Greek Theatre Flashcards
who is Dionysus
the Greek god of drama, wine and revelry
what is the polis
the word for a Greek city-state
The polis of Athens consisted of the city and its large surrounding region, Attica
what was the context in which the plays were performed
Drama was performed only at religious festivals
a key element of the Athenian dramatic festival was an element of competition
a number of playwrights entered plays written for the occasion and one of them was judged to be the winner
intimately associated with the worship of Dionysus, the god of drama, wine and revelry
festivals were highly organised and grand civic occasions - important for the state
when were the festivals of Dionysus generally held
Festivals of Dionysus were generally held in the winter months
what was the most important dramatic festival
The most important dramatic festival was the City Dionysia held in late March
what are 2 other important festivals of Dionysus at which plays were performed
The Lenaea
The Rural Dionysia
what was the Lenaea
a drama festival held in Athens in late January at which comedy takes precedence
the fact that it was held so early in the year made it open to only Athenians since the seas were too rough for a journey from further afield (by contrast the City Dionysia made a point of welcoming outsiders)
what is a deme
A village or district of Attica
what was the Rural Dionysia
held in mid-winter
it was a local festival celebrated in the rural communities of Attica known as demes (unlike the Lanaea and City Dionysia)
some deme theatres have been identified including one at Thorikos
the plays performed were probably revivals of those performed at the 2 main city festivals
what was the City Dionysia (in detail)
held in late March
it was appropriate to worship Dionysus a god who encouraged new growth in the springtime
the start of the sailing season allowed the Athenians to show off their city and its festival to other parts of the Greek world
during the days of the festival public business ceased and the laws courts were closed - prisoners were given day release to watch the plays
the festival ran for 5 days
contained a number of events including processions, sacrifices and choral competitions
who was the City Dionysia organised by
The City Dionysia was organised by one of Athens’ leading political figures the eponymous archon
who was the eponymous archon
a leading politician of Athens who was responsible for running the City Dionysia
he is referred to as eponymous because the Athenian civil year was named after him
who could take part in the City Dionysia
Athenians could take part in it in various ways and so it was truly a festival put on by the people for the people
how and when did preparations start for the City Dionysia
Preparations started during the summer of the preceding year
any tragic playwright wishing to compete presented a synopsis of 4 plays - 3 tragedies and a satyr-play - to the eponymous archon
comic playwrights needed only to present a synopsis of a single play
the archon then selected 3 tragic playwrights each to write 3 tragedies and a satyr-play, and 5 comic playwrights each to write a comedy
what was a duty of the eponymous archon in preparation for the City Dionysia
one of the archon’s duties was to select a choregos for each playwright
what was the choregos
The choregos (chorus-director) was the financial backer of a set of plays and his input was vital
he was drawn from the city’s wealthy elite who were required to fund various public services called liturgies
serving as a choregos was one such liturgy
a choregos needed a lot of money to make a success of the position
what was the liturgy
Liturgy
a tax on the super-rich requiring them to contribute to the functioning of Athens
what was the daily wage of a skilled worker in Athens
one drachma
what did the choregos do
the choregos paid for almost everything - costumes, props, masks, special effects, the payment for the chorus and their musicians
he also had to select the members of his chorus and provide them with food, a place to rehearse and sometimes even accommodation
if the playwright wasnt skilled enough to train his own chorus then choregos had to hire a professional trainer
why would a wealthy Athenian welcome the opportunity as a choregos
if they were associated with the success of such an important festival it gave them prestige
the final expense may have been the most important - if his playwright won he could pay for a victory monument which would be inscribed with his own name and the name of the eponymous archon, main actors and musicians
what was the proagon of the City Dionysia
pre-contest
held in the Odeion a covered concert hall next to the Theatre of Dionysus a day or two before the festival began
plays were announced and each playwright gave a short synopsis - might also introduce the choregos, actors and musicians or have an actor read a passage
only time the actors would appear in character without their masks
acted as a preview and introduction to the festival
what happened on the eve of the City Dionysia
a wooden statue of Dionysus was brought into the city from a shrine just outside the city on the road to Eleutherae
torchlit procession re-enacted Dionysus’ arrival in Athens form the distant deme of Eleutherae
statue was escorted to the theatre of Dionysus, where a sacrifice was made
remained in the theatre throughout the dramatic performances - a symbol of the god’s presence at his festival
what was the pompe and when did it take place
on the morning of day one the grand religious procession, or pompe, took place.
