Greek Theater and Elizabethan Theater

1. Constituent elements of Greek theater. Architecture. Parts of the theater.

Technical elements of the scene. Use of masks.

Constituent elements of Greek theater

Greek theater consists of elements such as:

- The actors: with the arrival of the actors, it is believed that it was Thespis who
introduced a first actor in his works, the Greek people had to differentiate
between character and actor, since until then there was only narrated literature
in which only The character exists, so the Greek people were aware that the
actor only mimicked the character. The same actor could play two characters.
Later, Aeschylus adds a second actor called the deuteragonist and finally
Sophocles invents a third actor called the tritagonist. As the number of actors
increases, the dramatic possibilities increase even if the chorus decreases. The
more actors, the more realistic the action becomes, but the ritual and religious
sense of Greek theater is lost.

- The chorus: in its beginnings the chorus was a fundamental element of Greek
theater, although later it would lose this importance until it disappeared, with the
character taking center stage. The choir had those functions of prayer and
invocation, prayer and participation in the religious ceremony, it also served as
narrator of the story and was the linking element between the different
episodes.

- The costumes: the costumes of a Greek performance are made up of:

· Masks: Greek actors used masks. Hiding the face symbolizes dressing with
new and unusual elements, necessary to perform the rite, it was also a ritual.
Later, the mask was that element that transformed the actor into a character,
there were masks of old men, young people, women... Over time, the artisans
achieved true realism in the masks, they also had enormous dimensions so that
they were much more visible to the public and to, together with the coturnos
(stilts), maintain the proportion between the different rows of seats. On the other
hand, the masks could serve as a "megaphone" increasing the actor's voice.
And finally, it allowed the actor to play various characters.

· The coturnos: they are a type of wooden shoes with height that served to
give height to the actor. They managed to make the noble characters stand out
from the chorus and give proportion to the actor with the large mask. Thus the
actor was huge, so the audience could see him easily. They were generally only
used in tragedy.

· Clothing: generally, the costumes worn were tunics, shorts or stockings and
cloaks. Depending on the colors of the clothes, the character had more or less
importance, thus, the dark colors were for the sad characters, the happy ones
for the important ones or the normal colors for the townspeople. The actors
used pads to bulge themselves, so that they continued to maintain proportion
with the coturno and the mask. They could also use other elements as crowns
in the case of kings.

- The set: the scene in its beginnings was a simple undecorated wall, later it
added some hanging element to embellish it, a backdrop and already in the
time of Euripides there were mobile or rotating platforms.

Architecture:

At first, theaters were built of wood and could be dismantled. Later they were
built in stone, but they were still open-air. The Greeks knew how to take
advantage of natural resources for their constructions, thus the theaters were
built in open spaces, taking advantage of the slopes of the hills on the
outskirts of their polis, and the unevenness of the terrain to excavate spectator
stands . . Its semicircular and elevated design improved the spectators' vision
of the scene as well as its acoustics. The elements of the stage were located in
the lower part: Orchestra, Proscenium, Stage ( decorated with columns or
statues). Greek theaters enjoyed great technical advances; Its acoustics were
so good that the audience heard the actors and the choir with extraordinary
clarity from any point in the stands, in addition to seeing them clearly.

Parts of the theater:

The parts of Greek theater are:

 Orchestra: Circular area around which the theater is organized, where

the choir sang and danced. It is the oldest part of the theater, in the
center there was an altar dedicated to Dionysus and some measure 24
meters in diameter.

 Skene or scene : place reserved for actors. It began as a narrow and

elongated platform and later rose three meters, was built with brick and
stone, and decorated with colonnades and arches.
 Proskenion: usually located behind the skene, it is the part where the
actors change, rest, etc.

 Koilon : these are the stands, where the spectators sit. With a
semicircular shape, it is excavated into the mountainside and divided
vertically into corridors and horizontally into sectors. The first rows, with
richer decoration, were intended for high public officials and priests.

 Parodo : entrance and exit corridors for spectators, between the

proskenion and the koilon.
  Esquena: it was the place for the actors' changing rooms and the
storage of materials.

 Proscenium: (proskeion) the representation was carried out by the

actors. It was a platform about 3 meters high.

 Orchestra: it is the space where the members of the choir danced and
sang. In the center stood an altar dedicated to Dionysus.

 Theater: semicircular stands where the audience was accommodated

and from where the evolution of the work could be tempered, as it
surrounded the orchestra and was in front of the proscenium.

 Side entrances: Side entrances through which you accessed the

orchestra and the stands.

Technical elements of the scene.

- Foreword. It's a simple introduction. It serves to put the audience in the

situation and explains the "conflict" that the play is going to dramatize.

- Parodos. With it the development of the work really began and it was part of
the choir's entrance song. The choir entered the orchestra through the gaps.
and the entire representation remained there.

- Episodes: They constituted dramatic passages, interspersed between choral

songs, and were dialogue parts in which the actors acted.

- Estasimos: They were the songs that the choir performed without moving
from the orchestra. Sometimes they were accompanied by instruments such as
the zither or flute and by dances. For many, the chora is situated halfway
between the actors and the audience.

Choral songs usually had three parts: the "stanza" during which the choristers
danced to one side. The "antistrophe" in which the members of the choir
danced to the opposite side, remaining in the initial position. And the "epode"
composed of several verses that were sung in case any member had been
misplaced and thus could align themselves.

