46 Powerful Ancient Greek Play Scripts

ByJustin Cash Updated Scripts
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Here, you will find the full text of the plays of the great classical tragedians Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, plus the works of the comic playwright Aristophanes. The standard texts of ancient Greek play scripts are all in the public domain. It is only certain modern translations that may have some copyright restrictions. If you are looking for an overview of the period in which ancient Greek play scripts were first performed, click here. – Justin Cash

Ritualistic Beginnings

Greek theatre originates in ancient Greece’s religious and mythological traditions, specifically in worshipping Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility, and revelry. The annual festival, Dionysia, celebrated with choral hymns called dithyrambs, gave rise to formal theatrical performances. The City Dionysia festival in Athens formalised competitions in tragedy and comedy, marking the institutionalisation of theatre. The contributions of Thespis, who introduced a single actor to interact with the chorus, were particularly pivotal in transforming choral performances into dramatic presentations.

Development of Tragedy

Tragedy, having evolved from early dithyrambs, peaked in the 5th century BCE in Greece. Playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides expanded and enriched the genre, focusing on complex characters, intricate plot structures, and universal themes. These elements took Greek tragedy beyond mere entertainment, embedding it in the cultural and philosophical dialogues of the time.

Emergence of Comedy

Comedy emerged later in Greek theatre and represented a more fluid, dynamic form. It often focused on political satire, social criticism, and farce. Notable figures like Aristophanes played a significant role in shaping Old Comedy, providing a counterpoint to the more sombre tragic form, reflecting various aspects of everyday Athenian life.

Architectural and Theatrical Conventions

Innovations in architecture and theatrical devices accompanied the evolution of Greek theatre. The physical theatre space incorporated features such as the orchestra, the skene, and tiered seating. The use of masks, costumes, and special machinery, such as the mechane (machine), was vital in enhancing the theatrical experience, adding visual and aesthetic dimensions to performances.

Greek Plays

Ancient Greek Theatre

Aeschylus

Aeschylus (c. 525/524 BC – c. 456/455 BC, pronounced eee-skill-us <UK> or eh-skill-us <US>) is often considered the father of Greek tragedy. He wrote over seventy plays, of which only seven survive today. Aeschylus was credited by the Greek philosopher Aristotle for introducing the second actor to collaborate with the chorus.

At the time that Aeschylus first began writing, the theatre had only just begun to evolve in Greece, usually involving just a single actor and a Chorus. Aeschylus added the innovation of a second actor, allowing for greater dramatic variety, and gave the Chorus a less important role. He is also sometimes credited with introducing scene-decoration (although this distinction is sometimes ascribed to Sophocles) and more elaborate and dramatic costuming. In general, though, he continued to write within the very strict bounds of Greek drama: his plays were written in verse, no violence could be performed on stage, and the works had a strong moral and religious emphasis.
Classical Literature

Agamemnon

First performed 458 BC

The Eumenides

First performed 458 BC

The Suppliants

First performed 472 BC

The Libation Bearers

The Libation Bearers

Prometheus Bound

First performed 472 BC

Seven Against Thebes

First performed 467 BC

The Persians

First performed 472 BC

The Libation Bearers

The Libation Bearers

Ancient Greek Theater

Aristophanes

Aristophanes (c. 446 – c. 386 BC, pronounced aa-ri-stof-an-ees) is often regarded as the father of comedy. He wrote forty plays, of which eleven survive today. Aristophanes was writing during the period known as Old Comedy.

Aristophanes’ greatness lies in the wittiness of his dialogue; in his generally good-humoured though occasionally malevolent satire; in the brilliance of his parody, especially when he mocks the controversial tragedian Euripides; in the ingenuity and inventiveness, not to say the laughable absurdity, of his comic scenes born of imaginative fantasy; in the peculiar charm of his choric songs, whose freshness can still be conveyed in languages other than Greek; and in the licentious frankness of many scenes and allusions in his comedies.
Encyclopaedia britannica

Lysistrata

First performed 411 BC

Peace

First performed 421 BC

The Birds

First performed 414 BC

Plutus

First performed 408 BC

The Thesmophoriazusae

First performed 411 BC

The Ecclesiazusae

First performed 392 BC

The Wasps

First performed 422 BC

The Knights

First performed 424 BC

The Frogs

First performed 405 BC

The Clouds

First performed 423 BC

The Acharnians

First performed 425 BC

Plutus

First performed 408 BC

Greek Play Script Oedipus the King

Euripides

Euripides (c.?480 – c.?406 BC, pronounced u-rip-e-dees) was one of the three great tragedians of classical Greece who wrote over ninety plays. Less than twenty of these works survive today.

Euripides was a fruitful writer, producing more than 92 plays in his life. He was awarded five first prizes in festivals, while Sophocles won 24, and Aeschylus 13. Still, more of Euripides’ works were preserved than the other two writers combined, proving his posthumous influence.
Euripides became one of the cornerstones of ancient literary education in the Hellenistic period, along with Homer, Demosthenes, and Menander. Eventually, “It was Euripides, not Aeschylus or Sophocles, whose tragic muse presided over the rebirth of tragedy in Renaissance Europe.”
Classical wisdom

Alcestis

First performed 438 BC

Cyclops

First performed 408 BC

Heracleidae

First performed c.430 BC

Iphigenia in Tauris

First performed 405 BC

Rhesus

First performed c.450 BC?

Andromache

First performed c.428-423 BC

Electra

First performed c.421-416 BC

Hippolytus

First performed 428 BC

Medea

First performed 431 BC

Heracles

First performed c.416 BC

Hecuba

First performed c.424 BC

Ion

First performed 413 BC?

Orestes

First performed 408 BC

The Suppliants

First performed 423 BC

The Bacchae

First performed 405 BC

Helen

First performed 412 BC

Iphigenia at Aulis

First performed 405 BC

The Phoenissae

First performed 411 BC

The Trojan Women

First performed 415 BC

An Introduction to Greek Tragedy

Sophocles

Sophocles (c.?497/6 – c.?406/5 BC, pronounced sof-o-klees) wrote over one hundred and twenty plays, of which only seven survive today. He is attributed by Euripides as being responsible for adding the third actor to the acting area. Sophocles’ Oedipus The King is regarded by many as the greatest tragedy ever written.

The typical Sophoclean drama presents a few characters, impressive in their determination and power and possessing a few strongly drawn qualities or faults that combine with a particular set of circumstances to lead them inevitably to a tragic fate. Sophocles develops his characters’ rush to tragedy with great economy, concentration, and dramatic effectiveness, creating a coherent, suspenseful situation whose sustained and inexorable onrush came to epitomize the tragic form to the classical world.
Encyclopaedia Britannica

Antigone

First performed 442 BC

Oedipus Rex

First performed c.430-426 BC

Ajax

First performed c.442-441 BC

The Trachiniae

First performed c.440-430 BC

Electra

First performed UNKNOWN

Philoctetes

First performed 409 BC

Oedipuis at Colonus

First performed UNKNOWN

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