THEA 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Spanish Golden Age, 3 Women, Roman Festivals
2 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
We don"t know exactly how theatre began or where it originated. We do know that the impulse to create theatre is universal. Originally plays were all sung and danced. Choragos- person in the chorus who is the lead narrator. Chorus" role- to narrate what s going on, talking directly to the audience the whole time. Greek drama was presented in honor of dionysus, the god of wine, fertility and revelry. Greek drama originated out of the dithyrambic chorus, a group of fifty men who sang and danced a hymn praising dionysus. Thespis, a performer, stepped out of the chorus and became an actor. Greek theatre was intimately bound in greek religion. Annual festivals were held in honor of the gods, and theatre became a central feature. Organization of dramatic presentations was undertaken by the government. 900 tragedies were produced during the 5th century b. c. e; only 31 survive. All were from aeschylus, sophocles and euripides.