- Exodus: It is the final song of the choir as it leaves the orchestra at the end of
the tragedy. In the coryphaeus (choir director) he says some significant phrases
with a teaching purpose.

There were several scenic elements in common use in Greek theatre;

 machina , a crane that gave the impression that an actor was flying (which is
why it received the name theologheion or deus ex machina).
 ekkyklema , a rolling platform with different uses: it could be used to get on it
so that the spectators had better visibility of the actor, or used to bring in the
dead characters, if that was the case.
 Traps or similar openings in the floor to remove people on stage.
 Pinakes images hung on the paraskenia to simulate a scene or landscape.
 Thyromata , more complex images located at the height of the second floor
of the paraskenia.
 Periaktoi , rotating screens to change the stage decoration

Use of masks :

We must remember that in Greece only men acted and, therefore, in order to
embody female characters they dressed up in wigs, masks and clothing. All the
actors wore masks that allowed them to emphasize the character of their
character and achieve greater expressiveness.
A single actor usually played more than one character in the play. This is why
masks in Ancient Greek plays were so important. They allowed the actors to
really transform into characters.

2. Constituent elements of Elizabethan theater. Architecture of an

Elizabethan theater. Example The Globe. Technical elements of the
scene.

Constituent elements of Elizabethan theater:

Lightning. The Elizabethan theater made use of natural and universal lighting.
The shows were held in the afternoon in theaters or open-air grounds. The
shows that took place inside were done by candlelight where the audience and
the actors shared the same lighting.

Locker room . The costumes in the Elizabethan theater were elaborate,

colorful, rich and helped distinguish between social classes. Most of the
costumes were not intended to be authentic recreations of the period.

Company / Actors The job that actors did is beginning to be seen as a job of
professionalization. When the theater began to be a commercial company, and
when different buildings began to emerge for the deployment of presentations,
rivalries began, and those who managed the business sought to keep their
rooms full, which is why they required the actors to learn new papers quickly to
be able to release new works constantly.

Public, economic power perhaps defined the location from which the spectator
witnessed the piece exhibited on the stage, he did so at the same time as any
other spectator in the room, that is to say that free entry was allowed in this
space. whatever the social position

Playwrights Most of the playwrights of the time came from cultured sectors of
society.

Masks striking masks were worn.

Architecture of an Elizabethan theater. Example The Globe.

To understand the architecture of the Elizabethan theater, the drawing by
Johannes de Witt previously exposed is frequently taken as a reference. The
construction model was similar to those of inns in the Middle Ages. The
Elizabethan theaters consisted of a polygonal structure on the outside but
circular on the inside, which surrounded an open central patio on three floors. In
the center of this was the stage, a rectangular platform 1.50 meters high and
equipped with at least two traps. Other parts of the Elizabethan theater were the
tiringhouse, a scaffolding that rose behind the stage flooring, which had two
doors at the level of the stage, and on a second level a similar balcony or
gallery. The hut was called a loft supported by two columns from which the
crane or flying machine was operated. Through all these elements, the
Elizabethan theater manages to capture the entire cosmos through
conventions, above they represent the afterlife, the heavens, below the platform
they represent the afterlife, and on the two main levels they represent all
possible earthly scenarios.

Technical elements of the scene:

Elizabethan dramaturgy shows continuous development. The actions of the
texts lack divisions. Elizabethan drama obeys constructive ideas different from
those that caused the divisions into acts, days, paintings and scenes.
Uninterrupted sequence of scenes. Whether there are geographical
displacements or temporal lapses, events and situations occur one after
another in a continuous development. This uninterrupted chain of events,
possible only in neutral settings and based on an agreement with the public on
the rules of the game, is the priority aspect in the composition of Elizabethan
drama.

3. State three similarities and three differences between both

theatrical modalities.

Differences

1- Theater of Greece: they are works classified as comedies or tragedies,

depending on the theme, also created and performed during the heyday of
Greek and Roman cultures.

- Elizabethan theater refers to the dramatic works written and performed during
the reign of Elizabeth I of England, at the end of the 16th century.

2- Greek theater: It was performed outdoors in a space where spectators had

the possibility of sitting around 180 degrees from the stage.

- Elizabethan Theater: The public, depending on what they had paid, sat in the
galleries or watched the play standing in the patio.

3- Greek theater was characterized by its works linked to religious ceremonies

of worship to the god Dionysus.

-Elizabethan theater was characterized by its works based on Shakespeare,

which mixed tragedy, poetry, fantasy and fun.

Similarities
1- The first spaces of representation for both countries were platforms erected
in public places, they were stable spaces where the usual operation of
assembling and disassembling their constituent elements did not fit: tables,
backgrounds, accesses, etc.

2- Actors were used to represent the characters.

3- Women could not act in any dramatic representation, men had to take the
female roles.

4- Brief biography of William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare, born April 23, 1564 in Stratford, England. He was an

English playwright, poet and actor. Sometimes known as the Bard of Avon,
Shakespeare is considered the most important writer in the English language
and one of the most famous in world literature due to his highly recognized
works such as: Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, A Night's Dream of summer,
Macbeth among others. He died on 23 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon,
United Kingdom .