it started outside the city and made its way to the agora then on to the Temple of Dionysus where it culminated in the sacrifice of a sacred bull together with many other animals
what happened on the afternoon of the first day of the City Dionysia
in the afternoon there were dithyrambic competitions
the dithyramb was a choral dance in honour of Dionysus and each tribe entered choruses for this event
each chorus had its own choregos and victory could bring great prestige
what was a tribe
a political division in Athens
All Athenian citizens were members of 1 of the 10 tribes
each tribe formed a political constituency in Athens, a regiment in the Athenian army, and had religious duties
what happened on the evening of the first day of the City Dionysia
A revel known as the komos was held in the streets by the men of the city
what is a komos
a loosely organised revel through the streets with song and dance
what happened during days 2 to 5 of the City Dionysia
day 2 was the day when 5 comic playwrights presented their play
on the following 3 days, the tragic plays were presented - each day saw 3 tragedies and satyr-play of one playwright
lots were drawn to determine the order in which the sets of plays were performed
the action started early in the morning and continued into the afternoon
what happened before the plays began on Day 2 of the City Dionysia
before the plays began on day 2 there was a grand opening ceremony in the Theatre of Dionysus
the priest of Dionysus sacrificed a piglet on the altar in the acting area
the city’s 10 generals poured libations to the 12 Olympian gods
then 3 important presentations were made
Parade of Tribute - during the 5th century when Athens controlled an empire, all tribute from her subject-allies was due at this time of year
the money was brought into the theatre and paraded for the audience to view
Proclamation of honours - a herald announced the names of those who had done outstanding service for the city, and awarded them a crown
Parade of Orphans - the boys and youths whose fathers had died fighting for Athens paraded into the theatre
the state paid for their education as a mark of respect for their fathers’ sacrifice
those who had turned 18 that year were awarded a suit of armour and declared independent citizens
each of those presentations emphasis the civic nature of the City Dionysia and suggests that the plays too were a way of reflecting on the Athenian polis
describe the spectators at the City Dionysus
entry to the theatre cost two obols per day
as this was roughly a day’s wage for an unskilled worker, the poor were probably excluded from the festival in its early years
at some point in the 2nd half of the 5th century the Athenian state established the Theoric Fund which paid for the poorest citizens to attend the theatre if they could not afford the entrance fee
this ensured that the dramatic contests were open to the full range of citizens - this emphasises the democratic nature of the festival
the seats in the front rows were reserved for important officials - the 500 members of the city’s council, foreign and allied dignitaries, generals, other important magistrates and the priest of Dionysus
by the late 4th century the seating area behind was divided by section to allow tribes to sit together
topic of whether women made up part of the audience at the festival - the sources are ambiguous and academic opinion remains divided
the spectators were loud and opinionated when they wanted to be
we hear of spectator’s hissing, hooting or kicking their heels when unimpressed
to keep things under control there was a theatre police force, the rod-bearers, who could beat badly-behaved spectators
what is the Theoric Fund
Theoric Fund
a fund provided by the Athenian state which ensured that poorer citizens could afford to attend the City Dionysia
explain the judging process for the City Dionysia
at the end of day 5 the judging took place
the system was randomised to avoid bribery
the judge voted on the winning tragic and comic playwright
before the festival began the Athenian council drew up a list of names from the 10 tribes of the city - the names from each tribe were sealed in an urn and the 10 urns were stored on the Acropolis
on the 1st morning of the plays, the 10 urns were placed in the theatre and the eponymous archon drew out 1 name from each urn - these 10 citizens swore an oath of impartiality and sat as judges for the competition
on the 5th day of the festival each judge wrote down his order of merit on a tablet - all 10 tablets were placed in a single urn - the eponymous archon drew out 5 of the 10 tablets at random and the playwright with the most votes was declared the winner
explain the review of the City Dionysia
a few days later the Athenian assembly met in the Theatre of Dionysus to review the festival
any citizen could make a compliant if he felt that it had not been run well
if a compliant was upheld then the eponymous archon could be fined
however it the assembly felt that the festival had been a success it could vote to award the archon a crown in recognition of his services
describe the Theatre of Dionysus
Located in Athens
