In movies, or on television or stage, actors interact with one another and speak lines from their scripts. If there's only one actor, it's a monologue. Ancient tragedy began as a conversation between a single actor and a chorus performing in front of an audience. A second and, later, a third actor were added to enhance tragedy, which was a major part of Athens' religious festivals in honor of Dionysus. Since dialogue between individual actors was a secondary feature of Greek drama, there must have been other important features of tragedy. Aristotle points them out.
21. Parodos
A parodos was one of two gangways on which chorus and actors made their entrances from either side into the orchestra.22. Peripeteia
Peripeteia is a sudden reversal, often in fortune of the protagonist. Peripeteia is, therefore, the turning point in Greek tragedy.23. Prologue
The prologue is that part of tragedy that precedes the entrance of the chorus.24. Protagonist
The first actor was the main actor whom we still refer to as protagonist. The deuteragonist was the second actor. The third actor was the tritagonist. All actors in Greek tragedy played multiple roles.25. Skene
Skene, the Greek word from which we get the word scene, was originally a flat-roofed stage building.
Didaskalia says that Aeschylus' Oresteia is the first extant tragedy to use the
skene. In the fifth century, the
skene was a non-permanent building placed at the back of the orchestra. It served as a backstage area. It could represent a palace or cave or anything in between and had a door from which actors could emerge.
26. Stasimon
A stasimon is a stationary song, sung after the chorus has taken up its station in the orchestra.27. Stichomythia
Stichomythia is rapid, stylized dialogue.28. Strophe
Choral songs were divided into stanzas: strophe (turn), antistrophe (turn the other way), and epode (added song) that were sung while the chorus moved (danced). While singing the strophe, an ancient commentator tells us they moved from left to right; while singing the antistrophe, they moved from right to left.29. Tetralogy
Tetralogy comes from the Greek word for four because there were four plays performed by each writer. The tetralogy consisted of three tragedies followed by a satyr play, created by each playwright for the City Dionysia competition.In general, the theatron was where the audience of a Greek tragedy sat to view the performance.
31. Theologeion
The theologeion is a raised structure from which the gods spoke. The theo in the word theologeion means 'god' and the logeion comes from the Greek word logos, which means 'word'.
