Monday 1 July 2019

Ancient Greek Theatre - Introduction

Ancient Greek Theatre was all about Opsis [ὄψις - Spectacle or Performance] and Melos [μέλος - Song or Tune]. The theatrical perspective: Greek drama was written to be performed, to be seen. This is in contradiction to what Aristotle said in his Poetics who thought it was more to do with actions, words and thought. Aristotle thought it was not necessary to see or hear the play to experience the tragic. Literature,  for us, is something that has been written and was meant to be read,  but,  though there were undoubtedly books and readers in fifth-century Athens,  the principal medium of literary communication was not written text but public performance. To Aristotle plot or fabula [mythos] was the central feature of a play.

Playwrights like Aeschylus dealt with myth as morality: in his Oresteia tragic trilogy he adapted a familiar myth, and in it he questioned divine justice and human responsibility. The principal character of a play attributed to him or his son, Prometheus challenged the authority of the Olympian gods, reflecting growing concerns about individual choice, will and fate.

Tragedy reached its peak with Sophocles and Euripides. These two playwrights delved deeper into the psyches of mythical heroes, examining themes of hubris (excessive pride), guilt, and the role of the gods in human suffering. The divine remained powerful, but its motivations became more ambiguous, prompting audiences to consider questions of morality [ethos] and ethical action.

Modern commentators have argued that in their studies of oral cultures and literacy of the Ancient Greeks, have argued that Ancient Greek theatre functioned as a training ground for public oratory and civic participation, contributing to the development of the Athenian democracy.

Difference between Tragedy and Comedy
Aristotle, Poetics Chapter 2, section 1448a16

Comedy aims to represent men as worse, and Tragedy as better than they are in actual life.

 References

Ancient Writers Volume I : Greece and Rome - Internet Archive

Encyclopedia of The Ancient Greek World (Revised Edition)- Internet Archive

The Oxford Classical Dictionary - Internet Archive

The Oxford History of the Classical World - Internet Archive

Greek Theatre: The Secret Politics Of Tragedies And Comedies - BBC History Extra

Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander, Athenian Religious and Cultural Life in the Golden Age - Perseus

The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization - Greek Tragedy - Internet Archive
The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization - Greek Comedy - Internet Archive

Greek Theatre in Context: Dugdale, Eric Kari - Internet Archive

The Context of Ancient Drama - Eric Csapo, William J. Slater - Google Books
The Context of Ancient Drama: Eric Csapo - Internet Archive
[This book is a mine of information on the Classical Sources used by scholars on Classical Greek Drama]

The Origins of Theater in Ancient Greece and Beyond: From Ritual to Drama - Google Books
The origins of theater in ancient Greece and beyond : from ritual to drama - Internet Archive

Greek Tragedy: an introduction: Zimmermann, Bernhard - Internet Archive

Tragedy and the Tragic : Greek theatre and beyond - Internet Archive






Bacchicstage - The Ancient Greek Stage

English Translations from the Greek: A Bibliographical Survey by Foster - Project Gutenberg

Walton, J. Michael. 2006. A comprehensive list of all Greek plays in English translation. In Found in translation: Greek drama in English. Edited by J. Michael Walton, 197–269. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.
Found in Translation - Google Books

DE JONG, I., NÜNLIST, R., & BOWIE, A. (Eds.). (2004). Narrators, Narratees, and Narratives in Ancient Greek Literature: Studies in Ancient Greek Narrative, Volume One. Brill. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv29sfvbx

de Jong, I. J. F., & Nünlist, R. (Eds.). (2007). Time in Ancient Greek Literature: Studies in Ancient Greek Narrative, Volume 2. Brill. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv29sftrn

DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511584534.012The Complete Greek Drama - All the Extant Tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and the Comedies of Aristophanes and Menander, 2 Volume Set - PDF Free Download

Greek Drama and Dramatists by Alan H. Sommerstein - PDF

The history of the Greek and Roman theater: Margarete Bieber - Internet Archive

The Ancient Theatre Archive: Greek and Roman Theatres Whitman EDU

The ancient theatre by Erika Simon - Internet Archive.


Dionysos, étude sur l'organisation matérielle du théâtre athénien by Octave Navarre - Internet Archive
TABLE DES MATIÈRES (Contents) pp. 313 - 318.