in use from the 2nd half of the 6th century BC
Significance - the main theatre of ancient Athens which was located above a sanctuary to Dionysus at the south-eastern foot of the Acropolis
theatres were built from wood
the remains of the theatre which can be seen today relate to the remodelling in the 320s and also the 1st and 3rd centuries AD
Location of the theatre was important for both practical and symbolic reasons
practically the south side of the Acropolis was protected from the cold north winds which blew in the winter months
symbolically it was important as the theatre was set between the Acropolis - the religious heart of the city - and the sanctuary of Dionysus below
outside the theatre further evidence of the prestige of drama was seen on the street which led from the theatre to the agora (marketplace) around the north and east sides of the Acropolis
this was known as the Street of the Tripods because bronze tripods were set up there by festival victors as a monument to their victory
what was the theatron
the theatron was the area where the audience sat
it was normally built on a hillside as it was in Athens and this allowed a steep viewing area and so made the setting clearly visible to all spectators - regardless of their distance from the action
in the Lycurgan theatre the theatron was slighlty more than semi-circular in shape - this design created outstanding acoustics
the theatre had a horizontal aisle half-way up which helped facilitate access for spectators
the theatron was divided into 13 wedges and 10 of these were set aside for the 10 Athenian tribes - the other 3 were for non-Athenians, and perhaps also women and slaves
the front row of the theatron was occupied by officials and dignitaries
this row was called the prohedria and in the theatre of Dionysus its central seat was reserved for the priest of Dionysus
spectators sat on wooden benches which probably faced straight down and ancient sources indicate there was a prohedria with a seat in the middle for the priest of Dionysus
there was a much larger audience than we would find at a modern theatre
what was the prohedria
prohedria
the front row seating in the theatron reserved for VIPs
describe the orchestra
the dancing area
situated below at the front of the theatron
in the Lycurgan theatre it was a circular area with the seats wrapped around its front half
was where the chorus of the play performed - they were never seen on stage
as such the chorus were located between the actors and the spectators and this fits with their role of mediating the action for the spectators
may have been an altar to Dionysus in or near hear as a reminder that the god was watching over his festival
shape of orchestra probably would have been rectangular or trapezoidal
describe the eisodos/parodos
on each side of the orchestra pathways led in from offside
each pathway was called an eisodos meaning way on
sometimes also referred to as parodos
acted as an entrance for the chorus and also for spectators
describe the skene
behind the orchestra in the Theatre of Dionysus was a low wooden stage where the main actors performed
at the back of this stage was a building called the skene
large wooden hut with a double door onto the stage
the building provided a backdrop to the action
the actors used the skene as a changing room and costumes and props were stored there
inside a ladder led to a trap-door in the roof which could be used as a 3rd acting area - was often where the gods appeared
there may have been painting or decoration on the front wall of the skene to give more character to the setting
describe the theatre of thorikos
Location - Thorikos, a deme (village) on the south-east coast of Attica
in use from the late sixth or early fifth century BC
Significance - a regional theatre of Attica which has a different layout from the circular acting area of the Theatre of Dionysus
describe the red-figure vase fragment of single actor and two audience members (PS)
Object - Attic red-figure chous (wine-jug)
artist - unknown
location - Vlastos collection, Athens
Date - circa 420 BC
Significance - the only Attic vase to show a stage, and the only ancient Greek painting to portray a theatre audience
the comic actor on the stage appears to be Perseus - he carries a sickle with which he has cut off the head of Medusa - this is in the bag slung over his left arm
he seems to be dancing or perhaps pretending to fly as Perseus does in the myth
the lines around his right wrist and feet mark the ends of his body-suit, the part of the comic costume indicating human flesh and so in this scene he is stage-naked
he does not seem to have a mask but his costume phallus is visible tied up between his legs
the artist has dispensed with the orchestra and brought the 2 audience members to the foot of the stage
both are wreathed - one is older and bearded, the other is younger but it is unclear if it is a beardless young man or a woman - the image is badly damaged
they are sitting on elegant wooden chairs called klismoi - such chairs formed the model for the seating in the prohedria in the Lycurgan theatre and so it is though that these 2 are sitting in the front row
