5th century B.C.: Greek tragic theater is produced in March for the ritual celebration of Dionysus, the god of wine. Everyone in the city attends the festival and the overall mood is festive though respectful and senous. Theater lies at the heart of Greek culture, integrated with religious ceremony and serving as a bond for the community.

Today: Theater no longer has no ties to religion, although dramas for religious rituals are produced in some organized religions for important holidays. In the public theater, the sense of solemn ritual as experienced by the Athenians has no counterpart today. Theater is a form of entertainment that holds a rather peripheral status in modern society.

5th century B.C.: The conflict between Sparta and Athens, the "super powers" of ancient Greece, has raged for ten years and a seven-year truce has just ended as Iphigenia...