What is Greek drama?

Greek theatre

Greek drama can be divided into ancient Greek drama (from the end of 6th century BC to the end of 2nd century BC) and modern Greek drama (from the middle of 6th century to 20th century).

Ancient Greek drama can be divided into tragedy, sheep drama, comedy and parody.

The word "tragedy" is tragoidia in Greek, which means "the song of the goat". The use of the word "tragedy" in ancient Greek drama may be misleading, because ancient Greek tragedy means "seriousness" rather than "sadness".

Tragedy originated from folk songs and dances. In ancient Greece, farmers dressed as shepherds held songs and dances to worship Dionysus, the god of wine. This kind of song is called Ode to Dionysus. During the performance, I improvised a few poems, answered the questions raised by Captain Song, and told the story of Dionysus Dionysus roaming and preaching on earth. Tespice first adopted the first actor to perform the tragedy. Aeschylus first added a second actor. Only two actors can have a formal dialogue and show dramatic conflicts and characters, so Aeschylus is called the founder of tragedy. The third actor was added by Sophocles.

In 534 BC, the city of Athens founded the "Great bacchanalia", in which thespis turned the ode to Dionysus into a tragedy for the first time. At the end of 6th century BC, the democratic politics in Athens advocated collective life, and people's thoughts and feelings demanded to be expressed in a collective way. Only drama can meet this requirement, so drama has been further developed.

There are usually only six or seven characters in ancient Greek drama. These roles are played by three actors in turn, and the female roles are played by men, wearing masks without falsetto. Actors move slowly and rhythmically, expressing their emotions through posture and voice.

The themes of ancient Greek tragedies are mostly taken from Homer's epics, which reflect the social reality at that time through myths and the legend of heroes. These tragedies come into contact with the concept of destiny, religious belief, international and domestic wars, political issues, democratic system, social relations and family issues, and put forward the tragic poets' views on these issues.

The ancient Greek theater was open-air. The auditorium is located on the slope, shaped like an unfolded folding fan, and can accommodate more than 10,000 people. There is a circus in front of the audience, where singers and actors perform. This stage was built in the second half of the 4th century BC.

There were suicides in ancient Greek theaters, but no one else killed them. Bloody events and scenes that are difficult to perform are generally conveyed by reporters and are not performed in the circus.

There was always chorus in ancient Greek drama performances. Players generally don't wear masks, and their clothes are light and bright, which can be used as the decoration of the play. The chorus sings and dances to comfort the characters in the play, express their feelings about the events in the play, explain the plot to the audience and express their opinions on behalf of the poet. The biggest function of the choir is to replace the curtain. The chorus sings a song, and the time and place in the play can be changed.

There are three important tragic poets after thespis. The first one is Corilos. He took part in the competition for the first time around 523 BC and wrote 160 plays in 40 years. The second is platinum. Around 500 BC, he competed with Corios for the drama prize. He wrote 50 plays. The third is Phoenix, who first introduced female characters and wrote historical plays. His Fall of Miletus was written in 494 BC, when Miletus, a Greek colonial city in Asia Minor, was captured by Darius, king of Persia. The performance caused the audience to cry, so the poet was fined 1 000 Greek currency.

Early Dionysus Festival drama performance scene

Since then, Athens has produced three great tragic poets. The first is Aeschylus. He endowed tragedy with profound content and complete form. His tragic layout is simple, lyrical, magnificent, solemn and lofty, powerful and somewhat exaggerated. The second is Sophocles. He perfected the art of tragedy, and his tragic layout is complex, rigorous and complete, with distinctive characters and concise style. The third is euripides. He is good at describing the psychology of characters, with gorgeous style, fluent language and close spoken language, which is very natural.

There were two famous tragic poets in the 5th century BC. The first one is Hyon. He wrote 40 plays, including comedies. The second person is Agathon (about 445 ~ 400 BC? )。 His reputation is second only to that of the three great tragic poets. Agathon first invented characters and plots, and his songs were slender and tortuous.

In the 4th century BC, after Athens lost in the civil war, democracy declined and tragedy followed. One of the most successful tragic writers in this century is Asti Dames, who has written many plays and is very famous. His son of the same name wrote 240 plays, among which Paternault Pios was staged in 340 AD, which was very popular. The Athenians erected a bronze statue for him.

From the 3rd century BC, the center of Greek drama shifted to Alexandria. The Great bacchanalia in Athens was held until 120 BC, and the history of ancient Greek tragedy came to an end.

Sheep drama is a light comedy, not a comedy. It is usually performed after three tragedies as a relief.

Ancient Greek comedy also originated from folk songs and dances. During the grape harvest season, farmers offered sacrifices to Dionysus. They dressed up as animals and birds, held carnival parades, and sang and danced. This kind of song is called komos (meaning "Carnival Team Song"). The word "comedy" is komoidia in Greek, which means "carnival musical".

As early as the 6th century BC, Megara had a farce describing fairy tales and daily life, which was the predecessor of comedy.