The Greek Theater and its Drama by Roy Caston Flickinger - Internet Archive

Le Théâtre Grec: l'édifice l'organisation matérielle, les représentations: Navarre, Octave - Internet Archive
TABLE DES MATIÈRES (Contents) pp. 277 - 280

Dalmeyda Georges. Octave Navarre. Le théâtre grec, l'édifice, l'organisation matérielle, les représentations.. In: Revue des Études Grecques, tome 40, fascicule 184-188,1927. pp. 451-452.
www.persee.fr/doc/reg_0035-2039_1927_num_40_184_5319_t2_0451_0000_2

The Greek Tragic Theatre: Baldry, H. C  - Internet Archive

Greek Tragic Theatre: Rehm, Rush - Internet Archive

The Tragic Drama Of The Greeks: A.E. Haigh - Internet Archive

The Attic theatre, a description of the stage and theatre of the Athenians Haigh, A. E. - Internet Archive

The Greek Theater: Aylen, Leo - Internet Archive

The Dramatic Festivals Of Athens: Pickard-Cambridge, Arthur - Internet Archive

Leonard Whibley (1931). A Companion to Greek Studies (4th Edition). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-49754-2.
A Companion To Greek Studies (2nd Edition 1906) - Leonard Whibley - Internet Archive

 Athenian Tragedy: A Study in Popular Art : Thomas Dwight Goodell , Kingsley trust association : - Internet Archive

August WITZSCHEL (1850). The Athenian Stage; a Handbook for Students ... Translated from the German by ... R. B. Paul, and Edited by ... T. K. Arnold.

Greek tragedy and political theory - Internet Archive

Greek tragedy : an introduction : Zimmermann, Bernhard, - Internet Archive

A History of Ancient Greek Literature : Gilbert Murray - Internet Archive

The Greek and Latin literatures : Parks, George Bruner - Internet Archive
Bibliography of Greek Literature pp. 59 - 145.

Havelock, E. A. (1982). The Literate Revolution in Greece and its Cultural Consequences. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvbcd1d2 https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvbcd1d2
Ancient Greek Theatre History - Index

Paideia - University of Buffalo



Euripides and the instruction of the Athenians : Gregory, Justina - Internet Archive

The Dramatic Festivals of Athens ... Second Edition. Revised by John Gould and D. M. Lewis. [With Plates.]. Oxford. 1968.
The Dramatic Festivals Of Athens : Pickard-Cambridge, Arthur.

Sir Arthur Wallace Pickard-Cambridge (1927). Dithyramb, tragedy and comedy. Clarendon Press.
https://archive.org/details/Dithyramb/page/n10

Ian C. Storey; Arlene Allan (28 January 2014). A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-45512-8.
A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama (2005} PDF

George Harrison; Vayos Liapis (1 March 2013). Performance in Greek and Roman Theatre. BRILL. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-90-04-24545-7.

Goldhill Simon; Robin Osborne (13 June 1999). Performance Culture and Athenian Democracy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-521-64247-7
Utah State University Course - Mark Damen
Archived
Course Description - Classical Drama and Theatre
Archived
Classical Drama and Theatre  - Chapters and Readings
Archived

US210 - Additional Resources University of Tennessee  Knoxville

Greek Theater Reed University

Greek Theater and Society = Department of Greek and Roman Classics at Temple University  [Wayback  Machine record]

Elements of greek tragedy and the tragic hero Slideshow

John J. Winkler (1990). Nothing to Do with Dionysos?: Athenian Drama in Its Social Context. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01525-2.

Edith Hall (2010) Greek Tragedy: Suffering under the Sun OUP ISBN: 9780199232512
Greek Tragedy - Google Books
GREEK TRAGEDY: Suffering under the Sun | Edith Hall - Academia.edu.

The Theatrical Cast of Athens by Edith Hall - Google Books
(PDF) The Theatrical Cast of Athens | Edith Hall - Academia.edu

An Introduction to Greek Tragedy - Google Books


Richard Seaford; Richard A.S. Seaford (11 March 2004). Money and the Early Greek Mind: Homer, Philosophy, Tragedy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-521-53992-0.

Nicole Loraux; tr E.T. Rawlings (2002). The Mourning Voice: An Essay on Greek Tragedy. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-3830-6.

Seth Benardete (15 August 2000). The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy. Chapter 7: On Greek Tragedy: University of Chicago Press. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-0-226-04251-0.

Mary R. Lefkowitz (2 April 2012). The Lives of the Greek Poets. JHU Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-0464-6.

David Wiles (10 February 2011). Theatre and Citizenship: The History of a Practice. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-19327-6.

The Masks of Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance: Wiles, David - Internet Archive

Performance in Greek and Roman Theatre - Google Books

Tragedy in Athens: performance space and theatrical meaning: Wiles, David - Internet Archive

Greek theatre performance : an introduction : Wiles, David - Internet Archive
Greek Theatre Performance - Google Books

Studies in Fifth Century Thought and Literature (Yale Classical Studies (No. 22)) - PDF.

