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100
Ancient Greek Drama (700 B.C.)
Ancient Greek plays were first based on the life of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. His life was a good source of ideas as it was quite dramatic with all his suffering. Although many of the plays were revolving around tragedies, many different genres such as comedy were performed on jolly events. At first they used masks to display their emotions and women were not allowed. Theatres were made out of the rock on the hills. The seats were ranked according to the importance of the audience. -
450
Drama in Ancient Rome (240 B.C.)
Influenced by Ancient Greece, Romans took up the art of acting, where instead of admired people, slaves were the people that would act for the entertainment of the rich. The main drama was focused on sport, with gladiators fighting each other, and acrobats. Slaves were also made to fight untamed animals. They introduced the first curtain to hide the scene to create suspense. But soon, audiences and critics began to lose interest and Roman plays soon became no more. -
Period: 500 to Aug 31, 1300
Drama in the Medieval Period
Many plays were based on religious beliefs. The reason people had plays was because many of them were illiterate, and by performing the plays they were able to understand. Soon priests took up the art and spread religion, and started to perform plays outside the church, which soon became the new stage. They could even be performed on top of an open wagon. Men still performed all the plays, even the female roles. Morality plays were plays that showed people's life lessons. These were a new type. -
Period: Aug 31, 1400 to Aug 31, 1500
Renaissance Drama in England
Drama in England was much more formal and included serious and comedic genres. By now professional held the stage, who usually had a patron: someone to pat wages and look after them. Boys now played female parts. William Shakespeare, a famous playwright, began his plays during this time. He began in 1590 and wrote thirty eight plays. The place where his plays were performed is called the Globe. Now wigs and costumes were worn to demonstrate characters. Now, women were allowed to act. -
Modern Drama (Nowadays)
Drama nowadays includes all the genres such as comedy, tragedy, historical based plays and many more. Everyone is free to act, including women, and plays are now used for entertainment, occupations, and many more.