Ancient Greek Theatre Research Paper

How many countless influences do we obtain from the Greeks? In what ways do they characterize modern thinking? Whether it's our use of democracy, the lessons of the sciences, or our advancements in art and architecture, it can usually be traced back to the Grecian civilization. However, arguably one of its most significant and interesting contributions would have to be its timeless impact on theatre. Ancient Greek theatre has paved the way for Shakespeare, Molière, and to Oscar Wilde of the 19th century. Ancient Greek theatre had the most significant impact on the incorporation of themes of comedy, tragedy, and satire, and the use of its platform for the expression of thought has influenced modern theatre and entertainment for centuries.
There
is no denying that many civilizations helped shape modern theatre to what it is now. Although sometimes credited with being the “inventors” of theatre, the ancient egyptians had their religious performances but possessed no guidelines to pass along its entertainment. They were completely devoid of drama and contained ritualistic material that consisted of only slight aspects that could be interpreted as theatrical. (Dollinger) The Chinese were a rich culture that not only performed religious rituals but ceremonies that were musically inclined that also included acts of acrobatic skills and martial arts. It is noted that the early martial arts systems and our practice of using acrobatic fight skills in modern day entertainment was based off of Chinese operas. Later, the Japanese and Korean adapted the theatre from China and helped preserve the performance while adding new aspects to the art. (Miettinen) However, ancient Greek theatre helped establish the foundation that allowed it to grow and develop. They are credited for introducing the concepts of emotion (tragedy and comedy) and the first to use theatre as a place for expression rather than just a way to perform religious rituals. They helped combine previous civilizations’ efforts of introducing theatre as a form of entertainment and education. Many famous playwrights have gotten their inspiration from the Greeks and they can be credited for being responsible for some of the most important pieces in literature. (Hemingway and Nardo)
Ancient Greek Theatre introduced the idea of using tragedy to express the emotions and passions of life.
It was created to be presented in an active storytelling that would take advantage of “people's pity, fear, and catharsis of passions” (Karayannakos). Through time it received specific guidelines such as the use of embellished language and the order of its parts. It is noted that “tragedy is the imitation of life itself, it was to give the spectator a chance to despise, pity, and love the leading actor” (Karayannakos). Emotion was a key part of its delivery, capitalizing on the pit of despair and punishment that the character must endure before the spectator can feel that justice has been served. Modern theatre highly profits from this theme as it reappears a limitless amount of times. (Cartwright) It draws inspiration from the Greeks with the use of doom, and how one sacrifice is atoned for another. Perhaps one of the most recognized poets of the 17th century, William Shakespeare made sure to incorporate emotions and human nature into his plays. One of the greater examples of modern tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, plays on the themes of love which leads to sorrow in the lead character’s story. The two lovers are overcome with passion and put aside all values, which epitomizes the Greek use of despair and arrogance. (Chapmen) Modern theatre has drawn enough inspiration from ancient Greek theatre to conflate on both naturalism and drama.
(Brockett)
Another key element of theatre that the Greeks have given us is comedy. It allows the audience to feel a more personal attachment to what is happening on stage. Comedy originates from the word “Comoi” which means amusement and entertainment. (Karayannakos) Greek comedy was created to mock people, and criticize the corruption which was very prevalent in its government. Like tragedies, it was a frank relation to actuality. The Greeks used heroes and gods to make light of their struggles, modern day borrows from this with the use of caricatures and exaggerated stereotypes. One of the more significant comic dramatist is Aristophanes. He accurately parodied one of the most important and prominent personalities of his day with the buffoonish portrayal of Socrates in The Clouds. This goes back to its modern influence with oversimplification of groups of people. Comedy to this day uses extravagant institutions to expose and ridicule society as a whole. One famous example of a modern comedy, is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it was a play intended to be gay and humored while touching on political commentary. (Hemingway) This story offers an notable mention to Greek theatre with its main characters all driven from Greek mythology. (Cartwright) They are created specifically to contrast with one another and represent the extremes of love and other emotions. As comedy slowly evolved into “New Comedy” the interpretations became more calm and tame. It was molded to reflect the playwright's style, featuring more naturalist costumes. New Comedy provided the spectators an accurate depiction of life. It was a concentrated focus on the “ordinary man”, making it more relatable and easier to apply to real life. Other themes such as philosophy and violence emerged that provided the basics of expression that was not political or involve public life. The most lasting innovation of Greek comedy is their use of stereotype characters that directly influenced Western comedy and expression. All the recognisable parts of comedy and standard characters were derived from the Greeks. The theatre’s subtle introduction of love into comedy provided the way for comedy dramatists such as Shakespeare and Congreve. (Chapmen)
The Greeks were among the first to incorporate the theatre as a platform for expression. Although having been created based off of religion like so many civilizations, the Greeks allowed themselves to stress dialogue and emotion rather than ritualistic behavior that would be repeated.