The Differences

Greek Period:

• Performed for special occasions
• Comedy and tragedy never mix
• The stories were based on myth or history
• There were choruses. Choruses are a group of three or more people who sing, move, and dance. They were used to set the mood and heighten the dramatic effects.
• Music is often played with the chorus, which was probably a flute
• Three actors were only used
• No effort is given in facial expressions as they wore masks
• The actors were men. Meaning, they played the female roles too

Renaissance:

• The roles were played by professional actors which were men. (Men play female roles too)
• All social classes were able to attend
• Plays were often joint ventures of writer and actor
• Young, apprentice boys played the female parts
• They use hands to express their emotional states or wear flamboyant expressions to show it
• The play would be repeated several times after it had been first staged, then twice a month for the first months, until it gradually fades away
• Representation of madness is always tinted with humour

Romantic Period:

• Appeals more to feelings than mind games
• They tried to make their props as realistic as possible
• Visual over verbal
• Sensational rather than intellectual
• Plays were usually about the equality of the people
• Protagonists were portrayed as rebellious