Summary: The Changes Of Greek Theatre To Shakespearean Theatre To Today

Since before our current Era, people have always searched for new ways of showing emotions. One of the things people used to convey their emotions was theatre. From playwrights, to acting, to costumes and scenery all of these things have contributed over hundred of years to the modern plays that you might see today, whether it be in New York, London, a local theater in your own town. Beginning with early Greece through Shakespearean times and into our current era, theatre has continuously evolved as an art form.

However, it still remains as a commentary on ourselves and how our society functions.

Theatre has been said to have originated in Greece. It all started to show love for their god Dionysus, god of fertility and wine. Four festivals were held annually in his honor starting around the sixth century B. C.. People would gather from all over and listen to the choir sing a hymn dedicated to Dionysus, called a dithyramb.

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It really all started when Thespis, a choral singer, decided to jump up on stage, and make himself a ‘god’. He is what we, today, consider the very first actor. He then went to perform dramas for people across the country. Thespis was also the one to invent the iconic mask that graces playbills today. Many people found these changes to be refreshing. Thespis’ action inspired many other people around the country to start writing dramas.

The first well known playwrights were Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides. Aeschylus was the first person to introduce a second actor because before then, there was only a chorus and maybe one actor performing on stage.

He was one of the first ones to start writing tragedies. In 485 B.C., he won his first prize in an annual tragedy competition in City Dionysia, which was held in Athens. Aeschylus went on to win twelve more prizes. The main themes he focused on were death, betrayal and the gods. He was known to have written over seventy plays, but only around seven have survived to this day. Sophocles was another tragedy playwright. He wrote plays that are still performed today like Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Women of Trachis. These works, amongst several others were also performed in the City Dionysia in Athens. Sophocles was also the next person writer to introduce a third actor to the stage and added painting to scenery. Soon after Sophocles, Euripides came into fame as a playwright.

Euripides was the youngest of the three being born around 485 B.C. He is best known for his tragic works, such as Medea, Hippolytus, Alcestis and The Baccha. He wrote around ninety plays, which were also held in the annual festivals to honor the god Dionysus. Of the ninety plays, only nineteen have survived today. Although these playwrights came up with tragic masterpieces, they had to be performed somewhere.The very first stage is linked back to Thespis, when he would perform with a chorus. This theatre was built in the shadows of the Acropolis, in Athens. The stage’s first form was what we would call an “orchestra”. The seats were arranged in a semi-circle so that everyone could view what was going on on the stage. On the side of the stage there was a table set to perform their sacrifice to the gods. Later on, Romans built their stage with walls and no roof. The orchestra became smaller, with the fall of religion in the theater the sacrificial table was gone, and as a result, more spectators could watch these dramas take place. Romans were also known for creating mime plays that finally allowed women to perform. These took place during the Christianization era much later. Typically, people would watch gladiator battles in their crafted arenas and then watch a play.During the 16th century, theatre had spread to certain parts all over the world, notably into England. An extremely talented writer known as William Shakespeare has written some of the most famous plays in the world, a few of them being Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar and Henry V. All of these plays were written during the Elizabethan Era. The Savoy Theater was well known for showing Shakespeare’s plays. In the early teens of the 20th century, Granville Barker directed The Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Some found Shakespeare’s work to be entertaining, others found it to be somewhat lacking in the actor’s performance.

In today’s era, most people do not have/want to watch a religious play about their god or goddess. They simply go for the entertainment. You can find a theatre in almost any city. The most popular theatre in America is called “Broadway”. It opened in 1924 on Christmas day. ‘Princess Theatre’ shows were really popular in this time. This small theatre in New York City was shared between the Shubert Brothers and Ray Comstock. It hosted numerous plays and parties but it only lasted into the 1920’s because its success so heavily dropped. Even though this theatre is not well known now, it has shaped the image of theatre and drama for new writers today. Both men and women can perform with more women leads being casted. People pay lots of money to go see these actors and actresses perform. The variety of plays have also spread from the classic dramas and comedies. There is tragedy, comedy, burlesque, opera, melodrama and musical comedy to name just a few. Theatre has come such a long way, entertainment wise, since the original worshipping of gods. We have found new ways of grabbing someone’s attention and conveying our own commentary towards society.