lesson 1- political and religious context Flashcards
when did the tradition of Greek theatre begin?
during the second half of the 6th century BC
what are the two key differences between the context of Ancient Greek and modern drama?
Plays in Ancient Greek were only performed at religious festivals- An Athenian could not simply chose to go to a theatre at any given date like we can in the modern day
Which god were the theatrical festivals held in honour of?
Dionysus, the god of drama and wine
When was the festival ‘City of Dionysia’ held and who could attend?
festivals of dionysus were typically held during the winter months, however the dramatic festival at the city of dionysia was held in late march- the city of Dionysia made a point of welcoming outsiders to the festival and anyone could attend
when were the Leneia competitions for comedy and tragedy introduced?
440 BC
when were the Leneia competitions for comedy and drama held and who could attend?
They were held in late January- the fact it was held so early in the year made it only open to Athenians, since the seas would be too rough to travel from abroad.
when was the rural dionysia festival held and who could attend?
The rural dionysia was held in mid-winter- unlike the leneia competitions and city dionysia, it was a local festival celebrated in rural communities of Attica, known as demes. Although demes varied in size, there were 139 in the 5th century.
In which two plays does Dionysus appear as a character?
Euripides’ ‘bacchae’ and ‘frogs’ by Aristophanes
roughly what percentage of plays relate directly to dionysus according to scullion?
4% of plays we know are directly concerned with Dionysus
what does Aristotle tell us?
Aristotle tells us that the tragedy developed from “those who led the dithyramb”… the dithyramb has associations with Dionysos, it has become traditional to seek the origins of tragedy in the rituals of dionysus.
what was the introduction of the satyr drama connected to?
The introduction of the satyr-drama was connected by certain ancient sources with a saying “nothing to do with Dionysos” and explained by some as an attempt to retain presence of dionysos within drama
what did Aristophanes himself claim?
Aristophanes himself at frogs 366 claims comedy as part of “ancestral rites of dionysos”
what was found in the front row of the stone theatre at Athens?
In the front row of the stone theatre at Athens are seats inscribed ‘of the priest of’. Thus the priest of Dionysus had a front-row seat.
who did the dramatic productions of the leneia fall into the jurisdiction of?
The dramatic productions at the lenaia festival fell into the jurisdiction of the archon basileus, who supervised the religious life of the state
where was the theatre at Athens situated?
The theatre was situated above the sacred precinct of dionysos, and his temple stood closely beside and behind the skene, in full view of the spectators in the theatron
what was one of the results of worshipping Dionysus and how could this relate to attending the theatre?
One of the results of worship of dionysus was the achieving of ecstasy, and some might assume that the aesthetic experience of attending the theatre, suspending disbelief,and becoming involved in the sufferings of another was in some sense an ekstasis (ecstasy)
what does taplin suggest?
Taplin declared decisively “there is nothing intrinsically Dionysiac about Greek tragedy”. In his view, tragedy had passed from whatever initial connection it may have had with the god and his cult to a ‘political’ experience. People went to the theatre as a communal activity and for aesthetic entertainment, that in the case of tragedy raised ‘serious’ issues, but there was no longer any sense of the ‘religious’ or the cultic about the event.
what does scullion suggest about the location of the theatre at Athens?
Scullion suggests that the theatre was located near the temple of dionysos by the accident of geography, that the natural place to locate a theatron was on the south-east slope of the acropolis, in the area traditionally associated with the cult of dionysus at Athens
