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Arion of Corinth, a performer of Greece, invented the dithyrambic chorus. A dithyrambic chorus is a choral hymn sung by men to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. A tyrant of Sicyon named Cleisthenes presented the idea of choruses to Dionysus. During this time, contests were held by the Greeks to honor their gods. These contests inspired playwrighting. -
Tragedy plays became popular in Greece, leading Pisistratus to establish a theater. It resembled the shape of a bowl so that everyone could see what was going on. -
Pratinus of Philius introduced satiric drama to the festival. Satyrs were fictional characters that were half human and half goat. -
“The Oresteia” trilogy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus consists of the three linked plays “Agamemnon”, “The Libation Bearers” and “The Eumenides”. The trilogy as a whole, originally performed at the annual Dionysia festival in Athens in 458 BCE, where it won first prize, is considered to be Aeschylus’ last authenticated, and also his greatest, work. -
Euripides, another tragedy playwright, was born. He wrote ‘Medea’, ‘Helen’, and ‘Orestes’. -
Aeschylus won a prize for his tragedies. A while after, Sophocles defeats Aeschylus in a dramatic competition -
The Suppliants also called The Suppliant Maidens, or The Suppliant Women, is a play by Aeschylus. It was probably first performed sometime after 470 BC as the first play in a tetralogy, sometimes referred to as the Danaid Tetralogy. -
Aeschylus, the great playwriter known as the Father of Greek Tragedy, died in a most unexpected way. He was said to have been killed by a tortoise which was dropped by an eagle that had mistaken his head for a rock suitable for shattering the shell of the reptile -
Aristophanes was born in Athens between 450 and 445 B.C.E. into a wealthy family. He had an excellent education and was well versed in literature, especially the poetry of Homer (eighth century B.C.E. ) and other great Athenian writers. His writings also suggest a strong knowledge of the latest philosophical theories.
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Sophocles' Ajax “Ajax” is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. Although the exact date of its first performance is unknown, most scholars date it to relatively early in Sophocles' career (possibly the earliest Sophoclean play still in existence), somewhere between 450 BCE to 430 BCE
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Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BC.
It is the third of the three Theban plays but was the first written, chronologically. The play expands on the Theban legend that predated it and picks up where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes ends -
Alcestis is an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. It was first produced at the City Dionysia festival in 438 BCE. Euripides presented it as the final part of a tetralogy of unconnected plays in the competition of tragedies