Abstract
This paper traces the history of the architectural form and cultural function of the amphitheatre from its modest beginning in ancient Greece through to the Roman influenced theatre of today. It examines how, although some aspects of their design and function are debatable because so little of their physical structure exists today, Greek theaters can be chronologically classified into three categories: The early Athenian, Hellenistic and Graeco-Roman. It discusses how all of these theaters could be divided into essentially three parts: the theatron (or auditorium), the orchestra and the skene (or scene building) and how these standards developed over time.

From the Paper
"In its simplest form the orchestra of a theater is simply a circular plot of land designated as a place for dance and this idea defines the orchestra employed during this time. It was circular in shape with a diameter of about 66 feet and was believed to be a locus for supernatural powers. An altar (or thymele), described as "a short drum of marble decorated with low-relief carvings of garlands and satyrs, or other Greek icons? was usually erected in the epicenter of the orchestra. It was primarily used prior to performances for sacrifices in honor of the god Dionysus, however plays with religious content often incorporated the altar into the performance. A level surface area, raised one foot from the orchestra and situated below the skene, termed the proscenium, served as the area in which the majority of the dramatic action transpired."

Tags:ancient, architecture, building, drama, roman, rome, stage, skene, orchestra

Abstract
The paper discusses in great detail the evolution of the Roman theater, beginning from the Greek wooden origins to the stone monuments that became iconic with Roman architecture during the Republic and the Empire. A brief history of theater is discussed in the beginning of the paper, with special attention given to the religious implications of how theaters were originally set up. The importance of the orchestra and "skene" are given historical background, dating back to early Dionysian worship. The layout of the early Greek theaters are discussed, with a complete layout included that describes the circular performance area, the seating arrangements, background adjustments and a rudimentary stage. The rest of the paper deals with how the Romans, eager to take the art of theater from being a religious practice to more of an entertainment value for the masses, incorporated their own unique designs to the Greek theater layout to create a more efficient and clearly Roman design. Heavy attention is give to Vitruvius and his work " De Architectura" which provides a step-by-step process in which Roman theaters were built. Improvements are discussed from eliminating the completely circular stage to a half-circle, as well as creating an official stage that persists in modern theatrical performances. The paper takes each part of the theater and discusses the area extensively in terms of what the Romans did to improve upon or change from the early Greek models.

From the Paper
"Ancient Rome's concept of art and architecture was heavily influenced by the cultures that the Romans had conquered, but were in no way identical copies of the art that existed in those subjugated areas. The Romans excelled at taking artistic ideas from other civilizations and molding them into a form that could undoubtedly be identified as uniquely Roman. This technique can easily be seen in practice when one examines the Roman theater building. Roman theaters can be found throughout the area that used to be the Roman Empire, with remnants of theaters all over Europe and the Mediterranean. These theaters have details and building techniques that are exclusive to Roman designs, but when they are viewed in comparison with ancient Greek theaters, one can clearly see where the Romans received their inspiration."

Tags:ancient, architecture, greece, rome, theater, theatre, vitruvius

Abstract
The paper analyzes Sophocles' play "Antigone", which tells the narrative of the demise of Oedipus' daughter/sister in the context of the larger tragedy of the rulers of the ancient Greek city of Thebes. The paper discusses how, in the context of the play, Antigone does not only function as a singular individual, experiencing a single dilemma of character, she also functions as a young woman playing several roles. It shows that her first role is that of a bereaved sister, then her role is that of a daughter and sister of a uniquely tragic oedipal house. Finally her role is one of an ordinary woman dying before her time because of the fundamental, fated, and unsolvable conflict between the obligations of blood and obligations of a citizen.

From the Paper
"When her crime is discovered, Antigone adopts a new role, that of a woman whom is not only a sister of a dead brother, but also the descendant of a house uniquely battered at torn at by fate who has a unique destiny to fulfill. She assumes this destiny in contrast to her sister Ismene. When asked if she feels any hatred for the killer of her own brother, Antigone says, "Brother yes, by the same mother, the same father." In other words, both brothers slew his brother; both have committed the tragic crime of fratricide. In the face of such evil, who can judge one brother above another? That is the essence of the tragedy of Thebes, of the confusion of familial roles."

