The Greek Gods

Greek drama or Greek theater was a tradition in Greek which began way back about 550 B.C. and 220 B.C., in Athens. Ancient Greek drama was about political and military power. The theater consisted of three different styles. There was the comedy, the tragedy, and the satyr. Greek drama has had a huge impact on Western drama and also culture in these modern times. The beginning of western drama can be found in ancient Greece. The state festivals in Athens exported the festival to other allies to promote a common identity. The festival honored the Greek god Dionysus, who was the god of wine, vine, and merriment.

The word tragedy was derived from the Greek words which mean, ‘goat’ and ‘song’. This is believed to be the link to the Dionysian cults. It is not quite known how the fertility rituals became the basis for the tragedy and comedy theater plays. The only pieces still known are those which were popular enough to be remembered and passed down from generation to generation.

Thespis is the earliest known author of Greek theater. He was the winner of the first theater contest which was held in Athens each year. He was considered to be the leader of the dithyrambs which were performed in and around Athens, such as Dionysia. Three other authors known were Choerilus, Pratinas, and Phrynichus. It is believed that Thespis may have helped in changing the narrative chorus style of theatre to adding characters who speak instead of sing. He is often called the ‘Father of Tragedy’ for his part in this.

The theater was very important to the citizens of Athens. The festival was created because of the popularity of the theater. Phrynichus won the first contest between 511 B.C. and 508 B.C.. He wrote tragedies on subjects which were later exploited in the Golden Age. He was the first poet to write about a historical subject and he wrote about the Fall of Miletus. This was produced in 493 B.C. to 492 B.C. and it was about the town of Miletus when it was conquered by the Persians. The drama caused so many people to cry that Pheynichus was fined for writing about such a tender subject. The drama was then banned from the theater from then on.

It is also believed that Phrynichus might have been the one to introduce the first females to the theater. Before then, the plays were all male casts and the males even played the women’s parts. It was during that time when they all wore masks and costumes where it could not be determined that there were no women in any roles of the plays.