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Ancient Greek Literature and Theatre Ancient Greece started using the Phoenician alphabet around 750 BCE. This caused the Greeks to write much more often. They began to use writing to record important details. They also began to use writing to record stories and poems. The tradition of telling stories aloud moved to telling stories in writing. Several forms of poetry and prose became very common. Greek Poetry Fiction in ancient Greece was often written as poetry. The three forms of poetry used most often were epic, lyric, and drama. Some people think epic poetry defines the literature of ancient Greece. This style used long verses that did not rhyme like other poems. These verses told the story of something important to Greek culture. They were often the stories of Greek heroes. The most popular Greek epic poetry was written by Homer. Homer’s two most well-known works are Iliad and Odyssey. Iliad is the story about a warrior named Achilles who leaves battle when he falls in love with a woman from the enemy side. A friend of Achilles then uses Achilles’s powerful armor to stay safe. The armor fails, and Achilles’s friend dies in battle. Achilles then goes back to the war and is killed as well. Odyssey does not have such a sad ending. It tells the story of a warrior Odysseus on his trip home after winning the Trojan War. A mosaic depicting a scene from Homer’s Odyssey Homer’s epic poetry was followed by the work of Hesiod. Hesiod wrote his stories about more common topics. He also wrote about Greek beliefs by telling stories about the gods. Greek poetry moved to the lyric form after Hesiod died. Lyric poetry was performed with music played by a lyre or flute. The poet Archilochus became the first lyric poet in 700 BCE. He wrote about his life of travel. He was followed by the first female Greek poet, Sappho. Sappho’s work focused on expressions of love. A poet performing with a lyre Greek Drama Dramatic poetry was the third form of poetic literature in ancient Greece. This form was perhaps the most famous. Greek drama arose from the theatre culture in Greece. The works were presented by 1-3 actors who used masks to show the characters’ emotions. They were performed in a theatre space known as a theatron. Theatrons had guests sit in a semi-circle around a stage. The plays could either be a tragedy or comedy. An ancient Greek theatron Tragedies were works that told stories of disappointing or sad events. They were performed in a way to help audiences feel relief. Few works of ancient Greek tragedies remain today. Most of those that do were written by Aeschylus, Sophocles, or Euripides. Comedies were written to be funny, in a way that made fun of something or someone. Only a small number of comedies still exist. Most of these were likely written by Aristophanes. His work was known for poking fun at all parts of Greek life. Historical Literature Historical literature also became common in ancient Greece. This was usually written in prose and sounded more like speech than poetry. This genre surged after the wars of fifth century BC. Greeks at this time were trying to understand the reasons for war and how to move forward. The main authors of this historical literature were Herodotus and Thucydides. Herodotus was the first Greek historian. He looked at why events in history happened. Much of his energy was spent learning about the civilizations that Greece fought against in war. Thucydides was a student of Herodotus. His approach to history was different though. Thucydides focused on the small details. He carefully chose his sources to make sure they were accurate. He did a lot of research for his work on the Peloponnesian Wars, and could not finish it before he died. A statue depicting Thucydides Ancient Greek writing continued to spread when the ancient Greeks were united under Philip II in 338 BCE. This allowed the Greek styles of writing to expand and improve.