Tags:Creon, sibling, conflict, Ismene

Abstract
This paper tells what the chorus brought to Greek theater and how theater was shaped because of it. The paper discusses this topic while examining one of the most famous Greek play, "Hippolytus," by Euripides. The chorus was a crucial part of theater during that time and was used to narrate the story, give their opinion of the plot, and keep a rhythm for the play. The chorus did this in various ways, such as through costumes, stage presence, music, and singing. The Greek chorus was a precursor to operas and musicals as we know them today, and the paper discusses this evolution of the chorus.

From the Paper
"The chorus is essential to ancient Greek drama, and the plays at that time were greatly dependent on song and dance which the chorus performed (Ley 28). It accompanied the actors with sounds, gestures, postures, costumes, masks etc, and these flowing actions and stage elements brought the play to life. The various roles of the chorus are to narrate, give their opinions and keep the rhythm of the play. They do this through singing, movement, and stage presence. The ancient Greek theater is also important because it was the precursor to operas and musicals as we know them today. This paper will discuss the importance of the chorus' roles on the Greek stage by examining Euripides' Hippolytus and also how it influenced modern theater. To fully understand the reason for the chorus it is necessary to know the history."

Tags:dance, dionysus, euripides, festival, hippolytus, movement, musicals, operas, song, stage, theater

Abstract
This essay addresses the numerous instances of irony in Sophocles' renowned Greek tragedy "Oedipus the King"; in the plot, the themes, and the dialogues. The author discusses how the audience knows of Oedipus' situation, long before he figures things out for himself, and examines one of the most ironic scenes between the king and the blind soothsayer, Teiresias.

From the Paper
"Oedipus the King is one of the best-known Greek tragedies in dramatic history. The central theme was instrumental to daily life of the early Greeks, because it demonstrates the powers of fate. The main plotline revolves around Oedipus and his quest to escape his own destiny, which turns his life to turmoil. The play is about murder, incest, and suicide. Knowing the play contains these exciting elements, one would think there would be no problem drawing an audience. When the play was produced, however, the Greek audience would have been familiar with the legend of Oedipus Rex. Sophocles faced a great challenge to develop a play that would generate interest in watching a play in which the patrons already knew the story. Sophocles captures and holds his audience's attention by introducing profound irony in the dialogue, in the plot and in the setting of Oedipus the King. "

Tags:greek, dialogue, plot, setting, sophocles, sphinx, jocasta, teiresias, audience, rex, laius, tragedy

Abstract
This paper examines how although both religious drama in Ancient Greece and Medieval England stage dramatic performances around religious festivals, the antique and medieval periods are characterised by radically different scenic conventions. It compares the English "mystery plays" centered around the Feast of Corpus Christi with the Greek mystery plays from the previous millennium which were also based around religious festivals.

From the Paper
"The audience would watch from the theatron, a tiered seating area set into the side of the hill with large seating capacities. This brings us to the question of audience experience: how would someone fifty rows up experience the action taking place in the orchestra or on the skena? The first matter is that of acoustics; the structure of the theatre provides for sound to travel to the uppermost rows, ensuring that the audience does not miss the dialogue wherever they sit. Brightly colored costumes, as well as large masks, allow the audience to track the characters easily from large distances, and to tell the difference when the same actor plays multiple characters. "

Tags:corpus, christi, mystery, theatron, pageant

Abstract
This paper aims to show that Thucydides provided a new benchmark for accurate, objective history by providing for humanity in the future instead of for the popular masses in his time. It also states that Thucydides work provides a penetrating insight into the human character by showing human nature's integral shaping of history. Furthermore, this paper shows how Thucydides' history is still relevant today, proved by the contemporary analogies drawn from his themes of empire, self-interest, political arrogance and corruption.

