Oedipus the King” WinstonSalemForsyth County Schools俄狄浦斯王》温斯顿salemforsyth县学校.pptVIP

Where did Drama Come From? Legendary Greek gods and goddesses were, by law, celebrated through formal arts, ceremonies, and rituals during the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, often appearing as characters in drama Origins of Greek Theater Began thousands of years ago as dances and songs performed to honor the gods Dionysus, god of wine and procreation, seemed to be the subject of many of these early dramas Dramas were usually about the events that occurred when the gods spoke to and interacted with men Thespis was the first actor who performed around 534BC Origins of Greek Theater Most important events in ancient Greece were performed outdoors; dramas were no exception Three week-long festivals were set aside each year for the purpose of dramatizing stories of the Greeks’ lives: one in March, another in January, and another at varying times throughout the year Physical Structure of the Theater The theater in which Oedipus would have been performed could collectively hold at least 15,000 people at one time. The acoustics (sound quality) of the amphitheater had to be great; even thought it was round in shape, many of the folks couldn’t see actors on stage in the upper levels As long as playwrights wrote in parts for characters that would explain important setting information, there was no need for fancy props or make-up artists Theater, Greek (cont’d) The Greek Thespian (Actor) Three actors were the most to appear on stage at any one time There were, however, more than three characters in a play – actors would simply dress in costume and perform more than one role per play The MASK the actor wore was key to his “identity” Costumes were oversized to make the characters appear “larger than life” to the audience Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy A Greek Tragedy…. (1) is based on past events familiar to the audience; (2) has a main protagonist of noble status or birth; (3) has a main protagonist whose downfall is caused by a character flaw; (4) has a protagoni