In 487 BC, Athens officially staged a comedy in Greater bacchanalia. Comedy is delayed because some people object to comedy satirizing individuals. Cornides won the prize in that competition. He was the first recognized comic poet.

The creative method of ancient Greek comedy is freer than tragedy. Comedy is based on real life and the plot is fictional. There are more characters in comedy than in tragedy, but the number of people who speak at the same time is generally limited to three. Comedy uses everyday language. There are 24 members in the choir. They are often divided into two teams, and each team represents one side of the struggle. Comedy pays little attention to structure, and the time and place in the play change a lot.

The development of ancient Greek comedy is closely related to democratic politics and freedom of speech. With the development of history, it gradually evolved into "old comedy" (487-404 BC), "middle comedy" (404-320 BC) and "new comedy" (about 320- 120 BC).

Old comedies enjoy full freedom of criticism, mainly aimed at political power figures and celebrities, so they are opposed by these people. Athenian law promulgated a bill in 4 16 BC, depriving comedy of its freedom of criticism.

The theme of old comedies is mainly in the "antithesis field". After one side of the struggle wins, there are some joyful scenes, showing the consequences of victory, and finally ending with a banquet or wedding. There is "interlude" in old comedies, and Captain Song often expresses political opinions and personal complaints on behalf of poets.

Comedy dance

In the 5th century BC, there were three famous comedy poets in Athens. The first one was Kratinius (about 484 BC ~ 4 BC19 BC). He wrote 26 comedies. First of all, write political satire and social satire, which are vigorous and sharp. The second is Orpolis. He only lived in his thirties and wrote 17 comedies. Gentle and elegant style. The third is aristophanes, who is the most outstanding comedy poet. The plot of a script is often absurd, but the theme is realistic. He likes to create comic effects by exaggerating. There are gags in the play, beautiful lyrics and diverse styles.

There were three accomplished old comic poets in the 5th century BC. The first one is a crate. He first gave up satire and wrote a general plot in a relaxed and happy style. His comedy "The Beast" wrote in "The Golden Age" that the cooker can automatically make bread and the food can automatically cook. The second is nikos. His comedy Literary Detective is about the tragic art of Sophocles competing with euripides, and the victory seems to belong to the former. The third is Plato (whose heyday was 428 ~ 389 BC), who wrote 28 comedies, including political satire and drama. Ancient critics said Plato's style was both elegant and vulgar.

In the 4th century BC, Athens' politics and economy declined, and people did not enjoy much freedom. Therefore, comedy rarely criticizes politics and gradually turns from political satire to world comedy, which is called "mid-term comedy".

Of the 57 mid-term comedy poets known in modern times, 3 are famous. The first one is O 'Blos. He wrote 104 old comedies and Chinese comedies. There are many riddles in his fairy tales, and riddles are a feature of mid-term comedies. The second is Antineas. He wrote 260 comedies, one of which was a comparison between tragedy and comedy. The third is Leksis. He is the most outstanding mid-term comedy poet and has written 245 comedies, some of which are new comedies. His comedy style is very beautiful.

"New Comedy" Scene (Relief)

Since the end of 4th century BC, comedy has developed into a "new comedy". New comedies don't talk about politics, satirize individuals, and generally focus on family life and love stories, expressing young men and women's desire for freedom, idealizing life, diluting social contradictions and lacking profound ideological content. The characters in the play are lifelike, but they are all the same, such as a stingy father and a witty servant. The structure of this new comedy is very simple. Young men and women fall in love, and after all kinds of twists and turns, they finally reach a happy ending. The new comedy uses everyday language, and its style is clear, beautiful and elegant. The funny parts in the play are generally caused by the plot or personality, and there are few funny jokes.

Of the 64 new comedy poets known in modern times, 3 are famous. The first one is Filemon, who is Minand's sworn enemy and is more popular than Minand in performance. He wrote 97 comedies with rough style and poor description of characters. The second is de Filos. He wrote 100 comedies. The third is Minand (about 342 BC ~ about 29 BC1year). He is the most outstanding new comedy poet. His comedies reflect the social fashion and real life at that time through love stories. The plot is tortuous, the description is delicate, the characters are vivid, vivid and true, and the style is elegant, beautiful and humorous.

The history of ancient Greek comedy ended with the end of the great bacchanalia.

There was also a kind of drama in ancient Greece called parody. The founder is Sofron (about 470 BC ~ about 400 BC), and his works have been lost. In the 3rd century BC, a new parody with real life and customs as its theme appeared. It is a short drama, which is performed in the street and divided into prose drama and poetic drama. There are both tragic elements and comedy elements in the play, plus dance and acrobatic performances, which are deeply loved by the audience and have been passed down to Roman times. The famous parody writer is Hector rodas (about 300 BC ~? ) and Diocletian (about 3 10 ~ 256 BC). The former has spread seven complete pantomimes. The latter has been handed down in three pantomimes, the most famous of which is Syracuse Woman.

