The First Plays
During festivals of Dionysus, men in goatskins sang "tragedies" (goat songs). Thespis built the first theater with a simple stage. Solon disapproved, saying plays taught people to love lies. But theater grew anyway. A huge amphitheater with 30,000 seats was built. Actors wore masks and costumes. Great playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes wrote plays that still exist today.
The Text
What You'll Learn
Comprehension
Notes that theater began with festivals honoring Dionysus, god of wine
Cause & Consequence
Notes that actors wore masks showing different emotions
Significance
Recognizes that Greek theater became one of their greatest achievements
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