The emergence of theatre dates back to the 6th century (BCE), at the hands of the Greeks, since it is suggested that they were the first to perform theatrical performances, according to research carried out by experts in the field, and supported by the first documented data of dramatic literature belonging to the period.

In Greece, dances or festivals were held in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine, drunkenness, and fertility; among them are the Great Dionysia of Athens, which took place in spring, and the Rural Dionysia, which took place in winter.

These primitive dialogues related to the cult of the aforementioned god became entangled and enriched over time, eventually giving rise to the emergence of complete dramatic texts with several characters and dialogue, of high literary and poetic value that portrayed life and thought in ancient Greece. In these works, a fundamental element regarding the characterization of theater as an art form appears clearly defined for the first time: conflict, that is, the antagonism of wills or points of view.

The term drama comes from the Greek word drao, meaning action, sometimes used to distinguish a specific theatrical genre and, in its broader sense, as a synonym for dramatic literature. Drama is a literary work intended for public performance, carried out by characters who establish a dialogue and deploy an action generated by a conflict.

Comedy and tragedy are the two main forms of Greek drama. Comedy had a lighthearted, humorous tone. It featured more contemporary characters, whom it ridiculed through laughter. It was often a means of political satire on rulers; in general, it reflected and criticized the customs of the time.

The origin and evolution of Greek tragedy, according to Aristotle, began with the dithyramb, choral hymns in honor of the god Dionysus, which often told a story. Tragos in Greek means goat, and ode means songs, from which tragos-ode derives into tragodía and finally tragedy. These were intended to move audiences through compassion and terror; they addressed social and family issues of the time, related to religious beliefs.

Generally, the plots of the plays were relatively light on action, written in verse, and structured into scenes. They were based on myths or stories from ancient history. Through the stories, the authors sought to reflect on the characters’ personalities, humanity’s role in the world, and the consequences of individual actions.

For performances at festivals, three tragedies were often presented together, linked by common characters, to form a trilogy. Later, to ease the tension among the public, a fourth play, the satyr drama, was added to the end of the trilogy, a rather comical play intended to elicit laughter. That is, each poet had to present three tragic plays and a satire, often a daring parody of the gods and their myths, thus forming a tetralogy.

The first critical work on literature and theater is Poetics (330 BC) by Aristotle. Today, we have been able to confirm that the Greeks wrote more than 1,000 tragedies, although only thirty-one survive. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were the playwrights responsible for conceiving them. Other authors were Aristophanes and Menander, playwrights.

During performances, there were never more than three actors speaking in a scene; the scenes were interrupted by numerous songs sung by the chorus. At first, there was a single actor, known as the protagonist, who spoke to the chorus; later, Aeschylus introduced a second actor, or deuteragonist, and Sophocles introduced a third, known as the tritagonist.

Women were prohibited from performing in the theater, so only men performed, whose costumes consisted of masks so the audience could clearly identify the characters. The first theaters, a kind of amphitheater, attended by thousands of spectators, were made of wood.

Bibliography: Freddy Artiles. The wonderful history of universal theater.