Ancient Greek Tragedy: History, Playwrights and Performances

Did you know that the term thespian comes from the Greek dramatist Thespis? Or that men would play women's roles in ancient Greek theatre? Stick around to learn more about Greek tragedy. Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today we're going to explore the origins, playwrights and legacy of Greek tragedy. Don't forget the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up and subscribing to our channel so you don't miss out on any new uploads. If you like my t-shirt you can find this design and a bunch more on our shop which we will link for you down below. Not just the origins of Greek tragedy but the origins of theatre itself traces back to classical Athens in the 6th century BCE. Scholars debate the specific origins of tragedy, some suggesting it evolved from the performance of epic poetry. Others argue a strong link to rituals performed in honor of the god Dionysus which included sacrificing goats, wearing masks and a song ritual called Tragordia. Rituals to Dionysus also incorporated music and dance which were both used in the ancient Greek chorus. But regardless of where it originated from Dionysus became known as the god of theatre and tragedies were performed wearing masks. Theatre in ancient Greece was less a social outing and more an integrated part of life for the citizens of Athens which meant the adult males of Athens since women were not considered citizens and the presence of women in theatre is highly contested. Theatre was an important aspect of the political landscape in Athens and the plays were about popular tales in Greek mythology which at that time was their religion. In some cases, although mainly in comedies, the plays would be about contemporary events such as Aeschylus's tragedy the Persians which is about the battle of Salamis which Aeschylus may have even fought in. Greek theatre was performed in an open-aired venue called a theatron, the most famous being the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens. Since the plays were about the religion and sometimes the history of the ancient Greeks, the subject had to be dealt with with respect. This meant no killing or violence on stage which might upset the audience by causing a spectacle. The earliest tragedies only had one actor who would perform in a mask and costume and later this one actor would interact with the leader of a chorus. This innovation is attributed to Thespis sometimes credited as the father of Greek tragedy instead of Aeschylus in around 520 BCE and eventually three actors were allowed on stage and would change costumes into different characters in a small tent behind the stage called the skene. However, all actors and chorus members would have been male, a policy which continued for over 2,000 years up to the early 1660s CE. Thespis's contributions to theatre were honoured later through the term thespian meaning an actor especially one in a drama or a tragedy. Greek tragedies were performed not just in theatrons for people to enjoy but were composed in order to be performed in competitions with the city Dionysia or the great Dionysia being the most famous of these competitions. At the city Dionysia which was held in early spring three playwrights would produce three tragedies and a satyr play. A satyr play was a comical play almost like an inverse tragedy play which would have the actors dressed up as satyrs who were part goat. Satyr plays would be a comedic performance of usually serious themes directly after the three tragedies and would often contain obscene and bawdy humour. We only have one extant satyr play in its entirety which is Euripides Cyclops which recounts the tale of Odysseus and the cyclops Polyphemus from Homer's Odyssey. Cyclops has the satyr Silenus making up tall tales because of the amount of wine he has drunk, making sexual jokes about Helen of Troy and egging Polyphemus on to eat Odysseus when he says I want to give you some advice don't leave untouched a single bit of this man's flesh and if you chew on his tongue you will become clever and glib Cyclops. First, second and third place were all awarded prizes besides honour and prestige. First place often received a bronze tripod cauldron. At the city Dionysia the choral dithran which was a choir who sung and danced greek hymns dedicated to the god Dionysus would also compete which was a non-theatrical event with two choruses one of 50 men and one of 50 boys. There are no complete texts surviving from the dithrans but it seems to have gotten more passion out of the audience than the dramatical competition. Since these competitions were focused on religious events and themes they were funded by the state and playwrights had to audition to be able to compete in these events. An important aspect of greek tragedy was catharsis which is the purging or purification of emotions in an audience which arose from the experience of the events of the tragedy. From the many ancient tragedians we are aware of only the works of the greatest three authors have survived with a total of 32 full-length plays. The first of the great tragedians known as the father of tragedy is Aeschylus. Aeschylus was the man to add a second actor to the performances which increased the dialogue and the drama. Aeschylus fought in multiple battles during the Persian wars and of the more than 90 plays he wrote only seven survive with his most famous being Prometheus Bound. Aeschylus was known to carry on a theme between the three tragedy plays such as Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers and Eumenides which is known collectively as the Oresteia. He is known to have won with half of his 90 plays in the many competitions he performed in. Next we have the tragedian Sophocles who was born in 496 BCE and lived for 90 years. Sophocles was very popular and is credited with the addition of the third actor and employing painted scenery sometimes even changing it throughout the play. Of the over 100 plays that Sophocles composed only seven survived to us today. He is best known for his Antigone, Oedipus the King and Women of Trachys. He is known to have won at least 20 competitions with 19 of them being at the city Dionysia. The final tragic poet we have is Euripides who was known for his clever dialogue and the level of realism he brought to his text and performances. He often asked questions which unsettled audiences and this is perhaps why he didn't win many of the competitions. Only 19 of his 90 plays survive and his most famous play is Medea the story of Jason as in Jason and the Argonauts and his desertion of Medea and their children for the daughter of the king of Corinth. Greek tragedies were written and performed specifically for the religious festivals and competitions yet many were re-performed and written down for mass publication. Kept by the state were copies of the works of the three great tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and their plays even became important parts of school curriculums. Theatres continued in popularity and inevitably became common features of the urban landscape from Sicily to Asia Minor. The Romans copied these Greek tragedies into Latin which gave rise to the Roman pantomime, a new art form in the first century CE derived from the Persians which drew inspiration from the topics of Greek tragedy. Pantomime became popular entertainment because an audience didn't need to understand the language of the author to enjoy the play. Because of this, Roman tragedy gained an even wider audience and affected the literary developments of other cultures. Have you read or seen any Greek tragedy? What did you think of it? Do you have a favorite? Let us know down in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video don't forget to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on any new uploads. This video was brought to you by World History Encyclopedia. For more great articles and interactive content head to our website via the link below. 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