Post #7 - Reading, GRQ and Discussion

Henry M. Sayre, “Plato’s Republic” and “The Theater of the People” in The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, 4th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2019), 155-159.

Theater's growth from ancient Greek drama to Baroque opera captures the dynamic interplay between storytelling, performing art, and architectural innovation, reflecting changes in cultural settings and artistic expression. Ancient Greek tragedies, which were anchored in civic and religious life, explored themes of fate, morality, and divine influence via tragedy and comedy, using direct audience participation and minimalist production to elicit thought and catharsis. In contrast, Baroque opera, which emphasized historical, mythological, and romantic stories, used music, complex staging, and visual spectacle to immerse audiences in the emotional and dramatic experiences of certain characters.

Architecturally, both periods created theaters to maximize audience involvement and acoustic quality, but their techniques reflected different aesthetic and technological concerns. Greek amphitheaters are simple and utilitarian, relying on natural settings for acoustics and visibility, in contrast to lavish, carefully planned Baroque theaters, which used advanced stage gear and extravagant decorations to fascinate audiences.

This transition from the communal, moralistic focus of Greek theater to the personal, emotive spectacle of Baroque opera displays theater's resilience to cultural and technological improvements, as well as a shift in society ideals and the function of the arts. Throughout these transformations, theater has kept its basic goal: to explore and reveal the intricacies of the human experience, demonstrating its persistent ability to engage, reflect, and influence over generations.

GRQ

1. The Ancient Greeks

2. Homer

3. The Illiad

4. arete

5. Homeric epic

6. Illiad, Odysseus

7. gods

8. inductive reasoning

9. Socrates

10. Plato

11. The Republic

12. "Allegory of the Cave"

13. Dionysos

14. satyr

15. Greek comedies

16. Tragedies

17. death, dead

18. Thepsis, thespian

19. protagonist, antagonist

20. Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides

21. Dionysos

22. Plato

23. catharsis

24. Golden Mean

25. verisimilitude

26. "three unities"

27. universality

28. Intermezzi

29. Opera

30. nobility

31. intermezzi

32. "modernism"

33. modernism

34. Wagner