Antogone - Paper

Greek Theater originated with the followers of Dionysus, the god of fertility, wine and theater. This form of drama started as his followers danced and sang stories of the Greek myths (Gerber). The two major forms of Greek drama are tragedy and comedy. It was the ancient Greeks, specifically the Athenians, around 500-400 BCE, who perfected the two genres known as tragedy and comedy (Sacks). Thespis, a priest of Dionysus, is credited with giving birth to Greek theater when he introduced the oral culture. Thespis would engage in dialogue with a chorus, consequently resulting in him becoming the first actor, hence the name Thespian for an actor. Tragedy and comedy were both created to entertain, each with their own methods in explaining human nature. Tragedy points out the power of the gods and kings and the consequences of human nature and its flaw, and shows that you should not deny the gods. Comedy approaches its message in showing that the common man is far from perfect and that everyone has flaws.
Tragedy, the first form of oral plays is a form of fiction, nor does it seem like it could be real. Tragedy was invented in Athens around 500 BCE. These seasonal festival days were planned a year in advance. Tragedy’s ultimate goal is to arouse the audience's emotions of pity and fear in a way that releases one’s feelings in order to provide relief. This purging is called katharsis. Greek Tragedy also strives to examine the nature or absence of divine justice, and the role of humankind in the universe (Sacks). Tragedy shows men celebrating man with phallic costumes and amazing masks. The government sponsored the festival days in spring and fall. These events were male-only activities with women not allowed to take part or watch.
Another feature that distinguished tragedy from comedy was the Chorus, consisting of twelve to fifty members. The chorus participated in singing, dancing, and critiquing throughout the play, a major distinguishing aspect of Greek tragedy. To... [continues]

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