they could represent 2 judges, the priest of Dionysus and another priest, the choregos and the playwright
what is the wheel platform
a wooden platform on wheels brought on stage which showed a scene which had happened off-stage
what is a scholion
a comment inserted into a manuscript by an ancient commentator
describe the wheel platform and crane
the Greek theatre relied on daylight, outstanding acoustics and the ability of spectators to play along with the dramatic illusion
Taplin described this as the theatre of the mind - a helpful phrase which emphasises that an ancient spectator had to make a much greater leap of imagination than we do today
often playwrights tried to help this process by giving the audience information about the setting particularly at the start of a play
there were 2 devices used to provide special effects
one was a wheel platform which was probably a wooden platform on wheels brought out onto the stage through the main door
it was used to portray a scene which had happened indoors - in tragedy it often presented the body of a character who had died off stage
the 2nd device was a crane
this was positioned behind the skene and used to hoist characters into the air above the roof
in tragedy a god might be elevated to make an appearance at the end of the play to sort out human affairs
deus ex machina - describe the intervention of an unexpected piece of good luck to resolve a difficult situation
1st certain use of the crane in tragedy is in Euripides’ Medea when Medea escapes at the end of the play
describe the red-figure calyx krater depicting Medea’s escape PS
Object - calyx krater (mixing-bowl)
artist - attributed to the Policoro Painter
location - Cleveland Museum of Art
Date - c 400 BC
Significance - a painted scene of Medea’s escape which seems to portray the use of the crane and the wheel platform
Euripides Medea - the play ends with Medea escaping punishment for killing her own children by being carried off in a chariot supplied by her grandfather, the sun god
she had committed this terrible crime because the children’s father, Jason, had divorced her so he could marry the daughter of the king of Corinth
the final scene involves a dialogue between Medea who takes the place of the gods on the crane and Jason who remains helpless and distraught on the stage
the vase is inspired by the play’s final scene
focus is on Medea who flies above the human scene on a chariot drawn by dragons which is circled by a figure of the sun
on either side two hideous winged female creatures, perhaps Furies, look down on the scene, where the murdered sons are slumped on what seems to be the wheel platform decked out to look like an altar
to the far right their nurse raises her hands in mourning while their tutor - the old man with white hair - does the same
Jason is on the left bare-chested like a hero - in contrast to the conventions of tragic costume
the artist has heightened the intensity of the scene by having Jason and Medea lock eyes with one another
the vase differs from Euripides’ play in some important details - there are no Furies or dragons in the play, while Medea takes her sons with her so that she can deprive Jason of the chance to bury them
perhaps this was the artists own developed interpretation of the play or perhaps he knew a different version of the myth or even another version of the play
the vase reminds us that we should not assume that the painted scenes of the Athenian stage are a fully accurate representation of what took place there
explain the representation of Athenian theatre in visual and material culture
one area which has lent evidence to a number of aspects of Athenian drama is the pictorial record on vases
Athens became a major centre of production of these in the late sixth century
initially the vases were black figure - black figures on a red background
in the 5th century they developed into red figure which reversed the colouring
during the years that tragedy was at its zenith c500-406 only 2 paintings have survived which could be interpreted to show a tragic play in performance
there are a number of vase paintings which seem to have been inspired by the performance of a tragedy such as the Medea vase
we should not assume that such paintings present an accurate representation of what happened on stage
we have a group of vases dated to about 400 which show actors who are in costume but off-stage - Pronomos vase - these give us the best evidence for what masks and costumes looked like
from c 400 there was a decline in the production of Athenian pottery
however form this time on a number of vases depicting the comic theatre have survived from the Greek cities of southern Italy - especially from Apulia
the south of Italy and Sicily was later known by Romans as Magna Graecia (Great Greece) due to the large number of Greek settlements which had been founded there before the 6th century BC
The vases found there indicate that the works of Athenian playwrights were well known in this region and were re-performed there
some of them give us significant details of comic plays in performance including staging and costume
