The Greek civilization is credited for the invention and perfection of theatre. This began in religious festivals where the gods were honored by performances in the theatre. The performances in the theatres then evolved from song and dance sung by a chorus of fifty to comedies and tragedies among others. Since then, the theatre has undergone a lot of metamorphosis and has become part and parcel of the modern world in terms of entertainment and an avenue of airing out different issues that affect the society.
The author uses a third person narrator voice to depict how the art of theatre has evolved over time. The theme is built in a passive voice enabling the writer to build sub-themes systematically in a logical and non-confrontational manner. Besides, there is extensive use of contrast style of writing to articulate the changes that have occurred in the art of theater as it is today compared to the Greek times. For example, the author notes, “Theatre today, as opposed to the Greek times has become a professional career where people not only earn fame but also earn a living out of”.
The text is meant to describe the transitory nature of Greek culture especially in the area of art and performance. Perhaps, this is the reason why the author applies a descriptive style to depict this transition. For instance, the author describes that the playwrights, actors, chorus and “producers” of the old times only had the fame for a pay but did not really earn a living out of their work. Today, actors are among the highest paid people in the world coupled by a life of fame and popularity. The author ably builds sensory impressions by using imagery. The description of the skeleton of “a sick man”, the arable land in the “mountain” have all been used to pass a sensory image of the changes that have occurred in the Greek culture, lifestyle and particularly, theatre.
In conclusion, the Greek culture has undergone great transformations with the onset of the age of Greek civilization. This affected both the art of theatre and the entire lifestyle of the ancient Greek society.