Antigone Lesson Plan

Greek theater's origins are obscure, though they seem to have something to do with religious rituals that involved song and dance, but by the 6th century BC, Athenians had transformed a rural celebration of Dionysos, the god of wine, women, and song, into an urban festival with dancing choruses that competed for prizes. An anonymous poet came up with the idea of having the chorus interact with a masked actor. Later, the playwright Aeschylus transformed the art by using two masked actors, each playing different parts throughout the piece, essentially inventing Greek drama as we know it. With two actors and a chorus, complex plots and conflicts could be staged as never before...