explain the red-figure bell krater by Schiller Painter, depicting scene with wine-skin and boots from Women at the Thesmophoria PS
Object - red-figure bell krater (mixing bowl)
artist - Schiller Painter
Location - Martin von Wagner Museum Wurzburg
date - c380-370 BC
Significance - a south Italian vase showing a scene from a comedy of Aristophanes
produced in Apulia - shows a scene from Aristophanes comedy Women at the Thesmophoria and so the vase bears witness to the knowledge of Athenian comedy in Magna Graecia
for the painting on the vase to be understood properly the play must have been reperformed in at least one southern Italian theatre
the plays plot is based on lampooning the tragedies of Euripides - suggesting that his plays were also well known in this region
the painted scene corresponds closely with the play when it is set at the all-women Athenian festival of the Thesmophoria
the plot centres on a meeting they hold to discuss what to do about Euripides since he presents them so negatively in his plays
Euripides persuades an older male relative to dress up as a woman and infiltrate the meeting to speak up for him
however the women are informed that there is a spy in their midst and the relatives identity is revealed
at this point in the action the relative snatches the baby of one of the women as a hostage and runs to the altar where he picks up a knife and threatens to kill it
the joke is that the baby is really a disguised wineskin - another part of the plays honour is that the women spend the 3 days of the festival getting drunk
the woman fears she will lose her wine if the wineskin bursts and so rushes up with a bowl to catch it
the whole scene is a parody of a scene from a lost tragedy of Euripides, Telephus, from which the vase takes its name
there is a clear correspondence between the vase and the lines from the play - the details of the figure at the altar’s costume
in the play there is an elaborate dressing scene in which the relative is shaved, dressed as a woman and given a woman’s headband - the last is clearly visible in the painting
most male figures on south Italian comic vases are shown bearded so it is notable that this figure is clean-shaven
in the dressing scene the relative checks himself in a mirror and in the painting a mirror is suspended above the centre of the scene
who was Aristotle
384 - 322 BC
Famous Greek thinker and writer
Aristotle wrote a large number of political, philosophical and scientific treatises
His Poetics is our first surviving work of literary criticism
explain the origins of Tragedy
from the late 7th century there are a number of vase paintings which are suggestive of links to drama but we have no surviving dramatic text before Aeschylus’ Persians of 472
one source gives 534 as the date when tragedy was first performed at the City Dionysia though we have very little information about it at this time or how it developed
Poetics by Aristotle is the most influential surviving ancient text on the development of drama
dates to about 330 and focuses on analysing the genres of epic and tragedy
is it hard to know how reliable Aristotle is as a source for events which happened up to 2 centuries earlier
scholars are unsure if Poetics was meant to be published or was simply a set of lecture notes
Athenians likely had created their own understanding of the history of drama
according to ancient sources the birth of drama took place during the 2nd half of the 6th century when the city was ruled by the tyrant Peisistratus and his sons
they are credited with instigating a number of artistic, architectural and engineering innovations including the City Dionysia
festival was probably first held in the middle of the century soon after Athens incorporated Eleutherae - a town near the border with the region of Boeotia - into its territory
Eleutherae was the home of a cult to Dionysus and it appears Peisistratus chose this moment to turn a rural festival into a grand civic event based in the city of Athens itself
a festival to Dionysus the god of wine revelry as well as drama was no doubt a popular choice with the Athenian people whose support the Tyrant needed to maintain
explain the origins of the Dithyramb
central to the worship of Dionysus was a choral dance known as the dithyramb
according to Herodotus was invented in Corinth in the late 7th century by a song-write Arion and it performed in honour of Dionysus
an event at which people sang and danced at the same time
the greek word choros refers to both singing and dancing
in ancient Greece people danced in choruses at weddings, funerals, athletic events, military parades and religious festivals
in 6th century Athens dithyrambic performances became a central feature of the new City Dionysia
we know that during the 5th century there were dithyrambic competitions at which each of the city’s 10 tribes entered 2 choruses - one of 50 men and one of 50 boys
each chorus had a choregos just as the plays did and so they required much planning and rehearsing
explain the evolution of drama out of the dithyramb
it seems that drama developed out of the dithyramb
ancient sources say in the 2nd half of the 6th century an Athenian named Thespis set himself apart from his chorus
