Athenian Tragedy
Sources
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Aristotle, Poetics (4th century)
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Physical remains (theaters etc.)
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Representations in art
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34 surviving tragedies (+ fragments)
Origins
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Etymology uncertain ("goat-song"?)
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Archaic choral lyric (e.g. Pindar)
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Arion: dithyrambs to Dionysus
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Thespis (c. 533?): chorus + soloist
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Regular performances by 490s
5th c. Athenian Tragedy
City Dionysia (4 days, late March)
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procession
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sacrifice/libations
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parade of war orphans
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Allies’ tribute contributions displayed
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tragedy (& comedy)
Tragic competition
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3 playwrights compete (1 day each)
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Each writes 3 tragedies + 1 satyr play
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Wealthy citizens pay expenses
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10 judges (< each of 10 tribes)
Theater of Dionysos
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On slopes of Acropolis
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Outdoor seating & staging
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Daytime w/ natural light
Characteristics of Tragedy
Performance Style
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Masks, robes, elevator shoes
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No scenery (except altar, house/palace)
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3 actors max (some roles doubled)
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Chorus of 12-15
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Elaborate choreography (esp. chorus)
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All-male cast
Literary Form
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Written in verse throughout
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Spoken monologues & dialogue
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Sung arias, choral odes
Subjects
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Epic Cycle (before/after Iliad)
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House of Atreus (Agamemnon etc.)
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Theban myths (Oedipus & family)
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Other myths
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Recent history (rarely)
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Early trilogies unified, later ones not
Satyr Play
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Follows tragic trilogy
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Always has chorus of satyrs
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Silenus: Dionysus’s sidekick
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Euripides, Cyclops
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Satyr Plays
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Comedies
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| festival days 1-3 |
festival day 4 |
| follow tragedies |
separate |
| satyr chorus |
non-satyr chorus |
| mythic setting |
Athens |
[NB: "satyr" does not = "satire"!]
Major Playwrights
Aeschylus (525/4 - 456/5)
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Fought at Marathon
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70-90 plays; 13 wins; 7 survive
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Introduced 2nd actor
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Persians (472)
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Oresteia: only extant trilogy (458)
Sophocles (490s - 406)
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120+ plays; 18 wins; 7 survive
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Introduced 3d actor, some scenery
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Oedipus Tyrannus (date unknown)
Euripides (480s-407/6)
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90 plays; 4 wins; 20 survive
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Interest in women, sophistic ideas
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Medea (431)
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Bacchae (posthumous)
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Most popular in later revivals
Agathon (after 450 - c. 400)
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Antheus: original plot (not myth)
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No plays survive
Some Misconceptions
Mostly < Aristotle’s view of Sophocles, Oedipus
Tyrannus as model
"Unhappy ending"
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Aeschylus, Oresteia
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Euripides, Helen
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Euripides, Iphigenia at Tauros
"Hero(ine) has ‘tragic flaw’"
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Doubtful even for Oedipus
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Many plays have no single hero(ine)
"Chorus represents author’s view"
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Chorus is a character like any other
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Chorus = community?
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Identity is relevant: women? slaves?
"Unities of time and place"
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Normal, but not mandatory
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Sophocles, Ajax
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Aeschylus, Eumenides
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