Our plays were influenced by the Greeks. Being some of the best writers, Thespis, Aeschylus, and many other men who wrote the theatrical works greatly influenced our plays today. Greek plays were not the same as ours and had many differences because they did not have the level of technology we have. But what were they like? Normally drama was a picture of life. Representing religious dances, imitations of hunts and battles, and dramatic forms of story telling were what the old forms of drama included. These plays were so well done that they have been called the greatest tragedies and comedies ever written. They are compared only to Elizabethan-era Shakespearean drama. Gratefully we can give thanks to the Greeks for the exciting entertainment that we enjoy today.

Greek theatre was very intriguing and complex. The men who wrote some of the plays were as bright as stars in their time and lit up the era of drama with their ideas. All these ideas led to the making of some of the greatest dramas in history. In the beginning, the plays were performed as a sacrifice to the gods, since Greek lives basically revolved around them. As the centuries progressed, they added stages and two or three actors. Only men performed the plays! Women were not allowed, and the color of the men’s robes was a symbol of their status. Interestingly, they had painted boards that they used for scenes and loud drums that they used for thunder effects. A machine for lifting and raising the gods, which was called “Deus-ex-machina” was also used. Having rules, the plays were always required to follow a specific form. The plays were very interesting and complex and many of them had talented writers.

Greece had many great play writers. Included in these writers were Thespis, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. Aristophanes and Menander were two very great comedy writers; their plays were known for their sarcasm. To better the quality of the plays, Aristotle made five rules for tragedies that have greatly impacted our plays today. Because their plays were the best and most wonderful, which was determined by judges, Thespis (who was the first writer to win a prize for his plays) and Aeschylus were awarded many great, grand, glorious prizes. It was a great honor! Aeschylus was the Father of Tragedy. He won thirteen festivals, which awarded his work. He invented the idea of a trilogy. He also pioneered using props. Amazingly, Sophocles wrote one hundred scripts. His death, in 406 B.C., marked the end of the golden age of Greek drama. Greece had many great writers who influenced our plays today.

Many of today’s plays were impacted greatly by the Greek plays. We derive some of our words from them like trilogy, orchestra, scene, and theatre. The word “theatre” meant the scene for the play, “trilogy” meant three tragedies centering around one theme, “orchestra” meant an acting area where actors performed, and “scene” was spelled “skene,” meaning a place for changing costumes. As Greeks began using costumes, their plays were more enjoyable; now, using costumes in drama is common. Transforming the rough plays from boring to exciting was originally accredited to the rules that Aristotle first put into practice. And not surprisingly, our comedies are very much like the Greeks’. Just like the Greeks’ plays were known for their sarcasm, a lot of our comedies have the same sarcasm. Usually, we will also rate the video and give awards to the people in the films who did outstanding work, which is what they did long ago. They left behind some important ideas that have shaped drama today.

The Greeks helped us incredibly in our theatrical arts. In many ways, inspiring writers helped us by writing many dramatic pieces. The plays themselves were complex and they influenced our works more than any other civilization. They left such an impact that we even perform some of their plays today, like Antigone, which is a great honor to Greek talent. Most importantly, since they wrote the rules and forms for drama, theatrical entertainment is more believable and interesting. Because they also helped capture the audience’s attention, these rules were considered useful. We can thank the Greeks for inspiring our theatrical world.