Origin And Development Of Athenian Drama Flashcards
Why do you have to be careful of ancient sources?
Athenians creates own ‘history of drama’
What’s a dithyramb?
Choral dance performed in honour of Dionysus, competition between 10 tribes
When and where were dithyrambs invented?
In Corinth late 7th century
What’s the first date for tragedy?
534 BCE according to one source
How many choruses did each tribe present in a dithyramb?
1 of 50 men and 1 of 50 boys
How did tragedy come about?
Thespis stepped out from a dithyramb
When was the first satyr play?
501 BCE
What is a satyr play?
Parody of a tragedy
What is a satyr?
Half animal/ half human mythological woodland creature
What’s the one surviving satyr play?
Cyclops by Euripides
Features of a satyr play?
Follow Dionysus= drinking, dancing, revelling, basic appetites for good drink and sex
What did satyrs look like?
Bushy tails, snub noses, pointed ears, large phalluses
How many tragic playwrights are we aware of?
50
How did comedy emerge?
From the kommos
First recorded entry of a comedy
at the City Dionysia 486
When was Aristophanes alive?
450-386
How many of Aristophanes’ plays survive?
11 out of 40
When did Aristophanes begin his career?
early 420s- writing at the same time as Sophocles and Euripides. Wrote during the Peleponnesian War between Athens and Sparta
Differences between tragedy and comedy
comedy allowed a fourth leading actor, comic chorus consisted of 24 rather than the 12/15 of tragedy. Actors broke the ‘fourth wall’
Costumes of comic actors
short tunic, cloak reaching just below the waist, tights. Whole costume thickly padded making the actor seem short and round and also enables him to fall and roll about. Oversized leather phallus
Masks of comic actors
Facial features grossly exaggerated/ridiculously large
Plot differences between tragedy and comedy
comedy had loose plots where tragedy was carefully developed. Many had a conflict as a central feature and finished with a happy ending, often involving a banquet or wedding. Tragedy set in myth but comedy with characters from everyday Athenian life - comic prologues longer so they could introduce the plot which would be unfamiliar
Key themes of comedy
Satirising political figures, war with Sparta, the workings of democracy, parodying poets such as Homer and tragic playwrights, most notable Euripides. Mocking the grandeur of tragedy, depicting the gods as cowardly and ridiculous
