by T88

Created on: April 05, 2008

As Greece rose to the dominant force in the Mediterranean during the sixth century BCE, their culture spread along with their wealth. Greek culture had many contributions to the world that are still seen today. These influences include philosophy, democracy, epic writings, and architecture. Another contribution that has been a part of every civilization is theatre.

While the exact origin of Greek theatre is unclear, stories of tragedy emerged sometime after 600 BCE. These performances were known as Dithyrambs, and intended to teach a tragic myth or legend to the masses. Early performances relied on choruses of men to tell a story using song and movement. These choruses, comprised of 15 men for tragedies and 24 men for comedies, were used to create spectacle, rhythms, chants, and witness to action. It wasn't until around 560 BCE in Athens that an actor was used in performances. A playwright by the name of Thespis was credited with being the first actor (playwrights often used themselves as the main character), as well as inventing the notion of characterization. Other contributions made to theatre from Thespis included the introduction of the mask, which became an important characteristic in both Greek and Roman theatre. Later in 534 BCE, Thespis won the first public contest for tragic poets in Greece. This competition, held in Athens, was known as the Dionysian festival to honor Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine. These festivals took three days, and included athletic competitions as well as recitations of verse. Poets who competed submitted three tragedies, and one satire. The early festivals had performances that were comprised of one actor, thanks to Thespis, and a chorus for additional support.

Greek theatre began to rapidly progress beginning around the year 525 BCE. This period, which ran until around 385 BCE, was known as the Athenian period, and coincided with Classical Greece's high point. Seasonal festivals continued to promote the creation of plays, with tragedies being performed in the spring at the Dionysian festivals, and comedies during the winter at the Lenaea festivals. Both of these festivals were widely popular and were rooted in religious importance. Outside of the festivals, important contributions to performance were made by the playwright Aeschylus when he added a second actor. Even further so, a third actor was eventually added by the playwright Sophocles, who also incorporated more dialogue. With the addition of more characters,

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