There were three drama festivals in ancient Athens. Renaya Festival was held in June+0 ~ February, 5438, with comedy performances as the main performance. The Great bacchanalia was held in March and April, with the focus on tragedy. Rural bacchanalia was held from February 65438 to June 65438 10, repeating the old script. Each tragic poet who participated in the competition handed in three tragedies and 1 sheep drama, and each comic poet handed in 1 comedy. The consul approved three tragic poets and three or five comic poets to participate in the competition. The archon allocated 1 actors (that is, the protagonist, and the other two actors were selected by the protagonist) and 1 chorus to each selected poet by drawing lots. 10 districts in Athens, each district elected 1 person as a candidate judge. After the performance, they voted, and the consul drew five judges to decide the outcome.

Modern Greek drama began in the late Renaissance. Since 1570, Greece has been under the control of Venetians, leaving only Crete and the islands in the Ionian Sea. 100 years later, it was the golden age of Crete drama and modern Greek drama.

Born in Crete, Hortatsis is one of the most outstanding drama poets in modern Greece. His works include the tragedy Erofili (1637) and the comedy Cazulworth (1600). Trilos' tragedy Rozzolinos is based on Tasso's torres Mondo, which describes the conflict between love and friendship. It is influenced by Erofili and has the same advantages. Fox Kohloss's comedy Fortunatos imitates the structure of Cazulworth and some of its scenes, with the same plot and obscene language rather than obscenity. The author tries to get rid of the influence of Italian comedy and write a more real life in Crete.

1669, the Turks reoccupied Crete, and the Greek drama was interrupted 100. It was not until 18 ~ 19 century that the comedy of Zakingsos Island (off the northwest coast of Peloponnesus) appeared.

Haasis (1773 ~ 1842), the famous work of guzelis, was written when the Venetians were still occupying Zakingsos. Haasis in the play is a braggart, brave in speech and timid in action. Other characters, such as idle youth, cunning woman and soldiers stationed in Venice, are all adapted from real life. Tersetis (1800 ~1874) from Zakingsos wrote a comedy and satirical poetry contest.

/kloc-In the mid-9th century, the amateur writer Vizanti Antioss wrote "Wafer", which described that people all over Greece spoke their own dialects, which caused many funny misunderstandings. The performance of the play was a great success, and it was still on until the second half of the 20th century. Darkis Weiner (1843 ~ 1907)' s first play, Maria Dozza Patrice (1857), tells the story of the Venetians' occupation of Greece, which is a real romantic work and deeply influenced by W. Shakespeare. He later turned to ancient Greek drama and wrote ancient themes.

From 1888 to 1898, a new type of pastoral comedy appeared, which included lyrics. This kind of comedy tries to get rid of the influence of romanticism and demands to be close to real life. The characters in the play are ordinary people in reality, the language is colloquial (relative to the official language), and the plot is mixed with folk customs and legends. This is a harbinger of the revival of drama. The more important plays are the guqin "Old Nikolai (1856 ~ 189 1)" by K. Corcos and Captain Gia Cumis. However, this lively drama did not last long, and it declined from 1896.

The greatest driving force of the revival of modern Greek drama is Christomanos (1867 ~1911). 190 1 year, he called on the Athenian literati to revive the dramatic art of Dionysus Theatre and immediately set up a "new stage" to stage the tragedy "Arctius" translated by euripides in common sayings. Christomanos made innovations in theatrical performances, stage installations and scenery, which is one of the greatest achievements of modern Greek dramatic art.

At the beginning of the 20th century, influenced by H. Ibsen, some writers began to write plays about social problems and family problems. Most of the characters in the play are ruined aristocrats, and their lives reflect the repression and neglect of society. The representative writer is Xeno Pross. 1904 staged his "The Destiny of Countess Valerina". The central figure of the play is a lady who is out of tune with the surrounding lower classes. His works have a strong sentimental sentiment, reflecting the sadness and depression of the lower class, and are quite successful in art. P. Horn's drama (1881~1941) combines local conditions and customs with the characteristics of family drama, touching on the social trauma and disadvantages. His "Young Branch" (192 1).

N Kazandzakis (1885 ~ 1957) is a famous poet. 1922 wrote Buddha and Odysseus, 1978 changed the script. Some of his plays have the same theme, all about a lonely man who knows that the struggle will fail, but he still has to fight. His plays are obscure in language and lack of contradictions and conflicts, so they are not suitable for performance.

The Greek National Theatre was founded in 1932, which ushered in a new era. At that time, Bo Park Jung Su was the director and artistic director of the National Theatre, where many talented actors were concentrated.

K. Kuhn (1908 ~ 1987) founded the Art Theatre in 1942, staged works of different schools, and promoted the innovation of stage art. From 65438 to 0954, he successively staged S. O 'Casey, J.-P. Sartre and B. In addition, he also discussed the performing art of realistic social drama, Death of a Salesman directed by American writer A. Miller, and the works of various modern drama schools and modern Greek writers.

A large number of playwrights emerged in the 1970s, among which V Jorges (1937 ~) was influenced by the absurd drama and wrote The Comedy of the Fly. Anago Nostaki also wrote a one-act play of the Absurd, which showed the disappointment of the younger generation.