Term Papers on Greek Drama

Term Paper Title	Greek Drama
# of Words	1659
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	6.64

Greek Drama

1. The Greek God Dionysus was honored in fifth century Athens by drama festivals. Describe and name these
festivals. Clearly demonstrate the differences between them.
The main festivals were the Greater or city Dionysia and the Lesser or Rural Dionysia. There were other smaller
festivals that where held in Athens at the time: the Oschophoria, the Anthesteria and the Leanaea. These festivals
most likely originated from fertility rites. The festivals honored Dionysus Eleuthereus. All the festivals where
associated with wine, song, dance and drama. Dionysus was also called Bacchus latter when the Romans adopted
him as their god of wine. Below is the infant Dionysus.
The Greater Dionysia festival was celebrated in Athens at the end of March for six days. The tyrant Pisistratus in the
Attica first held it in the 6th century BC. It started with a procession, that followed a route leading to many temples,
led by a statue of Dionysus. There was singing and sacrifices. The procession ends in the Theatre of Dionysus
situated on the southern slope of the Acropolis. The main part of the festival was the performance of the plays.
Playwrights got the opportunity to perform three tragedies and a satyr. This was executed in a contest sort of way.
The playwrights also could product comedies or lyric choruses. This is where Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides
created some of their best work.
The Lesser Dionysia was celebrated in the demes throughout the countryside of Attica for four days around the third
week of December. This festival was less organized and readily got out of hand and ended up riotous. It consisted of
processions, songs and dances. One notable event was the askoliasmos, this is where an oily full goatskin (very
slippery) is laid out and people then proceed to dance or hop on one leg on it. Dramatic performances where carried
out in the demes by groups of roving players. This later became a more important part of the festival.
The primary difference between the two main festivals is that the Greater Dionysia were held only in Athens and
were fairly organized. Where as the Less Dionysia was held all over the country and quite impromptu. The times of
the festivals were different. The Greater Dionysia was more drama orientated with the contest and all that. The
Lesser Dionysia were held more as a fun kind of thing and less formal.

2. Greek drama helps us understand the life and beliefs of the early Greeks. Define the following types of drama
performed at the time. Tragedy, Comedy, Satyr plays and the function of the Chorus.
Tragedy- A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow. Greek
tragedy was at its peak in the 5th century BC. It is believed that more than 100 tragedies where written that century.
Now only 31 have survived the time these where all written by Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Their plays are
highly formal and serious. They usually got their inspiration from myth, legend or significant events. This is why it
helps us understand the life and beliefs of early Greeks.
The main characters become the victims of terrible happenings. Either of faults in their character or because the
Gods where punishing them. The Gods usually punished mortals for evil deeds like killing someone or trying to defy
the character's fate. The Greeks believed that death was the easy way out. We know this from their plays like in
King Oedipus; Oedipus instead of dying blinded himself.
Comedy- A literary work having humorous themes or characters. Greek comedy was (and still is) used to capture the
humorous side of life. The oldest comedies that still exist today are by Aristophanes. His work has a formal
structure. It is believed to be derived from ancient fertility rites. The humor he uses includes different sorts of attacks
on contemporary public figures, bawdy, scatological jokes, and seemingly sacrilegious parodies of the gods. By the
4th century BC comedy had replaces tragedy as the main...

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