Ancient Greek Theatre Flashcards
(41 cards)
Thespis
Chorus leader
God of wine and fertility
Dionysus
Orchestra
Dancing space, chorus sang and danced
Dithyrambs
Chorus
Altar
Reminder of religious origins of Dionysus + centre of orchestra
Theatron
Auditorium= where the audience sits
Parados:
Entrance and exit for the chorus
Skene
( stage building)
-exits and entrances and changing area
-Made up of paraskenia and episkenion
Paraskenia
Sides of the skene extended
Proskenion
Elaborate façade ( pillars)
Episkenion
Second story in the skene
Pinake
Painted scenic panels to suggest a location ( hung between pillars in proskenion)
Eccyclema and exhaustra
- circle
- rectangle
Where dead bodies where afterwards displayed on wheeled platforms
Machina:
: crane-like device to aid entrance and exit of the gods.
- descended from skene to orchestra, or lifted off the floor
Deux ex machina
Contrived ending/ solution
Periaktoi
3 flats in a prism/triangle, mounted on a central pole- used to expose/conceal sides
Onkos
Headdresses
Chiton
Basic tunic, pinned to the shoulder, knee or ankle height (both tragedy and comedy)
Chlamys
Short cape(comedy)
Himation
Long cape (tragedy) - over the right shoulder and draped over an arm- long flowing lines= showed dignity and authority
Phallus
(Comedy)
Large stuffed leather worn below the belt.
-Associated with the worship of Dionysus
-Not seen as obscene or shocking because it was a power symbol of fertility and fruitfulness.
Music and dancing
Chorus
Prologos
- Short scene or monologue established the dramatic situation
Parados
- Entrance of the chorus- continued the exposition