Greek Drama Term Paper

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Greek Drama and Its Effects on Drama Today

It has been said that the Ancient Greeks "took their entertainment very seriously and used drama as a way of investigating the world they lived in, and what it meant to be human" (PBS, 2002). This is perhaps the greatest contribution Greek Drama has made to the developing art of film and theatre in the modern world. Intertwining philosophy and entertainment, the Greeks developed their perspectives through three kinds of plays: comedy, tragedy and Satyr.

Of these three, tragedy had the important role of dealing with themes related to heavy human emotions of love, greed, jealousy and the relationships between men and the immortal Gods and Goddesses of the Greek belief system. Through these relationships, Greek playwrights created a backdrop for the average Ancient Greek to examine within themselves their own ideals and morals as the drama they were watching unfolded.

Like Ancient Greek drama, modern film has developed these subtle tools into creating storylines and characters that mimic the human condition and give audiences the opportunity to 'see' themselves on-screen.

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One such tool, was the use of a 'Greek Chorus' or narrator, who was the link between audience and story. The Chorus imparted knowledge to the audience, or directed the audience towards the next scene. "Right from its beginnings - around 1895 - cinema was dominated by fictional narrative representations of one kind or another" (Narrative Codes, pg208).

As film progressed, these narratives developed more from action and into character development, which "is a cornerstone of narrative whose human agents are represented as motivated by traits of personality or individual psychology" (pg209).

Another reference to 'the Chorus' is in the use of linking the rhythm of a play together. "Often the central episode was a sort of debate or moral dilemma, whose resolution determined the following action. Violent action, however, which can conclude the play, conventionally takes place off-stage, to be reported by a witness. Besides fulfilling a poetic role, the Chorus can act as a foil in exchanges with leading characters, and….....

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