Myth And Tragedy In Ancient Greece - Internet Archive


Homosexuality & Civilization: Crompton, Louis - Internet Archive

Bisexuality in the ancient world: Cantarella, Eva - Internet Archive

Theatre in Ancient Greek society : Green, J. R. - Internet Archive
Theatre in Ancient Greek Society - J. R. Green - Google Books

Trapido, J. (1949). The Language of the Theatre: I. The Greeks and Romans. Educational Theatre Journal, 1(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.2307/3204106 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3204106

Nothing to Do with Democracy: Athenian Drama and the Polis 
Author(s): P. J. Rhodes
Source: The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 123 (2003), pp. 104-119
Published by: The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3246262

Wiles, D. (2007). Translating Greek Theatre. Theatre Journal, 59(3), 363-366.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/25070057.

GRIFFITH, M. (1998). THE KING AND EYE: THE RULE OF THE FATHER IN GREEK TRAGEDY. Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society, 44, 20–84. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44696766

JSTOR: Search Results for The Labour of Women in Classical Athens

Oliver Taplin (1989). Greek Fire. Cape. ISBN 978-0-224-02683-3.Greek Fire : Taplin, Oliver - Internet Archive
Greek fire Internet Archive
CLASSICS - Oliver Taplin - Greek Theatre - YouTube

Robin Sowerby (20 November 2014). The Greeks: An Introduction to Their Culture. Routledge. pp. 11–. ISBN 978-1-317-59619-6.
The Greeks: an introduction to their culture: Sowerby, Robin - Internet Archive

Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life by Carl Kerényi - Google Books
Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life by Karl Kerényi - Internet Archive

Theatrum Website

Ancient Greek Theatres - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The Architecture of the Ancient Greek Theatre
The Architecture of the Ancient Greek Theatre - Google Books

Drama and Theatre in Ancient Greece. A Database and a Spectators’ School by Theodore Grammatas.pdf


Internet History Sourcebooks Project: Ancient History

The Digital Classicist Wiki

HISTORY OF GREEK LITERΑTURE, 2nd Ed (1849) - Internet Archive - Encyclopaedia Metropolitana.

Hemingway, Colette. “Theater in Ancient Greece.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/thtr/hd_thtr.htm (October 2004)

Greek Drama - Tragedy and Comedy : Meineck, Peter - Internet Archive



Theatrocracy

Peter Meineck, Theatrocracy. Greek Drama, Cognition, and the Imperative for Theatre, London/New York: Routledge, 2018. ISBN: 9781138205529.
THE POWER OF THEATRE FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE by Agis Marinis

The Reception of Aeschylus’ Plays through Shifting Models and Frontiers - Google Books
Chapter VI: Cognitive Theatre and Aeschylus: Translating beyond the Lexicon 

MEINECK, P. (2011). The Neuroscience of the Tragic Mask. Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 19(1), 113–158. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41308596

Architecture as Embodied Space: A Phenomenology of Theatre Buildings in Other Architecture. | Praeploy Phaewpisakul - Academia.edu

Psychagogy - Wikipedia

Greek Drama and the Invention of Rhetoric - David Sansone - Google Books

D. J. Conacher. (1981). Rhetoric and Relevance in Euripidean Drama. The American Journal of Philology, 102(1), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/294148 https://www.jstor.org/stable/294148

Poetics ; and, Rhetoric : Aristotle - Internet Archive

Audio

The Modern Scholar: Greek Drama: Tragedy and Comedy
By: Peter Meineck
https://amzn.to/2V5Xg8n
ISBN: 9781436173018

Audio/Visual

The Great Courses Series

Greek Tragedy by Professor Elizabeth Vandiver
https://amzn.to/2vL6QTD
Synopsis: Greek Tragedy by Elizabeth Vandiver [PDF]

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Ancient Greece

Some introductory talks and lectures on Greek Theatre and Life by Professor Edith Hall on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22edith+hall%22
https://bit.ly/2Dpp5BW

David J. Schenker (2007). Masterpieces of Ancient Greek Literature. Teaching Company, LLC. ISBN 978-1-59803-279-6.

Radical Theatre: Greek Tragedy in the Modern World - Rush Rehm - Google Books

ROSELLI, D. K. (2011). WOMEN and the THEATER AUDIENCE. In Theater of the People: Spectators and Society in Ancient Athens (pp. 158–194). University of Texas Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/723948.10

The classical origins of western culture: Dunkle, Roger - Internet Archive

Eureka! - Google Books by Peter V. Jones

Lecture 13 A Brief Introduction to Greek Tragedy

Chapters 1, 2 and 3

The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre - Internet Archive

The Perseus Project: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/

The podcast series ‘Ancient Greece Declassified’: https://www.greecepodcast.com/

The YouTube channel Kings and Generals: 

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)