From the Paper
"Chronicling the war in such a persuasive and definitive style, in a systematic year-by-year and blow-for-blow account of the events in the war, shows an almost scientific approach to the war. Thucydides does not leave out tedious details to improve the pace of the book for a Greek audience; he leaves in every possible detail. It is his passion for detail and his realisation of the importance of the subject matter for successive generations, which gives the book its definitive style, differing radically from Herodotus' Histories and Homer's Iliad. Indeed, Thucydides states that because of his laborious investigation, the 'reasonably accurate' conclusions he has drawn from the 'plainest evidence' he obtained, the reader is not 'far wrong in accepting the conclusions' he has reached when compared to the Homeric poets who 'exaggerate the importance of their themes' or chroniclers who are far 'less interested in telling the truth than in catching the attention of their public' , an indirect criticism of Herodotus' style."

Tags:hellenic, peloponnesian war, historian, greece

Abstract
This paper examines Euripides' "Electra" as a variation of the Electra myth and its relation to Aeschylus' interpretation of the same story in the "Libation Bearers", with particular emphasis on Euripides' "realistic" approach to concepts of character and issues of intertextuality, such as in the 'recognition scene'. Amongst others, it includes in-depth analysis and comparisons of the character of Electra herself and that of Orestes, the role of the Gods and the chorus and the depiction of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra in both plays.

From the Paper
"Euripides' Electra starts with a shock: Agamemnon's daughter has been forced to marry a peasant and now lives in squalor, far away from the palace she used to inhibit. In line with his overall more "realistic" approach to the story, Euripides' focus is less on solemn atmosphere and heroic characters as presented in Aeschylus, but instead characterized by an emphasis on a more human depiction of its characters. In his treatment of the Electra myth, Euripides poses fundamental questions about the relationship between class and moral values, which is manifested in the character of the peasant, Electra's husband, a unique Euripidean invention which is not featured in the Aeschylean version of the myth."

Tags:aegisthus, clytemnestra, gods, orestes, agamemnon

Abstract
This paper looks at how trapped in their fate the Greek tragic heroes of Sophocles and Aeschylus were flung into a pure and dream-like existence where emotion was experienced unmitigated by the distractions of the consciousness, where they could only descend into the whirlpool of destiny. It attempts to show as a distant descendant from this ancient culture, Arthur Miller creates modern tragedy from a more democratic approach which places significance on an individual's influence over his own destiny. It examines how Miller explores the fate of the common-man hero, "Death of a Salesman's" Willy Loman and "All My Sons" Joe Keller, within the drama of their dreams and decisions.

From the Paper
"From their detached perspective Miller's audience can easily discern that Willy's immersion in the capitalist dream dictates the tragic course of events in the play. Through his profession Willy is the natural hero for a tragedy of capitalist dreams as capitalism is often distinguished by salesmen who artificially stimulate individuals wants and needs. Resuscitated allusions to the commercially-charged Boston affair has embittered Willy's emotional relationship with his family as he uses financial reward to quantify his love for them; his receptionist mistress promises to put him straight "through to the buyers". "

Tags:willy, loman, joe, keller, aeschylus

Abstract
This paper looks at the Chorus in Sophocles' "King Oedipus", which is a timeless force that serves many fundamental dramatic purposes in the tragedy. It explores how their interjections into the dialogue are directed at clarifying the significance of events and affirming the outlook of a conventional society, to which an audience can relate. It also examines how they effectively separate the different episodes in the theatrical sequence, imitating the overriding public mood in their verse and how most importantly, is the Chorus? contribution to the dramatic irony of the play through their boundless praise of the King, who causes his Kingdom's affliction.

From the Paper
"Aristotle maintained that the Chorus should be handled "as one of the actors" and "contribute to the performance". The Chorus of "Theban elders" in Oedipus Rex are functional because they point out the significance of the dramatic events as they occur, and Aristotle asserts that "tragedy is an imitation of an action" which takes priority over character. The Chorus are the nucleus from which the tragedy evolves, heightening the dramatic irony of Oedipus' hamartia. The first section of the play ends with the unassuming Oedipus' resolution to expose and punish the polluter of Thebes, presenting the appropriate motivation for the first appearance of the Chorus."

Tags:aristotle, prophecy, tragedy