dressed in a mask and costume he impersonated different characters from the dithyramb’s subject matter and took part in dialogues with the chorus
seems to be the 1st important step to drama - Thespis had moved away from merely singing about mythological stories to acting them out
choral dance was to remain fundamental to Athenian plays throughout the 5th century
Thespis may not have been a single individual who invented tragedy in this manner - the ancients liked to find an inventor for any important literary genre
introduction of actors was an essential step in differentiating tragedy form choral song
this new genre of drama had its own competition at the City Dionysia
first recorded contest was in 534 when Thespis was its winner
he was awarded the prize of a goat - tragos in Greek - which may have been sacrificed in honour of Dionysus
who was Thespis
Dates - unknown but 6th century BC
The first actor
an Athenian who ancient Greeks believed was the 1st person to remove himself from the chorus and take on an acting role
what was a satyr-play
a play which parodied tragedy and was presented along with 3 tragedies by a playwright
explain the origins of the satyr-play
the City Dionysia was reorganised in about 501 when a different type of play was 1st presented
this was the satyr play
at the City Dionysia in the 5th century a tragic playwright had to present a satyr-play after his three tragedies
seems to have been light-hearted parodies of tragedy - described as “tragedy playing around”
unclear how such plays related to tragedy - may have offered the audience a release after they had sat through 3 intense tragic dramas
the prize for best tragic playwright involved judging all 4 plays of each playwright so the satyr-play was also important
they take their name from the fact that choruses of these plays were made up of actors playing satyrs
a satyr was a mythological woodland creatures, half-human, half-animal, who were followers of Dionysus and who represent the basic human appetites for food, drink and sex
in myth they usually accompany the god, drinking, dancing, and revelling - artists portray them with bushy tails, snub noses, pointed ears and large phalluses
Satyrs might be thought to symbolise the release Dionysus can offer his followers through pleasure and also point to the god’s association with nature, wild animals and fertility
unlike tragedies satyr plays remained closely related to Dionysus - the god seems to have been a common character and his worship was at the heart of the action
what was a Satyr
a mythological creature who was a follower of Dionysus
in art Satyrs are depicted as half-human and half-animal
describe the role of Playwrights in tragedy
the variety of roles undertaken by the playwrights was extraordinary
they wrote every line in verse, composed music - some such as Aeschylus also trained and choreographed the chorus as well as acting in the play themselves
5th century Athens saw a remarkable flourishing of tragedy
the works of 3 great tragedians - Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides - were marked out as classics so their texts were preserved and the plays were re-performed
we know the names of as many as 50 playwrights in the 5th century and some were clearly held in high regard
we have little information about tragedy in the 4th century
describe Aeschylus
c 525 -456
Athenian tragic playwright
known as the father of tragedy, he may have written as many as 90 plays but only 6 survive incl one whose authorship is disputed
Aristotle tells us that he introduced a 2nd actor onto the stage - radical development from the 1-actor tradition that predated him
introducing actors must have required a vote form the public since it would have involved a greater financial contribution form the state
tragedy developed significantly during Aeschylus’ career and he played an important role in shaping it into the form that we now understand
introducing a 2nd actor was crucial to the development of drama as it opened the possibility for dialogue between 2 individuals
later he used a 3rd actor
his most famous works are the 3 which belong to the Oresteia presented in 458 - this recounts the curse on the house of Atreus and the introduction of justice to Athens
the use of connected groups of 3 or 4 plays - trilogies or tetralogies - seems to have been a speciality of Aeschylus’ style - there is no evidence that it was common in his day
it allowed him to develop themes and imagery to a greater level of sophistication as they can be traced across the plays
in Frogs Aristophanes mocks him for writing tedious dramas full of long silences and verbose speeches
his language is dense and this makes his dramas challenging to study
the role of the chorus is still fundamental - he makes greater use of it than the other 2 playwrights
Aristophanes portrays Aeschylus as an anti-intellectual to create a humorous contrast with the radical Euripides
Aeschylus lived through a time of great change when Athens grew form being a relatively unimportant city-state to being the leader of a powerful empire - and attracted artists and thinkers form across the greek world
