Ancient Greek Theater
TIMELINE
7th Century BC
c. 625 Arion at Corinth produces named dithyrambic choruses. A dithyramb is an emotional choric hymn or speech
6th Century BC
600-570 Cleisthenes, tyrant of Sicyon, transfers "tragic choruses" to Dionysus,the god of wine and revelry, therefore a fertility god
540-527 Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, founds the festival of the Greater Dionysia,an annual springtime dramatic festival
536-533 Thespis puts on tragedy at festival of the Greater Dionysia in Athens.Thespis, is known as the first actor of tragedy, thus actors are called "Thespians."
525 Aeschylus born.First writer of a tragedy.
511-508 Phrynichus' first victory in tragedy
c. 500 Pratinus of Phlius introduces the satyr play to Athens. A satyr is a mythological figure--half man, half goat--used in bawdy comedies.
5th Century BC
499-496 Aeschylus' first dramatic competition
c. 496 Sophocles born
492 Phrynicus' Capture of Miletus (Miletus was captured by the Persians in 494)
485 Euripides born
484 Aeschylus' first dramatic victory
472 Aeschylus' Persians
467 Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes
468 Aeschylus defeated by Sophocles in dramatic competition
463? Aeschylus' Suppliant Women
458 Aeschylus' Oresteia (Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides)
456 Aeschylus dies
c. 448 Aristophanes born. Aristophanes was the first great writer of satirical comedy.
447 Parthenon begun in Athens
c. 445 Sophocles' Ajax
441 Sophocles' Antigone
438 Euripides' Alcestis
431-404 Peloponnesian War (Athens and allies vs. Sparta and allies)
431 Euripides' Medea
c. 429 Sophocles' Oedipus the King
428 Euripides' Hippolytus
424 Aristophanes'- Acharnians. The Knights
423 Aristophanes' Clouds
422 Aristophanes' The Wasps - ridiculed the regular courts of justice.
421 The Peace was written in the interests of the recently concluded peace between Athens and Sparta.
415 Euripides' Trojan Women
During the seven years that passed before Aristophanes exhibited another play, a law had been passed to check political satire. In the second group, beginning with The Birds (414 B.C.) he turned to social satire and ridiculed the fondness of the Athenians for litigation. Lysistrata (411 B.C.)
406 Euripides dies; Sophocles dies
405 Euripides' Bacchae
404 Athens loses Peloponnesian War to Sparta
401 Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus
4th Century BC
399 Trial and death of Socrates
385 Death of Aristophanes'
384 Aristotle born.
c. 380's Plato's Republic includes critique of Greek tragedy and comedy
c. 330's Aristotle's Poetics includes defense of Greek tragedy and comedy
Richard Schechner, Approaches to Theory/Criticism(JSTOR)
LYSISTRATA
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7700/7700-h/7700-h.htm (The play Text)