Weatherstone Notes--Greek Theater

Greek Contributions to Theater

I) Theater
A) First ever dramatists
1) Thespis was the 1st writer of theater
     i) started to speak the lines in a way that distinguished different characters, also wore masks
     ii) created theater
B) Great comic playwrites (Aristophenies, Menander)
1) many of the most important contributions of playwrites
2) Influenced many of the great playwrites
C) Great Tragic Playwrites
1) These playwrites had an impact on Romans and other great future playwrites
2) Many great playwrites came to the Greeks for inspiration
*Greeks believed that these plays were inspired by the gods
D) Tragedies (conflict between 2 good things or right vs. right)
1) Aesschylus
     i) added a second actor to the stage
      a) was able to show more conflict
     ii) Presents a new kind of conflict ( right vs. right)
      a) able to present a new depth in the plays
2) Sophoclese (Antigone)
     i) introduced 3rd actor
     ii) decreased the role of the chorus
     iii) deepens the right vs. right conflict
      a) make the right answer tough to find
      b) then there is a second consequence or conflict due to Antigones decision
      c) each decision leads to another conflict either with another character of with in one's self
3) Euripides (Trojan Women)
     i) characters associated with Trojan war
     ii) chooses an odd scene
      a) chooses the end of the war, women waiting to find out thier fate at the end of the war
      b) women expect nothing good / but they get worse
      c) Hectors wife goes into tragedy
       1) the only thing she has left is her son, and the soldiers kill the kid
       2) she has to become a concubine
     iii) written in 416 b.c. after Athens beat Melos and they made the Melos women suffer
      a) tells the audience that they did the same things to the Melos women as in the story
      b) made Greeks face evil of themselves
      c) Athens did not pay attention, which lead to their self destruction
     iv) Casandra
      a) virgin who was given power of prophecy
      b) Apollo want to sleep with her, but she says no
      c) Apollo gets mad and curses Cassandra with the doubt of people, no one belives her
      d) direct relation to Euripides attempt at writing the play to appeal to the people of Athens during the Melos controversey