Theatre in Ancient GreeceAmong the many inventions of the ancient Greeks, there are some that have had a positive impact on modern life. Many of the things that are taken for granted today can be credited to the intellectual minds of the people of ancient Greece. Our complicated plumbing and sewerage systems that manage sanitation in most cities around the world have their roots in ancient society. The first crane concept was also developed during this period. Every successful company thrived on expansion, and you couldn't expand without building new structures; the invention of the crane and its evolution accelerated this process of industrialization for future societies. Despite these great achievements, probably the greatest contribution of the Greeks was the theater. Although theater offers less utility than the previously mentioned contributions, it has had a resonant effect on the art and culture of the modern world. Originally, theater in ancient Greece served exclusively to pay homage to the gods. The Greeks held festivals where men dressed up and performed songs and dances to honor Dionysus. These festivals eventually developed into a competition in which playwrights competed against each other regarding the superiority of their works (this paralleled the competitive aspects of the Olympics). The emerging playwrights of this period took this competition very seriously and began to focus their efforts on creating the "perfect formula" for creating the best tragic work (Web of the "Ancient Greek Theater"). These playwrights also explored other ways to influence audiences in their favor, including the incorporation of more light-hearted entertainment such as comedies and satires. The... half of the sheet... "Ancient Greek Theatre". Ancientgreece.com, University Press Inc. 2012. Web. 9 December 2013.2. Fonseca, Ruben. “Greek Theatre”. Carthage, Carthage. Nd Web. 5 December 2013.3. MacLennan, Bruce. "Typical structure of a Greek work". University of Tennessee, University of Tennessee. 14 September 1999. Web. 3 December 2013.4. “Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature.” Merriam Webster, Inc. Merriam Webster. 1995. P. 2175. “Oedipus”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online academic edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 10 December 2013.6. Osens, Beth. "Acting: An International Encyclopedia." ABC-CLIO, 2001. p.2957. "The Structure of Greek Tragedy". The regents of the University of California, Berkeley. 8 January 2013. Web. 3 December 2013.8. Webster, Michael. “Tragedy: The Basics.” Gvsu.edu, Grand Valley State University. Nd Web. 3 December. 2013.