Thespis, Athens, and The Origins of Greek Drama: Crash Course Theater #2
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
Hecatonicosachoron
Orchestra is, quite literally, the -dancing place- since orchesis means dance. Also dance back then didn't involve much movement of the feet but happened mostly with the upper body.
The earliest plays were most likely entirely sung - which is consistent with their origin in narrative choral song. Aristotle mentions that they were initially written in trochaic tetrameter, which is a facile musical meter (that's from memory, so there may be variation in the meters. That eventually evolved to iambic hexameter which is the standard meter for all spoken parts in extant tragedies. It's quite likely that this evolution coincided with an augmentation of the spoken parts.
There were no togas! Togas are for stately Romans. they were thoroughly barbaric. They did wear a (rectangular) himation, which was the equivalent of a winter coat (that could double as a blanket. nobody would enjoy wearing too many layers during the summer.
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Orchestra is, quite literally, the -dancing place- since orchesis means dance. Also dance back then didn't involve much movement of the feet but happened mostly with the upper body.
The earliest plays were most likely entirely sung - which is consistent with their origin in narrative choral song. Aristotle mentions that they were initially written in trochaic tetrameter, which is a facile musical meter (that's from memory, so there may be variation in the meters. That eventually evolved to iambic hexameter which is the standard meter for all spoken parts in extant tragedies. It's quite likely that this evolution coincided with an augmentation of the spoken parts.
There were no togas! Togas are for stately Romans. they were thoroughly barbaric. They did wear a (rectangular) himation, which was the equivalent of a winter coat (that could double as a blanket. nobody would enjoy wearing too many layers during the summer.
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JadedPandaGirl
CC and Mike, I love you guys but please, a bit more research into terminology and pronounciation, I was groaning throughout. Like. it's PARODOI, not paradoi, and KOTHORNOI, not cathornoi. And not deus ex machina, that's the Roman drivel. It's apo mechanis theos. And we never wore togas. We wore chitons/khitons. They're much more stylish. Please don't sideline Greek cultural stuff, it's bad enough everyone else does it!
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CC and Mike, I love you guys but please, a bit more research into terminology and pronounciation, I was groaning throughout. Like. it's PARODOI, not paradoi, and KOTHORNOI, not cathornoi. And not deus ex machina, that's the Roman drivel. It's apo mechanis theos. And we never wore togas. We wore chitons/khitons. They're much more stylish. Please don't sideline Greek cultural stuff, it's bad enough everyone else does it!
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Little
I believe what Aristotle meant, maybe (just my opinion, when you watch anything that shows your fears for example, usually shows the main character fighting those fears, and at the end realizing how small and nonsense those feelings are. Well my English sucks, but that's just what I think
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I believe what Aristotle meant, maybe (just my opinion, when you watch anything that shows your fears for example, usually shows the main character fighting those fears, and at the end realizing how small and nonsense those feelings are. Well my English sucks, but that's just what I think
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Zac
I was wondering, at what time between theater being a guy acting out dithyroms and the institution of theater in Athens do people start wrighting plays intended to be acted, rather than acting out dithyroms or epics?
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I was wondering, at what time between theater being a guy acting out dithyroms and the institution of theater in Athens do people start wrighting plays intended to be acted, rather than acting out dithyroms or epics?
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education
Citizens were not chosen randomly, 1 represented each tribe (of which their were 10. They wrote down the order of who they liked best, & then 5/10 of those were chosen at random to find a winner
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Citizens were not chosen randomly, 1 represented each tribe (of which their were 10. They wrote down the order of who they liked best, & then 5/10 of those were chosen at random to find a winner
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Einav
so informative, you helped me prepare for my test, thank you!
one note though, you mentioned toga, but togas were only worn in the roman empire times, and only inside the borders of
Rome
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so informative, you helped me prepare for my test, thank you!
one note though, you mentioned toga, but togas were only worn in the roman empire times, and only inside the borders of
Rome
reply
Kpopahjussi63
Thespis simply asked questions that the chorus would answer. Aeschuylus developed the onkus (masks) when he started adding a second actor.
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Thespis simply asked questions that the chorus would answer. Aeschuylus developed the onkus (masks) when he started adding a second actor.
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Brian
The Thought Bubble description of Greek theatre with its outlandish masks, platform shoes, and fake blood, sounds a lot like a Kiss concert!
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The Thought Bubble description of Greek theatre with its outlandish masks, platform shoes, and fake blood, sounds a lot like a Kiss concert!
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Tom
I find it interesting that even as far back as Greek times, people understood the need for a penile palette cleans-waitaminute.
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I find it interesting that even as far back as Greek times, people understood the need for a penile palette cleans-waitaminute.
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David
At that time, did theatre have a religious function in Athens or a secular function (it was organised in honor of the city)?
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At that time, did theatre have a religious function in Athens or a secular function (it was organised in honor of the city)?
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