the most important events of Aeschylus lifetime were the Persian wars of 499-479 - his earliest surviving play Persians relates to the events surrounding the defeat of the Persians at Salamis in 480
he probably fought in the battle and fought at Marathon 10 years later - his epitaph records his service at Marathon and makes no mention of his career as a playwright
he died in Sicily where he had apparently moved to put on his plays
this indicates that Athenian tragedy was known in the Greek west by the middle of the 5th century
describe Sophocles
c 496-406
Athenian tragic playwright
Wrote over 100 plays but only 7 have survived
is credited with introducing many innovations to tragedy
he introduced the 3rd actor, increased the number pf chorus members form 12 to 15, and made the set more atmospheric through enhancing the look of the skene
unlike Aeschylus he preferred to offer a series of unconnected plays
he also reduced the role of the chorus compared to Aeschylus
was very successful, winning at least 18 contests and never coming 3rd
most famous plays are the Theban plays - Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonos
they concerned the same myth but they did not form a trilogy and were performed years apart
was a pre-eminent political figure in Athens - served as a general alongside Pericles in 441
is said to have played an important role in welcoming the new religious cult of the healing god Asclepius into Athens
was a master of stagecraft and his skilled handling of structure and plot makes the plays appealing to modern tastes
in contrast to the prologues of Euripides where a character narrates the story so far, Sophocles conveys this information subtly
in Oedipus the King the back story is introduced at different points in the play
rather than beginning with a monologue by Oedipus telling us everything that has happened to him, the play opens with a dialogue between Oedipus and the priest - which allows important facts to be established in a way that seems natural and which also reveal Oedipus’ personality
what is Oedipus the King
a tragedy by Sophocles c 429 BC
Describe Euripides
seems to have been more popular after his death than during his lifetime
he won just 5 victories, 1 of which was after his death when Bacchae was produced
in Frogs Aristophanes presents him as an unconventional playwright who liked to shock his characters and it is true that Euripides enjoyed innovating with myths and characters
however being allowed to present a play at the Dionysia was a mark of esteem - since Euripides was regularly selected for this we should not overstate the degree to which he is radical or unpopular
in the case of Euripides we have access to a group of plays selected randomly and this gives us an insight into how diverse tragedy was
several of these non-select plays are escape tragedies - plays with upbeat endings that focus on romance, mistaken identity and reunions
some have a pro-Athenian stance, describing occasions when Athens saved the day
his style us distinctive in a number of ways
his plays are more self-conscious in style
his gods appear on stage more than the other playwrights and the characters challenge their behaviour - such as in Bacchae
we find references to contemporary and philosophical themes as well
what is Bacchae
a tragedy by Euripides in 405 BC
Describe the role of the actors in tragedy
professional actors who played the leading roles
all the actors were male citizens, although they might have played goddesses, women, foreigners or slaves
in any tragedy no more than 3 actors with speaking parts were allowed on stage at any one time
these 3 actors played all the leading roles - something a playwright had to bear in mind when writing his script
plays usually contained 8 to 10 different parts so an actor could be required to play 4 or 5 characters
actors changed mask and costume inside the skene
actors also had to be good singers in variety of different character roles - playwrights probably wrote parts with certain actors in mind, aware of their particular vocal talents
describe the chorus in tragedy
a chorus was made up of 15 ordinary citizens - this illustrates the democratic spirit of the City Dionysia
the competitive nature of the festival must have required a choregos to find the best available singers and dancers that he could - a choregos for tragedy selected chorus members to act in all 4 plays he was financing
once selected the chorus members would train hard over the following months learning and rehearsing all the words, music and dance steps often while wearing heavy masks and costumes
chorus members were spared military service during the rehearsal period - training was taken seriously by the city
each chorus had a leader who spoke individual lines in dialogue with the actors
chorus members sang and danced in unison
they were accompanied by a musician who played the aulos - a reed instrument
may have divided into formations of 3 by 4
what is an aulos
a double-reed musical instrument similar to an oboe
what is an auletes
the word for an aulos-player - each chorus was accompanied by one
