In this essay, I will be analysing and comparing the plot, history and original staging conditions between 2 classical plays I have chosen (which are Romeo and Juliet and Antigone.)
Romeo and Juliet is a play about 2 families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, who rival with each other. Romeo, a Montague falls in love with Juliet, who is a Capulet, at a party he sneaked into. It was love at first sight which leads Romeo to approach Juliet and they immediately bond. Eventually, they both marry in secret, hoping for a happy ever after. Little did Juliet know that because Romeo killed her cousin Tybalt he is then banished from the kingdom. She then agrees to marry Paris, as suggested by her parents, with a plan to fake her death before the wedding…show more content… This festival was called 'City Dionysia' and mainly occurred in Athens. The actors and directors would all be the same people and only 3 actors were allowed in each play. Because of this, they introduced something called a 'chorus'. A chorus were a crowd of people raging between 12-15 people who dressed the same and spoke their lines in unison. They would speak to the audience and help them understand what the characters were feeling. They would also speak to the characters as 'citizens' expressing their opinion. Greek theatre chorus' are still used in present day. They originally were designed to 'speak' but that changed into song and singing. Musical theatres and grand operas still use chorus' but they mainly sing. Greek chorus eventually developed into what we call a…show more content… People would show their dislike, much like in Elizabethan times, by throwing food at the actors and yelling. In order for this not to happen, they would give gifts to some of the audience members or make a spontaneous joke directly at one of them. Plays like Antigone would last about 6 hours, meaning the audience would get very frustrated with being still. However, they still attended as a social event, even though it wasn't. On the opposite side, the audience would stomp their feet to show appreciation instead of clapping. That's is the complete opposite to the Elizabethan times! Again, much like Shakespeare, due to them having no lighting, plays would have to be performed in the day time. Also, because they were so long, only 2 plays were performed in a