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An Intrepretation Of Greek Theatre

Greek Theaters
An Interpretation of Greek Theaters

I. Introduction
II. Body
A. History of Greek Theaters
B. Architecture of the Greek Theaters
C. Greek Actors' Costumes and Masks
D. Figure 1
E. Figure 2
III. Conclusion


Ancient Greece is known for their beautiful artistry ranging from frescoes to sculptures, and their architectural innovations, most of which were dedicated to their gods. The Theater of Dionysus was a major theatre in ancient Greece, built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis (Wikipedia 1). Dedicated to Dionysus, the god of plays and wine the theater could seat as many as 17,000 people, making it an ideal location for ancient Athens' biggest theatrical celebration, the Dionysia (Wikipedia 1). It was the first stone theater ever built — cut into the southern cliff face of the Acropolis — and the birthplace of Greek tragedy (Wikipedia).
Early tradition holds that drama and comedy evolved from the dithyramb, the songs, folk tales and dances offered to Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility and wine (Wikipedia 1). Flickinger (66) notes the "Greek theater seats were originally made of wood;" it took nearly two centuries for theaters to be made of stone. Every Greek theater consisted normally of three parts: orchestra, auditorium, and scene building (Allen 1).
By the 5th century BC, theatre had become formalized and was a major part of Athenian culture and civic pride, and this century is normally regarded as the Golden Age of Greek drama (Wikipedia 3).
With the size of the theater it would be hard to believe that the audience was able to hear the actors. Mathematics played a large role in the construction of these theaters, as their designers had to be able to create acoustics in them such that the actors' voices could be heard throughout the theater, including the very top row of seats (Wikipedia 4). The plays had a chorus of up to 50 people, who performed the...