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Greek Tragedy
Everything you wanted to know about Greek tragedy but were
afraid to ask
Adapted from www.clas.ufl.edu/users/jrea/Greek%2520Tragedy
What are we going to talk about?
The Origins of Tragedy
Which Cities Performed Tragedy
When Tragedy was Performed
The Parts of a Greek Theater
The Theaters Themselves
The Major Playwrights
The Way a Greek Tragedy Was Staged
- number of actors
- the costumes
- the masks
- the audience
The Origins of Tragedy
Originated from the dithyramb: a choral song in honor of Dionysos
Arion of Methymna (7th century) was the first to write a choral song, practice it with a chorus, and perform it
Lasus of Hermione was the first to do it at Athens
Connected with the worship of Dionysos in Athens
The Origins of Tragedy
Thespis of Corinth
The first travelling actor
Active c. 538-28 BCE
Added prologue and speech to choral performance
Said to have invented the mask
When Was Tragedy Performed?
City Dionysia @ Athens
- aka “Greater Dionysia”
- end of March
Rural Dionysia
- different demes had performances
- “off-Broadway”
- various dates in December
The Lenaea
- less prestigious
- sometime in late January/early February
Where Was Tragedy Performed?
almost every Greek city had a theater
Theaters could be very small or huge
Each theater had specific parts
Usually in the center of the city
The Parts of a Theater
The Orchestra
The acting area
semi-circular
Had a small altar to Dionysos in the center
Where the Chorus danced and the actors spoke
The Parts of a Theater
The Skene
The large backdrop
Could be decorated with scenery
Where the action actually took place (hidden)
Roof was accessible
Originally one door in the center, but eventually had three doors
The Skene
The Parts of a Theater
The Ekkyklēma
A wheeled platform
Used to display set pieces
Agamemnon
The Mēchanē
a large crane
Used for the entrance of gods
Deus ex machina
The Theaters
Theater of Dionysos
Athens
Main theater for tragedy
4th century remains
c. 20,000 seats
Located on side of Acropolis
Theater of Dionysos
Theater of Dionysos
The Theaters
Theater of Epidauros
The best-preserved
Largest surviving theater
Located near Argos
in the Peloponnesus
Sanctuary of Aesclepius
Still in use today
Theater of Epidauros
Theater of Epidauros
The Theaters
Theater of Pergamon
In Asia Minor (Turkey)
Extremely steep seating
Fit to the terrain
Pergamon one of the most wealthy Asian cities
Theater of Pergamon
The Playwrights
Three major tragedians
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
All active in the 5th century
All won first place in multiple competitions
Only Athenian plays survive
Aeschylus
b. 525 d. 456 (Sicily) Fought at Marathon
“Aeschylus, Euphorion's son of Athens, lies under this stone dead in Gela among the white wheatlands; a man at need good in fight -- witness the hallowed field of Marathon, witness the long-haired Mede.”
First tragedy 499 First first prize 484 (13
overall)
Aeschylus
Introduced the second actor
Wrote over 70 plays (seven survive)
Always revered
Main interest is in situation and event rather than character
Oresteia, Seven Against Thebes
Pericles directed the chorus for Persians
Both sons were very successful playwrights
Sophocles
b. 496 d. 406
Served as a general with Pericles (441)
Very active in city politics (413)
First tragedy 468
First first prize 468
Won 18 first prizes
Never finished third
Sophocles
Introduced the third actor
Wrote over 120 plays (seven survive)
The most successful of the Big Three
Challenged conventional mores
Introduced more dialogue between characters (less Chorus)
Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, Electra
Euripides
b. 485 d. 406 (in Macedonia)
Not active militarily or politically
First tragedy 455
First first prize 441
Won only four first prizes
The least successful of the Big Three
Euripides
No innovations on the stage
Wrote ninety plays (19 survive)
Sophocles: “I present men as they ought to be, Euripides presents men as they are.”
More realistic than the other two
Alcestis, Medea, Hippolytus, Bacchae, Orestes
The Staging of Tragedy
“Classical theater resembled today’s rock concerts: the audience knew every number by heart, performers wore high heels, loud costumes and heavy make-up, and they relied on background singers, known as the Chorus.” -Howard Tomb
The Staging of Tragedy
“The audience knew every number by heart…”
Most tragedies dealt with mythological themes
“Performers wore high heels, loud costumes and heavy make-up…”
They wore elaborate clothes, tall boots, and masks
“They relied on background singers, known as the Chorus.”
Especially after the introduction of the third actor
The Staging of Tragedy - Actors
Maximum of three actors
Aeschylus second
Sophocles third
All roles played by men
Same group of actors for each set of plays for each author
The Staging of Tragedy - Actors
Playwrights did not act in their own plays after Sophocles
Chorus publicly funded
A choregos would pay for and train the chorus
Viewed as a civic duty
Could be prosecuted for failing to do it wealthy enough
Choregos got a monument if his chorus won
The Staging of Tragedy - Costumes
Actor wore:
Mask
Robes
Platform boots (kothornoi)
Chorus could be in costume (comedy)
The Staging of Tragedy - Masks
The most salient feature
All parts by men, so mask depicted gender
Acted as a megaphone
Voice inflection paramount
Multiple Masks = Multiple Characters
Only three actors
More than three speaking roles, need for costume and mask change
Oedipus and his eyes
The Audience
Any male could attend Women most likely able to attend
Aeschylus’ Furies
State funded attendance Cost was the average daily wage of a laborer
Theoric Fund
Never suspended, even when Athens in dire straights
Supplied public tickets
“Must-see TV”
The Audience
Catharsis
“learning through suffering”
Moderation is to be sought in all things, even good things
The mighty fall so far that we admire them for being so high
A spiritual cleansing of the audience
Performances emotional
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