Religious Ceremonies In Theatre :: essays research papers fc

Theatre as a Religious Ceremony      The drama in Greece was inextricably curtail up with religious feeling and religious observance. (Cheney 33) The citizens of the Greek states were the first European communities to raise dramatic performances to the level of an device. Furthermore, the Greek bidwrights still exercise a potent creative force, and many modern dramatists find strong relationships betwixt these legendary themes and modern conditions. The Greeks religion is wholly prudent for the creation of all facets of early Greek theatre whether it is the content of the plays, or the immense sizing of the theaters required to accommodate the atten spring of the citys men.     Although much is speculated about the origins of early Greek theater, it may be utter that the source of tragedy is to be found in choric dithyrambs sing in honor of the god Dionysus (Nicoll 9). The performance took place in an open air theater. The word trage dy is derived from the term tragedia or goat-song, named for the goat skins the chorus wore in the performance. Originally these songs were improvised and rhapsodical as time passed by they were poetized or rendered literary (Nicoll 9). The word chorus meant dance or dancing ground, which was how dance evolved into the drama. Members of the chorus were characters in the play that commented on the action. They drew the audience into the play and reflected the audiences reactions. The change from freelance song to theatre was obtained at the hands of a Greek named Thespis. He turned what was originally a song leader, or priest, into an actor whose words were answered by a chanting chorus. Thespis also changed the subject matter of theatre events, expanding them to deal not totally on stories of Dionysus (Nicoll 9). In the sixth century B.C., drama had been born in Greece and with the introduction of a second actor and later a third, this art form was ready to mature at the hands of A eschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.     These festivals grew in size and complexity, especially in Athens, where the largest of these festivals were held and only the premier playwrights released their plays. These prestigious and elaborate plays were performed at dramatic festivals. The two main festivals were the Feast of the Winepress in January and the City bacchanal at the end of March. The Proceeding began with the procession of choruses and actors of the three competing poets.