Tragedy Will Never Be The Same

Throughout history, art has been a reflection of society, an indication to culture and a way to analyze historical context. Art is a gateway to understanding how people think, feel, and act in the context the art was created in. Athenian theater remains popular in modern times; it is not only timeless in its message but it can be useful in analyzing the way in which people lived during the time. Oedipus and Lysistrata, both Greek dramas, prove an example of this: they provide a reflection on the views of women at the time. The playwrights, Sophocles and Aristophanes, were both highly popularized at the time, deeply culturally ingrained into society and therefore highly reliable when it comes to cultural observation. The role of women in Ancient Athens was that of subservience and limitation. Respectable women held no job, instead bound housework and childcare. While higher class women often had

Costumes during theatre were to be realistic. Permits were issued to allow actors to dress in necessary clothing if their character was of a different social class. Females were not permitted to act in the theatre at the time. Because of this, men were also dressed to play female characters in the theatre. Costumes played an important part in theatre.

Doerries diminishes the theater and its patrons by stating “people attend the theater…to feel more intelligent than they actually are” (Freedlander). Doerries appears to be drawing on the audience’s lack of knowledge as a basis to form and direct a conversation using an abstract to accomplish his goal. This is demeaning to a culture that has an understanding of the issues. This article is inflammatory and insults the intellect of the

Plays were put on in the morning and afternoon. All the actors were male. In the early days, they wore simple costumes and makeup. Later, they had more elaborate costumes with wigs and masks.

Our society uses one of the Puritans traditions as entertainment for others. For example, the current society has established specials that air on Comedy Central called “Roasts”, where a celebrity is ridiculed by other celebrities. The first Comedy Central roast was aired on August 10th, 2003 and Denis Leary was ridiculed on stage for the viewing of millions of people. Roasts have been around as far back as 1904 where the Friars Club held annual roasts. Their main motto was “We only roast the ones we love”. At first, roasts were taken lightly and people would just have innocent fun with friends and family. When Comedy Central started airing roasts it changed the game. Roasts went from being innocent fun to making a mockery of a celebrity. Even though the Puritans used the scaffold to generate a mockery of a plebeian, it still happens today. When Hester was on the stage the townspeople scorned her for her mistake. She left that day feeling dreadful, as a result of, the words from the townspeople were so cruel and in 2016 it is still tolerable. In this day and age, it is accepted to hire people to insult others to gain a laugh from other people. This society accepts one of the Puritans traditions to such an extreme that it is broadcasted for millions of people to observe. The only element that has changed from the 1600’s to today is that technology is so advanced it allows everyone to find enjoyment off this

The United States was built on a history of racial injustices. From the Native Americans being bribed off of their land, Africans being kidnapped, shipped, and sold into slavery, Japanese internment, to the more recent wrongs of faux vigilante-type killings like that of an African American teen, Trayvon Martin, in Florida, and the alleged, police-involved killing of 18-year old, African American teen Michael Brown of Ferguson, MO. These are just a few of the entrenched ideologies that have haunted and continue to haunt the United States. With that being said, the arts have not been immune to the throws of racial strife, in particular, theatrical productions.

Theatre is an art form that has been revered by all civilizations. It is one of the oldest and most popular forms of art. In order to stay at the forefront of modern culture theatre has had to endure much opposition. Changing times and changing interests of the world have been reflected in theatrical advances. One of the biggest challenges facing theatre in the United States today is the challenge of funding. In a world that becomes increasingly filled with new forms of entertainment it is difficult for theatre and art to continue to earn their relevance. In order for any form of art or entertainment to be truly captivating there must be some level of edginess. An example of this is the popular television series titled Game of Thrones. This show is noted for its scenes of violence, sexual perversion, and foul language. The shows edginess is a strong contributor to the shows immense success. Shows like this are a difficult opponent for theatre in the realm of entertainment.

When theater first started to gain popularity females were not allowed to be in plays, so instead they used young men to fill in the female parts. Young men dressed up and did their make-up and played the part as a woman. There was also no stagehands, so the actors had to change their wardrobe, makeup and any props they had by themselves. This is why the dialogue of the play was a lot more important than the costumes and scenery of the play. Sometimes actors didn't even bother with props.

“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”

Many Greek plays depict strong female roles. These provocative women cause disorder and initiate change. This is in direct contrast to the real life of Athenian women who lives were thoroughly controlled by men. Their lives would have removed from men, politics and public affairs. They would have been mostly confined to the home. However, female roles in the plays were intriguing and dynamic. Women like Euripides’ Medea and Sophocles’ Antigone.

The place of women within the theatre is well known, that being that they had no place within the stage.  Women's parts were played by young men in

For example, today many people find blackface to be offensive for good reason. This is the form of makeup used in the early American minstrel shows where white people represented African American culture in a very offensive way. That is they used broad exaggerations, stereotypes, and racist jokes while simultaneously using the denigrating blackface. This sort of representation of a culture should not be explored by play writers not even for the sake of authenticity. Considering that it belittles and unfairly represents a culture, which isn’t beneficial for audience viewers or for the theatre

play was outrageous and not accepted. The image of women in plays and stories at the time were

I’ve adored theatre for as long as I can remember. From writing plays throughout elementary school, to being involved in Drama Club in middle school, to performing in community theatre in high school, and to visiting the theatre as often as I could from the very beginning, theatre has always been a part of my life. Every aspect of it engages me: the directors working to bring their vision of the show’s scenes, choreography, or music to life, the actors transforming into different characters through their expression of dialogue, song, or dance, the costumers and set-builders transporting the audience into the setting and time period with their artistry, the backstage tech and crew working quickly and precisely to keep the show flowing to curtain call, and the orchestra bringing the show to life through music. There is nothing like the experience of live theatre, both as a member of the audience and as a member of the cast and crew.

“Women’s roles in the plays were acted by men or, more commonly by boys.” (Bommarito, 267). Boys were used for women’s roles because of their small figures and higher pitched voices. The boys began acting at the age of ten, learning the correct way to walk and talk on the stage. In addition they were also taught the art of applying make-up moving gracefully in the many layers of clothing that the Elizabethan women wore at that time.