Ancient Greece: The Cradle Of Modern Theatre

Many spectators from different countries including the UK enjoy theatre. Such kinds of performances as dramas and comedies are very popular with the audience today. It is interesting that the theatre of ancient Greece has greatly influenced the development of modern theatre. Ancient Greeks that performed in comfortable clothes and lightweight greek leather sandals have become the first theatre actors. Greek theatre has a long history that facilitated the development of such famous genres as the comedy and the tragedy.

The history of theatres goes back to the 6th century B.C. The first theatre performances were plays staged to honour numerous Greek gods. Ancient Greeks commemorated Dionysus, the god of the grape harvest, in a very unusual manner. They dressed up in rough goat skins and comfortable greek leather sandals and organised special festivals. A lot of people performed plays and sang songs in the honour of Dionysus. It was a common practice for different groups to compete with each other in performances. At the beginning a few people could participate in theatre plays because only a limited number of actors was allowed on the stage. The majority of roles were without any lines. This contributed to the development of the chorus that played an important role in ancient performances. The chorus delivered the lines of plays to the accompaniment of music.

The tragedy was a very famous genre in ancient Greece. The word tragedy literally means ”goat song”. Tragedies usually illustrated the search for meaning in life. Greek actors wearing white clothes and lightweight greek leather sandals played ancient heroes and gods. Most tragedies were based on the famous Greek myths. There were several noted Greek tragedy writers like Thespis, Sophocles, Solon and Homer. Some of their plays like Agamemnon, Antigone and Medea are still popular today.

The comedy is another famous genre of theatre performance originated in ancient Greece. Some people believe that comedy originated from imitation. It is worth noticing that many comedies depicted certain institutional drawbacks and made fun of them in the play. Comedians usually wore thin soled greek leather sandals that were very comfortable for active performances. The most influential comedy writers were Magnes, Aristophanes, Plato and Heraclides. Their works influenced such European authors as Shakespeare, Voltaire and Cervantes. They used some peculiar techniques of Greek writers in their works.

It goes without saying that theatre has become an important part of modern life. Many people enjoy amusing theatre performances and spend money in order to see their favourite actors. It is worth noticing that modern theatre has a long history that goes back to the times of ancient Greece. Such popular genres as comedy and tragedy originated there. Some of the plays written long ago are still performed in the modern theatre to the joy of wide audiences in many parts of the world. It is interesting that snug greek leather shoes worn during many performances by Greek actors of the past are also indispensable fashionable accessories today enjoyed by people of different cultures and ages.

Some interesting facts about modern day Greece. Many people are familiar with ancient Greece so this is why i wanted to concentrate in the more modern history of the country. Comments and ratings are appreciated
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Related Modern Greece Articles