By the 5th century BC, theatre had become very formal and was a major part of Athenian culture, and this century is normally regarded as the Golden Age of Greek drama. The centre piece of the annual Dionysia, which took place once in winter and once in spring, was a competition between three playwrights at the Theatre of Dionysus. Each submitted three tragedies, plus a satyr play (a comic, burlesque version of a mythological subject). In the 430s BC, each playwright also submitted a comedy.

Playwrights never put more than 2 actors on stage. Only a few playwrights, such as Sophocles, ever put 2 or 3 actors on the stage at once. No women appeared on stage, female roles were played by men. Violence was also never shown on stage. When somebody was about to die, they would take that person to the back to kill them and bring them back dead. The other people near the stage were the chorus which consisted of about 4-8 people who would stand in the back wearing black.

Although there were many playwrights in this era, only the work of four playwrights has survived as complete plays. All are from Athens. These playwrights are:

The Tragedians:

·        Aeschylus

·        Sophocles

·        Euripides

And the comedy writer: Aristophanes