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The importance of theatre and its role in society
Greek theater then and now
Greek modern theatre today
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Recommended: The importance of theatre and its role in society
Theatre of Dionysus is situated on the south side of the acropolis in Athens, it’s an
open-air theatre. During the ancient times, it was used for the honor of the God
Dionysus, and it is the first theatre in Europe and stood below the Parthenon in
Athens, Greece. It was originally built in 5th century B.C. The south slope of the
Acropolis has two theatres, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Theatre of
Dionysus, although the preservation of the other theatre is much better than the
theatre of dionysus it has a significance to the God Dionysus celebration and rituals
that were performed.
The theatre is shaped in a semi-circle consisting of seats for about 18,000 spectator
and the seating arrangement is according to society status,
...ty since "things could happen in the real life of Athens which were virtually unthinkable in tragedy, and vice versa." Perhaps the safest assessment of Dionysus is that while not a direct opponent of the traditional ways, his presence, and especially his effect on other characters, serves to highlight many social norms. According to Bernad Knox, "From start to finish, Euripides was 'attempting to show citizens bred in the traditional views...that such conceptions of the gods should offend them.'" Perhaps we as readers will never fully understand the Dionysus that appears in this play, but a closing look at a remark of the Chorus may bring us a step closer to this understanding:
While visiting the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, I came across The Indian Triumph of Dionysus. Originating in Rome, it was created by a wealthy follower of Dionysus’s mystery cult in the late second century A.D. This worshiper evidently wanted to construct a sarcophagus in tribute of Dionysus’s accomplishments. Furthermore, Dionysus is surrounded by characters that are within the mystery cult because the creator wants the viewers to know with whom he is associated. With these two things combined, the patron hoped to shed light on a piece of history that they believed to be prominent during his life.
Theatre is an evolving art form, due to its prevalent themes, in which the creators ‘…express the complications of life through a shared enterprise’ (Lee Hall, 2008). The modernisation of a text whilst maintaining the history relevant to the play has been reinforced by Brisbane based Physical Theatre Company Zen Zen Zo through their 1996 reinterpretation of Eurpide’s The Bacchae, adapted into ‘The Cult of Dionysus’ (Zen Zen Zo, 2016). ‘The Cult of Dionysus’, entails the story of Dionysus, the Greek God of fertility, wine and pleasure, seeks revenge on the ruler of Thebes’ Pentheus, who has just outlawed the worship of Dionysus. The elements of drama have been manipulated to engage the audience, specifically
How would you feel if you lived in a time period where god and goddesses controlled your everyday life (“Religion”). Ancient Greece contained many important events and the people created many important things. Greek theater was very important as well, it was a great source of entertainment for its people. Ancient Greek theater was influenced by the time period in that it involved a lot of mythological gods and goddesses as evidence in the play The Curmudgeon by Meander.
2:12-13). Characterized by its enormity—massive sculpted friezes protrude from its walls and encompass a wide marble staircase leading up to the pinnacle of the altar completed by an Ionic colonnaded hall. Erected in Pergamon—a relatively young capital of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) established in the early 3rd century following the death and breakup of Alexander the Great’s empire— in c. 175 BCE; Eumenes II (r. 197-159 BCE) commissioned the altar as monument to their triumph on the city’s Acropolis. The dramatic gravity of the structure and dynamic motion observed in its friezes represents, overall, the Greek Hellenistic period.
"NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ATHENS - OFFICIAL SITE." NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ATHENS - OFFICIAL SITE. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location. and architectural features of the building. In ancient Greece, festivals were mainly held at the Great Dionysia. This was the oldest theatre in Greece and many plays were performed. here, for example, the first performance of Antigone.
Both the Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem created in 687 AD with no artist, and the Acropolis, located in Athens Greece created in 450BC with no artist but commissioned by Pericles, are demonstrations of Sacred spaces that demonstrate different practices from two different cultures.
back to the time of the first people to live in the valley of Alpheas River.
The theater of Dionysus stands at the foot of the acropolis and its date originates back to the 6th Century, B.C.. Its originally wood seats rise in tiers above one another against the slope of the acropolis, creating a natural setting for the plays (D'ooge, 231). The Greek Theater was built to house a drama which, during the festivals of Dionysus, had evolved from the long tradition of choral hymns which were presented each year. As Greek culture changed and flourished, entertainment transformed from being a series of choral chanting and dancing to placing an emphasis on the actor. As the actors' importance grew, there became a need for a stage from which they could be seen by each of the fourteen thousand spectators the theater housed. The chorus was still a very active part of the entertainment and they resided in the orchestra (Norwich, 64). The orchestra was the oldest part of the Greek theater and thus, when the actor was given
Actors were expected to memorize hundreds of lines at a time. While one play could be performing, actors would be practicing lines for their next show. Play writers also began to make roles for the actors in the theatrical pieces. The theaters that actors performed in were roofless so that the sun could be used as lighting. Theatrical shows were held in the afternoon because it provided the best amount of light for the show. When the people gathered into the theater, the different classes of people were separated by where they could afford to sit and watch the show. The lower classmen were situated on the bare earth where it was dirty and smelly because it was never cleaned. The owners’ of the theaters found it less expensive if they did not keep high maintenance of their establishments. Higher classmen sat under a roof and for a penny more, they could buy cushions for their seats.
Donaldson, John William. The Theatre of the Greeks: A Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama. 8th. London: George Bell and Sons, 1879. 106-147. Print.
Theater was an important part of Ancient Greek Civilization. History of Greek theatre began with religious festivals which aim to honor Dionysus, a god. During the festivals some citizens sing songs and perform improvisation plays and other participants of festivals judges this performances to decide which one of them was the best. These plays form the foundation of the Greek Theatre. Because of the competition between performers to create best performances, plays gained an aesthetic perspective and became a form of art. So, theatre as a part of religious rituals took attention of people and gained an importance in Ancient Greek Society.
William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson are names that have resonated through the centuries. Not since ancient Athens has there been such gluttony of talent, producing stories for the ages. Might Athens be were these Englishmen found their inspiration? Greece produced its share of legendary playwrights; Sophocles and Euripides are two of the most famous. There are far m Elizabethan England gave birth to some of the most famous names in theatre. ore similarities between Elizabethan and Greek Theatre then there are differences. The influence of both eras is felt even today, stage productions of Shakespeare and Euripides are performed from London too Broadway and everywhere in between. I believe that both eras have influenced modern theatre simply because the Greek so obviously influenced Elizabethan theatre.
Considered by many to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, Othello’s influence on the arts is illustrated both by the frequency of its production and by its influence on many playwrights and directors over the years. Nearly 400 years have passed since the first production of Othello in 1604 and there hasn’t been much change in the way it has been produced as they all explore the deterioration of Othello due to one tragic flaw - jealousy, which is the major theme of the play. As many of Shakespeare’s works, the productions of Othello have been recontextualized in an attempt to make it more understandable to audiences of that time, often being produced in settings other than the original, offering a different interpretation of the play or allowing