The ancient theater can be divided into the theater of Greek and Roman antiquity.
Greek ancient theater
The ancient Greek theater is considered to be the cradle of western drama. This is a period of almost a thousand years.
In ancient Greece, permanent seats were created for the first time for an audience that could admire the actors on a theater stage. The Dionysia around 530 BC is one of the oldest known Greek theater productions. These were to Festival, which is held in honor of the wine god Dionysus.
The theater of ancient Greece reached its peak in the 5th century – during this time the famous plays by Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides were performed, as well as the plays of the Old Comedy by Aristophanes and Kratinos. The cultic function faded more and more into the background in this epoch.
Instead, it mattered in Attic democracy; it was about
- Show of force
- Representation and
- Self-assurance
For all free citizens – both female and male – it was both a religious and moral duty and a democratic right to attend the theater. After the Attic democracy collapsed, the Greek theater forms were integrated by the Roman state. These days, some sites such as ทำseo have created platforms where arts can be seen virtually.
Roman ancient theater
Then in ancient Rome, the theater performances became more complex. As in Greece, the Roman performances mostly had religious backgrounds.
But serious tragedies and funny comedies were also very popular. Chants played an important role in both the Greeks and the Romans.
There was a choir that took on the function of commentator to explain what was happening to the audience. In ancient times, however, only men worked as actors, as women were not yet allowed to play theater.
Among the most important authors of antiquity:
- Euripides
- Aristotle
- Sophocles
- Epicurus and
- Seneca
The Roman theater plays in the 1st century BC made use of Often also the Greek literature, but were also as early as 364 BC. BC plays performed in Rome; these served to honor the gods.
The religious origin of theatrical games meant that the games were played near temples of gods. These were intended as an offering to the gods after there had previously been a plague.