Greek Drama Essay

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Recommended: Differences and similarities in modern and ancient greek drama in the theater

Greek drama first start in ancient Greece around 700 BC in the city-state of Athens. It was usually held at the festival of Dionysia as a way of honoring the god Dionysus. Greek drama was split into 3 categories, satyr, tragedy, and comedy. The Dionysia festival was used as a way to promote common cultural identities between the many Greek city-states. The Greeks favorite drama type was that of the Greek tragedies. The word tragedy is derived from a compound of two Greek works, tragos meaning goat and ode meaning song. During these Greek tragedies it was common for the participants to be dressed as goats. Greek tragedies usually dealt with the big themes of love, loss, pride, abuse of power, and the relationships between men and gods. The …show more content…

Today plays are put on throughout the year and has no link towards religion. Today we live in a multicultural society and people follow different faiths and have different views so modern day plays are made to appeal to a variety of people. Although there are some difference between modern day and ancient Greek drama there are still a few similarities. Greek drama often reflected the flaws and values of Greek society, which is still true to this day. Today many modern plays still show the flaws of society. Be it social changes or to protest an idea or ideology. One value that is shown in a lot of ancient Greek dramas is family. In Sophocles and Aeschylus plays they show a strong importance of the value of family. Throughout some ancient Greek dramas we can see that family is strong and important cultural values which is still true today. It is displayed in Sophocles Antigone and Euripides …show more content…

In the play Antigone is upset because the king of Creon decreed that Polynices is not to be buried because he is considered a traitor. Antigone is willing to break the king 's law because of her concern for her brother who is more important to her than the king. Antigone is willing to put her life on the line for her brother, showing that her family is first priority and most important even over obeying the law of the king. This shows the importance of family and sometimes to need to put them first in your life and be willing to lose your own

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