Costumes and Masks essays

Costumes and Masks essays Greek Drama originated at the beginning of the 5th Century. It began as religious festivals and continued on to purposes such as entertainment and dealing with political, social, moral or ethical issues of the time. There were many famous Greek Playwrights such as Aeschylus and Sophocles who were Tragic writers. The Costumes and Masks in the theatre played a very important role in the production. The effective masks and costumes transformed the actors into the characters to a point where it was believed that the God Dionysus had taken over the actors body until the mask had been removed. Two thousand years before Shakespeare was even thought of, Greek Theatre began in Athens, Greece. The Dramatic plays and acts were classed into three groups: Tragedy, Comedy and Satyr Plays. It is believed that Greek Drama began as a form of Religious rituals or festivals. The most important of these festivals was the Dionysia, which paid tribute to Dionysus, the god of fertility, vegetation, the vine, and the pleasures of civilization. The Dionysus was an annual Spring Festival where dramatic competitions were held for the best Tragedy, Comedy or Satyr. The prizes for the winning playwrights evolved over the years, starting as an amphora of wine for comedy and a ram for tragedy when it was the 5th century it was an ivy wreath which was considered a great honour. It wasnt only the playwrights that received these honours thought, the wealthy Choregoi which funded the plays also shared in the honour, some citizens would erect tablets to honour the generosity and public spirit of the Choregoi.. Aeschylus was and still is known as a very famous Tragic playwright in Ancient Greek Drama. He was born in 525BC in Eleusis, Attica. Aeschylus brought with him a great change in Greek Drama. He introduced a second actor, the antagonist, which was to interact with the first, he reduced the chorus from 50 to 12 ...