Tragedy
Originally little more than a chorus at a festival to Dionysus, Greek drama evolved into what Aristotle expected of tragedy and that changed into the familiar Shakespearean five-act form used in his tragedy.
Classical Literature
Classical Literature
Drama
Features from this site on ancient tragedy and comedy.
Aristotle Poetics 1453a
Standards for tragedy (including the five-act Shakespearean play) stem from Aristotle's examination of what makes great drama.
The Chorus
Roger Dunkle describes the on-stage "hoplite" arrangement of the chorus to highlight the best members, changes in function over time, and parts of the choral songs.
Development of Athenian Tragedy
Section on the development of drama from Thomas Martin's "Overview of Archaic and Classical Greek History" in Perseus.
Dr. Siegels' Illustrated Greek Theater
Dionysus, his worship and connection with the origin of Greek theater. Also the monuments winning choregoi were allowed to erect.
Love, Sex, and Tragedy, by Simon Goldhill Book Review
Book Review of Simon Goldhill's Love, Sex, and Tragedy, a new answer to the "Why study classics?" question.
Pacuvius
Glossary entry on Pacuvius.
Latin Literature - EARLY EPIC AND TRAGEDY
With the cessation of the Punc Wars, Rome had the leisure and motivation to develop its own brand of literary culture. This is a chapter from J.W. Mackail's "Latin Literature."