Ancient Greek Theatre Essay Example for Free

Ancient Greek Theatre Essay The Greek theatre history begins with festivals which honor gods. An example of such a festival was ‘City Dionysia’ festival which honored god Dionysus. During this festival, which was taking place in Athens men perform songs to welcome god Dionysus. Plays were also presented. Athens was the main city where these festivals and theatrical traditions were presented. At ancient Greek Festivals, the actors, directors and dramatists were all the same person. Later only three actors were allowed to perform in each play. And this was followed by adding few non-speaking roles to perform on-stage. Because of the limited number of actors, the chorus played a very active part of Greek theater. During the chorus’ delivery of its lines music was often played. The theatrical forms of the ancient Greek theater were tragedy, comedy and satyr. Athenian tragedy, comedy and satyr plays were some of the earliest theatrical forms to emerge in the world. Greek theater and plays have had a lasting impact on Western drama and culture. Satyr plays dealt with mythological subject in comic manner. Tragedy had as an originator, Thespis, who is considered to be the first Greek actor of tragedy plays. Aristotle’s Poetics say that tragedy originates from dithyrambs which were songs sung in praise of Dionysus at the Dionysia each year. Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus were three well-known Greek tragedy playwrights. The structure of Greek tragedy consisted of the following: 1. Late point of attack 2. Violence and death offstage 3. Frequent use of messengers to relate information 4. Usually continuous time of action 5. Usually single place 6. Stories based on myth or history 7. Focus on psychological and ethical attributes of characters Comedy plays were derived from imitation. Aristophanes wrote most of the comedy plays. The structure of the comedy consisted of two parts. Part one had the prolog, where chous gives debate or ‘agon’ and parabasis, a choral ode addressing the audience, in which a social or political problem is discussed. Part two consists of scenes which show the result of the happy idea. Theatre buildings were called a theatron. They were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. Most of the Greek theatres were constructed in such a way so that the smallest sound could be transmitted to any seat of the audience. They consisted of four main parts: the orchestra, the skene and the audience (theatron) and the parodos. The orchestra was a large area at the center part of the theatre normally circular. It was there where play, dance and acting took place. The earliest orchestras were simply made of hard earth but later in the Classical period some orchestras began to be made of marble and other materials. The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was about 60 feet in diameter. The skene was a large building behind the orchestra which was used as a backstage. It was the place where actors change their costumes and masks. It was usually decorated as a palace, temple or other building, depending on the needs of the play. The audience (theatron) was where people were sitting to enjoy the play and it was in the front of the orchestra. It was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra. People in the fifth century BC probably sat on cushions or boards but by the fourth century many Greek theaters had marble seats. The parodos were the passageways by which the chorus and some actors made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the theater before and after the performance. The two masks of the picture represent the symbols for theater. They represent the comedy and tragedy masks which were worn in ancient Greece. They also represent duality. Actors were very far away from the audience that without the aid of costumes and masks they would be difficult to see. Actors wore thick boots to add to their height and gloves to exaggerate their hanks so that their movements would be easy to see by the audience. The masks were made of linen or cork, so none have survived. We however know that they looked like from statues and paintings of ancient Greek actors. Tragic masks carried mournful or pained expressions, while comic masks were smiling. The head of the actor was covered by his mask, which included hair. It is believed that the shape of the mask amplified the actor’s voice, making his words easier for the audience to hear. This mask is associated with the famous ancient Ancient Greek Theatre. (2016, Dec 09).

The Social Constructivist or Interpretivist Lens Essay

The Social Constructivist or Interpretivist Lens - Essay Example Researchers have encountered problems on how to assess the latest trends in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. It is also difficult to come up with a standardized way of measuring the impact of Business Performance in relation to Corporate Social Responsibility practices. The paper therefore seeks, via a qualitative approach, to assess the impact of CSR on business performance focusing on selected key indicators such as shareholder value, market share and business revenue. According to Creswell (2008), qualitative research questions assume two forms; a central question and associated question. The central question is broad and asks for the exploration of the concept of the study or the central phenomena while associated questions are based on the central one. The qualitative research questions for this study are: The study purposes to assess how CSR affect either business performance and via a qualitative approach present the existing trends used in measuring business performance. The paper also focuses on analyzing both the major and soft indicators of business performance. Some of the major ones include market value, shareholder value and organizational revenue while some of the soft indicators are customer and employee satisfaction. The study also purposes to establish the effectiveness of the approaches used in measuring the relation between CSR and business performance. The relationship between CSR and Business Performance will be analyzed through the interpretivist lens. The approach is favored as it allows an independent inquirer to examine available data, form and assess the impressions and reports the findings in a structured form. The approach also allows for in-depth interviews and the use of focus groups each method applicable dependent on data type required. The interpretivist approach is also favored since the research seeks to explore the relationship between

Why are Underdeveloped Countries Underdeveloped Essay

Why are Underdeveloped Countries Underdeveloped - Essay Example Yet development lags and some are arguing that the traditional means of attempting to spur development in these places simply does not work. The wisdom of direct relief payments and loans is being questioned. There appears to be a â€Å"giving† fatigue that is setting in amongst the wealthiest individuals, governments and organizations. The feeling that no amount of money can really spur true development in the poorest nations is disheartening, but real. Some scholars are suggesting that the root causes of the lack of development must first be addressed before real development can take place. The economic geographer Paul Collier suggests that there are four traps that developing nations fall into that keeps them in a perpetual state of underdevelopment and poverty (2007). The problem of eliminating poverty on the national and personal level then, is much more complicated as a result of these traps when considered individually or collectively. Nations that continue to struggle to meet the most basic demands of their citizens despite ample aid are hampered by conflicts and civil wars; corrupt governments, a dependence on natural resources for revenue and unfortunate geographical positioning. Conflict is the first and most prevalent trap that developing nations find themselves facing. Civil wars are common among the poorest nations for several reasons. One stems from the fact that in the poorest nations, there is always a political elite that concentrates wealth in the hands of the very few. This disparity, coupled with high unemployment rates among young men creates a situation where individuals view armed conflict as a legitimate means of accomplishing social justice (Hookway, 2000). Rebels in the Philippines were emboldened after European nations paid large sums of money to free hostages they had taken. Soon, many were scrambling to join the rebels, not because they were ideologically opposed to the current regime in Manila, but because they wanted to ca sh in on kidnapping tourists. As will be discussed later, the wealth of natural resources is also something that spurs conflict. Precious metals and minerals are often the target of rebel forces in developing nations. The real purpose of many civil wars in developing nations is for control of oil wells or diamond mines. The unequal opportunities for obtaining wealth in the developing world makes armed conflict very attractive to unemployed young men. The costs of warfare are felt for many years after the war is over. Some estimates state that on average, an economy shrinks at about 2.3% each year during a civil war (Collier and Hoeffler, 2005). If the conflict continues for a decade, the country will be 23% poorer than when the strife continued. With economies that grow slowly as a result of underdevelopment, the poorest nations may be looking at a decade of growth being consumed by the conflict. The propensity of fall back into armed conflict only heightens the effects of conflict on developing nations. A second trap that keeps the poorest nations poor is depending on resource extraction and exports for a large portion of national income. The more diverse the national economy, the more able the economy is to resist recession (Kirk, 1997). Diverse economies have been linked to greater political and economic stability. Depending on one commodity, such as oil or gold, is risky because it exposes the nation to boom and bust cycles. A good example of this was experienced in Nigeria. The discovery of oil in the Niger Delta was thought to be a great boon to Nigeria. Development activities began in earnest in the 1970’