that the closest form of entertainment that they possessed were plays. However, Greek philosopher Aristotle was, among countless other professions, the first individual to become the ancient version of modern-day movie critics. Aristotle developed six main elements of a tragedy play. These six elements include plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle or scenic effect, and song or music. One theatrical phenomenon released in 1975 which implements
They threw festivals for him. In 500 BC, a dramatist named Thespis implemented a solo actor, and he told speeches about each of the characters, and he changed his masks depending on which character was talking. He would talk to the narrator which was the chorus. In 471 BC, another dramatist named Aeschylus created a second actor which allowed dialogue between them on stage. Only three years later, Sophocles came up with an idea that would make a complex dramatic situation by adding a third character. They still kept the same ideas when there was only one actor on stage such as, switching characters means switching masks. The chorus itself acted like another character and not always a narrator. Because there were more actors on stage, they were able to expand their plays to the entire group of Greek mythology and not just the theatre god Dionysus (Ancient Greek Theatre). As time progressed, the acting industry started to form into modern day acting. They started to have more actors talking to actors instead of them talking to the chorus (Ancient Greek Theatre). Instead of having the audience surrounding the actors completely, the audience is now seated in front of them and slightly on the side. Back then, the actors purpose was to talk to the audience. They would talk to the audience more than they would talk to each other. Nowadays, the actors talk to each other, and they do not speak to the audience for the most because if they do, it would be out of character. The lines today are meant to be a real life scenario. It was not meant to argue with each other and try to get the audience on their side. Back then, they had a core group of actors, and they played together for several years. It was the same cast for each play. There are no new cast members. They had to perform a new play almost everyday, so they did not have a lot of time to rehearse. Today, the
Normally accustomed to being able to wrap solid dates around events, I’m having a hard time finding consensus regarding when Athens’ Golden Age started and ended. My research found some discussions about Athens’ Golden Age, speaking in broader terms, suggesting this was a golden age of Greece itself. It’s clear the Pericles had a profound impact, some call his contributions, “the Age of Pericles.” Evelyn Abbott’s 1891 book, “Pericles and the Golden Age of Athens,” suggests that Pericles and Athens’ Golden Age go hand-in-hand.
All of this pulls back to ancient Greece being the starting point of modern drama and theatre. Everything from the symbols of theatre to the plays of modern masters has its roots in the hub of the ancient world. I can assure you that we still have not seen the last of it, and we shall not until the end of humanity.
The first reason for drama being the most important Greek invention is that it still exists today. After the first dramas were written by Greek play authors, Aeschylus and Sophocles, we have expanded on the beautiful interpretation. After 2,000 years, drama has still survived, even thrived, and
Many modern societies, such as America, are greatly shaped by European influences. Some of the most impactful cultural influences in America originated from ancient Greece. They provided recreational activities that evolved and became an important part of the American culture, such as their theatrical performances that progress into movies of modern time. The Greeks were the first to construct theatres and create a standard for storytelling through plays. Aristotle’s “The Art of Poetry” greatly influenced later literary geniuses such as Shakespeare in creating tragedy. Playwrights during Aristotle’s time, such as Sophocles, wrote plays based around his standards of what a tragedy should have. Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex incorporated the various
Theater was born in Attica, an Ionic region of Greece. It originated from the ceremonial orgies of Dionysos but soon enough its fields of interest spread to various myths along with historic facts. As ancient drama was an institution of Democracy, the great tragic poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides as well as the comedian Aristophanes elevated public debate and political criticism to a level of aesthetic achievement. Euripides and the ethologist Menandros, in the thriving years of Alexandria and later on during the Roman domination, reached a beau ideal level and through the Romans managed to form Western Theater, from Renascence and thereafter.DRAMA FESTIVALSThe plays were presented at festivals in honor of Dionysus, including the Great Dionysia at Athens, held in the spring the Rural Dionysia, held in the winter and the Lenaea, also held in the winter following the Rural Dionysia. The works of only three poets, selected in competition, were performed.
Greek Drama is different from our contemporary experience at the movies or the theater because of the size and scale of these events. But not only that, the purpose and the setup of these events are much different too. Although there are some slight comparisons, these two experiences are immensely different.
Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...
The Greeks has also invented the legacy of theater. Their idea of theatre had also introduced the idea of comedy. The Greek theatre influenced through Europe including plays written by William Shakespeare, such as Romeo and Juliet.