Image: Theater at Epidauros, Greece. Composite photo by Morn for the English Wikipedia Project. source: Wikimedia Commons
The Ancient Greek Theatre comprised the teaching and performing of theatrical acts during the celebrations of God Dionysus. It was developed by the end of the Archaic period and totally formatted during the Classical period – mainly in Athens. Theatrical acts bared both a religious and mysticism character, as well as social and political.
Here are some definitions and analysis
Tragedy is a form of theatrical art which was conceived and flourished in Ancient Greece. According to Aristotle, tragedy is the highest form of art which transfers on stage the story of a human action. Tragedy should have a beginning, a middle part and an end, so that it can communicate the meaning of the story to the audience but not long so that it will become boring. While watching the tragic act, the audience experiences all sorts of feelings, ending up to “catharsis”.
Plato gives his own perspective, under which tragedy is the imitation of feelings derived from the imitation of an action – consequently, it is the imitation of an imitation, which is distant from reality.
Greek Comedy appeared in 486bc. almost 50 years after tragedy. Its’ basic characteristics are the use of a string of expletives, as well as the caustic satire. The main subject of each act was derived from the current social or political circumstances, especially those of peace or war and the corruption of the city-state.
At first, Comedy’s purpose was the entertainment of the audience, but gradually it became a mean of severe criticism to injustice, immorality, illegal actions and ruthless politicians.
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The APGRD is a pioneering international centre for research into performances of Greek and Roman drama worldwide, from antiquity to the present, on stage, screen and radio, in opera and dance.
Based at the University of Oxford, the APGRD’s rich collections and activities have been made possible by generous support from the AHRC, The Leverhulme Trust, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Onassis Foundation.
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The provision of cutting-edge research is one of the APGRD’s primary aims, with a publication record to match.
Our research team of experienced and emergent scholars has produced pioneering studies and our digital resources include freely available databases of both ancient and modern productions. New research programmes include Performing Epic; Translating Ancient Drama, and Interactive Multimedia e-books.
The APGRD aims to create a wider community of scholarship, drawing upon experts and practitioners from the worlds of classics, theatre, music and dance. This unique, multidisciplinary, and inclusive approach gives the APGRD additional vitality and relevance.
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