Historical Context and Multimedia Project - 22.2.15

Historical Context and Multimedia Project

1. When were ancient Greek plays performed?

700BC

2. How many years ago was this?

About 2500

3. What different types of plays were performed?

Comedies, Tragedies and Satyrs

4. What is a traditional Greek Theatre called?

Amphitheatre

5. What shape was the theatre?

Circular and oval

6. Find a picture of a traditional Greek Theatre for your blog.

7. Why were the theatres built this way?

So that the actors could be heard wherever you were in the audience. It amplifies the sound hence the name “amphitheatre”

8. What different scenic elements are there?

There were several scenic elements commonly used in Greek theatre:

mechane, a crane that gave the impression of a flying actor (thus, deus ex machina).

ekkyklêma, a wheeled platform often used to bring dead characters into view for the audience

trap doors, or similar openings in the ground to lift people onto the stage

Pinakes, pictures hung to create scenery

Thyromata, more complex pictures built into the second-level scene (3rd level from ground)

Phallic props were used for satyr plays, symbolizing fertility in honour of Dionysus.

9. Who sat on the seats at the front?

The front seats were reserved for the priests. The seat of honour was reserved for the high priests of Dionysos.

10. Could women take part in, or attend the plays?

The women of ancient Greece could not take part in or attend greek plays

11. Name some of the Greek playwrights and their plays.

Phrynichus (~511 BC):

The Fall of Miletus (c. 511 BC)

Phoenissae (c. 476 BC)

Danaides

Actaeon

Alcestis

Tantalus

Achaeus of Eretria (484-c. 405 BC)

Adrastus

Linus

Cycnus

Eumenides

Philoctetes

Pirithous

Theseus

Œdipus

Aphareus (4th century BC)

Asklepios**

Akhilleus**

Tantalos**

12. What did the audience throw at the actors who performed badly?

They sometimes threw rotten vegetables at the actors

13. What did the actors wear?

They wore masks (the greek term was “persona”)

14. How did the audience sat at the back of the large theatre hear anything?

The way the theatre was designed enabled

15. Who is Dionysus?

Dionysus is the Greek god of frenzies, festivities, spiritual ecstasy, wine, and alcohol in general.

16. Why is he important to Greek Theatre?

He was the god of parties, wine and grapes. He also supplied a lot of the fun and theatre was seen as a fun past time;.

17. What is a Greek chorus?

The chorus of ancient Greek tragedy was traditionally made up of twelve performers who would dance, sing and act in unison. Ancient Greeks used the chorus like modern directors use lighting, sound and set design. The chorus enhanced and shaped the audience's understanding of the play and its themes.

18.  What purpose to the Chorus have in the performance?

The chorus offers a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. It comments on themes, and shows how an ideal audience might react to the drama. It also represents the population in any particular story, in sharp contrast with many of the themes of the ancient Greek plays which tended to be about heroes, gods and goddesses.

19. How and why were masks used?

The actors were all men. The mask was therefore necessary to let them play the female roles. The actors were all men. The mask was therefore necessary to let them play the female roles

20. What were the masks made of?

The masks were most likely made out of light weight, organic materials like stiffened linen, leather, wood, or cork, with the wig consisting of human or animal hair.

TASK 3  - How can we use Multimedia effectively in performances?

1. What do we mean by the phrase 'multimedia in performance'?
By using different kinds of media such as video, sound, internet, electronic devices etc.

2. Give some examples of different types of media that could be used in a performance. Give examples of how they could be used and the positive and negative of them. 

TYPE OF MEDIA	EXAMPLE OF USE IN PERFORMANCE	POSITIVES OF USING IT…	NEGATIVES OF USING IT…
VIDEO CAMERA	Send a live video feed to an audience of something thats going on somewhere else.	Can create an interesting atmosphere for audience and enhance the performance	There could be technical difficulties and the video might not be sent
Music	Put music over a section of speech to enhance atmosphere.	Can set the mood of a scene and also help the actors in creating the atmosphere.	Right track might not play and things could go wrong with the speakers. If too loud could drown out the actors.
Internet	Send an email to the audiences smart phones with pictures/videos/other multimedia in the email.	Can help set a scene before it actually starts or give the audience some background information for the audience	Internet isn't always reliable so many things could go wrong such as bad connection, buffering etc.

For personal use :-

What do you think of this story?

I think this story portrays a typical greek tragedy play because it shows a world where there is a lot of misery and things go wrong but you have to work to fix it. The whole play and the characters are also relatable to real life people. Creon, for example, tries his best to maintain a role of power and ruthlessness, but ends up with most of his family dying because of his actions.Why do you think Sophocles wrote this play?

I think Sophocles wrote this because he wanted to show that you can't always be the person you want people to think you are and maintain healthy relationships and family at the same time. It's a realistic play that shows the real problems in society such as politics and family mixing.Why do you think the Greek audiences might have wanted to see this play?

Because it is quite controversial when talking about some of the topics discussed. It is also very relatable to audiences of 600 BC and 2015.




1.What information does Antigone give to Ismene at the beginning of this scene?
Antigone tells Ismene that she is going to bury their brother Polyneices even though they have strictly been told no to by their uncle, Creon. 

2.What has just happened in the sisters’ family?
Both of their brothers have just killed each other in a civil war, but because one, Polynieces, was fighting against Creon and his country, Creon has decided not to bury Polynieces.

3.What does Antigone plan to do? Why?
Antigone plans to bury her brother Polyneices because her Uncle Creon has said that he should not be buried. Antigone thinks that this is wrong and she wants to bury Polyneices otherwise the gods won't be happy.

4.Does Ismene plan to join her? Why or why not?
Ismene doesn't want to join her because even though she agrees that Polyneices should be buried she wants to obey the law.

5.What story does the chorus tell us about?