4. Cultural Context 

What were the performance conventions in Sophocles’ time? 

There were many performance conventions during Sophocles' time, one of which was the fact that there was limited set pieces so the cast had to announce the setting and describe the scenery so the audience know where the play is set. Although most of the time the plays were set in amongst the cities, where the theatre is situated.

Another convention is that only few actors were allowed on stage at a time. This inevitably led to the creation of the chorus. The chorus allowed the cast to have more than three or four actors on stage at once and made it easier to tell the story, making the process of time changing quicker.

What were the trends or fashions within the performing arts?

In a Greek Theatre, the cast were always all men. Actors wore masks made of linen and cork to give the illusion of different genders and exaggerated expressions. It also made it easier for people at the back of the audience to see, so it made them a recognisable character. The masks often had a traditional hairpiece attached to them and had a large eye holes and mouth holes for the actors to see and hear. The large eyes makes the mask look rather creepy. 

Actors who played tragic roles wore boots called cothurneses which made them taller than the other actors. When an actor was playing a female role, he wore a wooden structure called a ‘prosterneda’  infront of the chest to imitate breasts. As for costumes, their isn't much they wore. Originally the actors would wear body paint instead of clothing but over time it changed. Actors who played important characters wore more intricate clothing that were more expensive whereas the less important characters wore robes and rags.