survey of theatre exam 1

What is the literal translation of dues ex machina?

God by Machine

Who increased the number of actors in Greek Tragedy from one to two?

Aeschylus

When was a satyr play performed during the Greek Dionysian Festival

After three tragedies by a single author were performed

Which best answers the questions: Dionysus is the god of _____________?

All of the above

What is a "dithyramb?"

An ecstatic hymn

Who wrote Three Sisters?

Anton Chekhov

The "Poetics," the first significant work of dramatic criticism, was written by:

Aristotle

Who was Alexander the Great's tutor?

Aristotle

In what part of the play do we find the "point of attack?"

Beginning

In what part of the play does "exposition" occur

Beginning

Aristotle was trained as a:

Biologist

How was the leading actor assigned to a playwright during the City Dionysia competition?

By lot

How were lead actors and playwrights paired during the competition at the Dionysian Festivals during the Golden Age of theatre in Greece?

By lot

Who was the producer or money guy for Greek tragic plays?

Choregus

Sophocles stopped acting in his plays because:

Claimed he had a weak voice

The Lenaia Dionysia Festival was created for what genre of play?

Comedy

"Agon" in Protagonist and Antagonist translates to:

Competitor

What type of criticism in Aristotle's Poetics?

Descriptive

"Character" is primarily revealed by what a character (blank):

Does

In what part of the play do we find the "resolution"?

End

Of the three great Greek tragedians of the 5th Century B.C., who is the youngest?

Euripides

"Cause to Effect" storytelling is the least common form of storytelling

False

A satyr play is serious and possesses magnitude.

False

Aristotle claims in the Poetics that Greek drama grew out of the ancient hunting rituals.

False

By the end of Three Sisters, two of the sisters have died during the play.

False

During the Hellenistic Period of Alexander, plays were never performed at other civic and religious occasions beside festivals for Dionysus.

False

Greek New Comedy deals with kinds and queens.

False

In Aristotelian structure, the "inciting incident" occurs towards the end of the play.

False

Menander wrote Old Greek Comedy.

False

The "painting about red" example in class was an example of a work of art that is complete and self-contained.

False

The Greeks allowed for violent action on stage as a teaching tool

False

The Greeks were the first to celebrate and hold holy the Sabbath.

False

The Grouch by Menander was found by Monks in the 9th Century.

False

The Lenaia festival of ancient Athens was exclusively for tragedies.

False

The New Comedy of Menander was severely critical of the Athenian government's role in the Peloponnesian war.

False

The Theatre of Dionysus was built during the Roman occupation of Athens.

False

The Theatre of Dionysus was on the outskirts of Athens.

False

The name of the columned building at the top of the large hill in the picture below is the Acropolis.

False

Tragedies by three different authors were presented in a single day at the City Dionysian Competition

False

When Thespis was presenting his plays at the Theatre of Dionysus, the theatre had stone seating, architectural detail and sat close to 30,000 spectators.

False

Women could act in the Greek plays on special occasions.

False

Aristophanes wrote:

Old Comedy

In the Drawing of the Theatre of Dionysus, "B" is the:

Orchestra

In Aristotle's description of how tragedy works, he says good tragedies arouse which two emotions?

Pity and Fear

Of Aristotle's Six Elements of Dramatic Action, which does Aristotle list as the first and most important elements?

Plot

In the Drawing of the Theatre of Dionysus, "A" is the:

Skene

What play was partially responsible for leading Socrates conviction and execution in Athens?

The Clouds

The only Satyr play we have is:

The Cyclops by Euripides

In the Drawing of the Theatre of Dionysus, "C" is the:

Theatron

The person who is credited with being the first playwright and actor was:

Thespis

Of which genre/type of play is Aristotle writing when he says the action of a play should be "serious and possess a certain magnitude"?

Tragedy

"Discovery" is a common device for adding complications to the plot of a play.

True

A forest of trees appeared during Three Sisters.

True

According to Aristotle, ideally, "thought" or "ideas" are inferred within the action rather than stated out front.

True

Aristotle studied with Plato.

True

As discussed in class, comedy can be dangerous if we push humor past that which we own (our own stereotypes).

True

Athens was a walled city during the 5th Century.

True

Classic Greek tragedy focuses primarily on moral and ethical dimensions of character

True

Comedy was always considered inferior to tragedy at the Great City Dionysia Festival in Athens.

True

Deus ex machina when used today infers a contrived ending to a story or play.

True

Greek comedy developed later than Greek tragedy

True

Greek plays of the 5th century B.C. were musicals, they were predominantly sung by the actors.

True

Greek theatres were purposely open to nature and the Gods, while Roman theatres were enclosed and controlling.

True

Greeks of the 5th Century B.C. felt music should have an "ethical" content.

True

In Greek tragedy, a God, fate, or moral power independent of human kind usually affects the outcome as much or more than the human characters.

True

Lysistrata, which depicts the women of Athens and Sparta going on a sex strike, was written by Aristophanes.

True

Masks were worn in comedies during the competition at the City Dionysia.

True

New Comedy is lighter in tone and subject matter than Old Comedy.

True

Phalluses were worn in Greek Comedy.

True

Plato studied with Socrates

True

Plays during the Golden Age of Greece were performed in competition.

True

Scholars think Aristotle's Poetics are lecture notes.

True

The Clouds in which Socrates was depicted as the leader of the sophist movement was written by Aristophanes.

True

The Lenaia festival of ancient Athens was held in January.

True

The Rural Dionysia was performed in the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens.

True

The chorus of Sophocles consisted of 15 members that could be divided into two semi-choruses of 7 plays a choral leader.

True

The classic tragic hero is flawed.

True

The drama of Thespis had one actor and one chorus.

True

The state/city paid the actors in the competitions at the City Dionysian Competition.

True

Western audiences, to a great degree, have been brought up watching Aristotelian storytelling.

True

Dramatic Action as discussed in class is

What events happen and particularly how and why those events happen in a play

The "parabasis" in Greek Old Comedy is:

A choral passage directed at the audience dealing with contemporary people and issues

In Three Sisters what was the major scenic elements hanging above the stage?

A painting

How many judges were there for the Great City Dionysia Festival?

10

How many actors (not including the chorus) were used in the drama of Sophocles?

3

How many playwrights were selected to present tragedies at the City Dionysia?

3

How many ballots were counted to select the winner of the Great City Dionysia Festival?

5

How many comic playwrights competed in the competition at the City Dionysia?

5

In what year did Thespis win the first recognized contest for Tragedy in the Great City Dionysia?

534 B.C.

The Golden Age of Athens was in what century?

5th Century B.C.

A periaktoi in Greek theatre was a:

A scenic device

The Artists of Dionysus were:

A union of theatre artists formed to protect rights during the Greek Classical period

Of the three great Greek tragedians of the 5th Century B.C., who is the oldest?

Aeschlyus

Oedipus' tragic flow in Oedipus Rex is his:

Hubris/excessive pride

Of Aristotle's Six Elements of Dramatic Action, which does Aristotle list as the third most important element?

Ideas/thought

The playwright _________________ became identified with the following: (1) added a third actor; (2) raised chorus member to 15; (3) tight plot construction:

Sophocles

Who increased the number of actors in Greek Tragedy from two to three?

Sophocles

What city/state was the leader of the Pelopenisian League opposing Athens during the Pelopenisian War?

Sparta

Of Aristotle's Six Elements of Dramatic Action, which does Aristotle list as the last element?

Spectacle

Greek Theatre buildings were:

¾ thrust theatre in which the audience sat on 3 sides of the stage space