The historians of ancient Greece have left descriptions of feasts in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and merriment. During these feasts a kid, or baby goat, was slain as a sacrifice to the god and so-called 'goat-song' was performed. One of the priests would sing the tale of Dionysus and the other priests would respond in a chorus. It was from these religious performances that the classical drama and the theater were born. The ancient Greek word for 'goat-song' is tragodia from which our modern day word 'tragedy' comes.

Tragedy was the first form of drama. It took its themes from religion and the many myths and legends about the gods and great heroes like Ulysses and Achilles. The stories were declaimed by the chorus leader and the chorus responded. Gradually two men played the part of the leader and in this way dramatic dialogue was born.

The Greek theater was in an open air theater. The actors wore masks, motley tunics and short cloaks. The masks, which they held in front of their faces as they recited their lines, bore grotesque expressions and also helped the actor to project his voice. The ancient Greeks produced great tragic dramatists like Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides who exalted the virtues of the gods and the heroes.

Comedy, which was developed later, dealt with human foibles and weaknesses such as greed, gluttony, pride and lust for power. Comedy was also invented by the Greeks and one of the greatest authors in this field was Aristophanes.