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Origins: The First Act -- An irredeemable debt to ancient Greek theater
Biblical Archaeology Review ^ | Rush Rehm

Posted on 11/16/2009 7:18:00 PM PST by SunkenCiv

The Theater of Dionysus lies on the south slope of the Acropolis, on whose heights rose Athens's most sacred temples. Open to the sky, and looking down over the southern part of town, the theater belonged fully to the political and social world of its audience -- unlike our indoor theaters (which cut off the outside world). The beginnings of Greek theater were associated with another radical invention of the ancient Athenians: democracy. Although we find obscure references to earlier dramatists, our first secure date for tragic performances at the City Dionysia comes shortly after the expulsion from Athens of the Pisistratids -- a dynasty of tyrants who ruled the city in the sixth century B.C. -- and the institution of democracy in 508/507 B.C.

The tragedies themselves are profoundly concerned with social and political problems. Even while dramatizing age-old myths, they raise important civic questions: What makes a good leader? Should citizens resist illegitimate authority? How can a society develop fair laws and administer justice equitably? How should society treat women, slaves (substitute "workers") and immigrants? What can we learn from the excesses and failures of others?

We shouldn't romanticize the ancient Greeks. Athenian democracy depended in part on slave labor, and the Athenians condemned Socrates to exile or death. But they also created a form of expression that still flourishes 2,500 years later -- in a world utterly different from their own. And perhaps they can help us understand that theater -- along with other arts -- is more than mere entertainment; it is also a means by which we might learn to integrate our social, creative and all-too-mortal lives.

(Excerpt) Read more at bib-arch.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; greece; science
full subtitle: What do Shakespeare, Ibsen and Hollywood have in common? An irredeemable debt to ancient Greek theater.
Origins: The First Act

1 posted on 11/16/2009 7:18:01 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: nickcarraway; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; ...

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2 posted on 11/16/2009 7:19:53 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

In fact the word “drama” is borrowed directly from the Greek, along with a lot of others you might not suspect, such as “character”, “idea”, “crisis”, “zone”, “automaton” ... “automaton” ? It meant something acting by itself, which fits.


3 posted on 11/16/2009 9:56:00 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: SunkenCiv

4 posted on 11/17/2009 4:53:21 AM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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