1.2 The Nature of Tragedy

The Origins of Tragedy

> first survival text is 'Persae' by Aeschylus - happening since C7th BC

> birth of drama in Athens = second half of C6th

> happened after Athens included Eleutherae into Attica - home to a cult of Dionysus

The Dithyramb

> choral dance to Dionysus

> Herodotus = invented in Corinth in C7th

> singing and dancing

> they became central to the City Dionysia

> in C5th there were dithyrambic competitions at which each of the 10 tribes entered a chorus of 50 men and 50 boys

> In the second half of the C5th - Thespis set himself apart from the chorus in mask and costume, giving dialogues with the chorus on the subject matter

Satyr-plays

a play in which parodied tragedy and was presented along with three tragedies by a playwright

> only one surviving is Cyclops

The Contributions of Aeschylus

525 - 456 BC

> Aristotle tells us he added a second actor onto the stage - allowed dialogue

- might not be true

> wrote about 80 plays - only 6 survive, all dating to the last 14 years of his life

> 458 = the Oresteia, most famous work

> he used trilogies and tetralogies - not known if this was uncommon or not

> he makes greater use of the chorus than the other 2 (55% of the lines in 'Suppliant Women' compared to 17% in Sophocles and 15% in Euripides)

> Aristophanes in Frogs mocks him for tedious and verbose writing

> He fought at Marathon in 490 BC

The Contributions of Sophocles

496-406 BC

> introduced the third actor

> increased chorus from 12 to 15

> reduced role of chorus

> added scenery

> only 7/120 of his plays survive

> He was a prominent political figure - was general alongside Pericles in 441

> conveys the information subtly through his structure

The Contributions of Euripides

480-406 BC

> 18/92 plays survive

> In Frogs he is presented as unconventional who liked to shock audiences

> enjoyed innovating the myths - eg. Medea

> he wrote very diversely in the genre of tragedy - pro-Athenian / romanic / mistaken identity / reunions

> more self-conscious in his writing style

> uses the gods as characters much more

> his characters challenge their behaviour

> reference to contemporary and philosophical themes

Use of Actors

> no more than 3 actors with speaking parts were allowed on stage at any one time

> plays usually had 8-10 parts, so the actors would have to play 4-5 characters

- eg. in Oedipus the same actor plays: priest / Jocasta / Shepherd / Messenger

> had to be good singers too

Use of the Chorus

> actor - could be part of the action (Oed. = citizens / Bacchae = Maenads)

> scene-setting - give background information

> commentator to the action

> wider context - bridges the gap between the play and real world

> background mood - Chorus in Oed. - 1st Ode and optimism (ironic)

> scene-break - change of costume / break up action

Use of Music

> both the chorus and main actors sung on stage

> Agave sings in Bacchae at end

> Aristoxenus - speech sounds like song when "when we become emotional"

> two types of song = monody and kommos

What is a monody?

a solo sung by an actor, often sung at moments of great distress.

What is a kommos?

a formal song at moments of heightened emotion involving dialogue between an actor and the chorus

- Bacchae - Agave and the Chorus

- Oedipus - when he comes on stage blinded

Use of Costume

> would make the character instantly recognisable by what they wear

> two main items = chitōn and himation

> in contrast to everyday clothing, the evidence from vases suggest that tragic costumes were much more fitting, had sleeves, and were colourful and ornate

> black = mourners

> armour = soldier

> trousers = barbarian

> plain robes = pauper

> all wore kothornoi

What is a chitōn and a himation?

chitōn: a full-length robe, often ornately decorated

himation: a cloak reaching down to the knees

What are kothornoi?

soft leather boots which reached up the thigh.

Use of Props

> couldn't be used a lot because of how far away the audience might have been

> larger props could be used eg. Agave using the mask of Pentheus

What does the Pronomos Vase tell us about tragic costumes/props/masks?

> depicts an ancient theatrical scene

> team of tragic actors and chorus members offstage but in costume for a satyr play

> shows actors holding masks

- masks were quite plain and not heavily decorated

> Tapin says there is a "neutrality" of the mask that is ready to take on the expression of the tragedy rather than imposing a tone onto it.

> by contrast, the costumes have heavy decoration and intricate design and patterns - also tight fitting outfits.

What does the Pelike Vase tell us about tragic costumes/props/masks?

> two tragic actors or chorus members getting into costume

> both are dressing as women

> they are wearing the kothornoi

> one has a mask on but the other's is on the floor

Use of Masks

> they were slightly larger than life-size to make their faces more visible

> painted with solemn expression of tragic characters

> made of linen, cork or wood

> had holes for eyes and mouth

> allowed the actors to play multiple characters - only 3 allowed to talk - also if two actors needed to play the same character

> quick change for realism too - Oedipus when blinded

The Relationship between the cultural context and subject matter of the plays

> in the early C5th tragedy seemed to focus on the nature of suffering: why do people suffer and to what extent one control their fate?

> tragic playwrights tend to set their plays in the world of myth or outside of Athens

- eg. In Thebes or in Phrynichus' 'The Fall of Miletus' (Herodotus tells us people reacted badly to this) or Aeschylus' 'Persae'

> also wrote about the same myth many times - all 3 great tragedians wrote about Electra

> Although they were not set in Athens they could easily still discuss the political climate.

- Oedipus discusses the recent plague of Athens and the oracle to get rid of Pericles

- Aeschylus' 'Eumenides' seeks to explain the origins of the legal system after it experienced reformation.

Aristotle's theories of tragedy

> Aristotle wrote his analysis of tragedy in his 'Poetics'

- it was written about a century after many of the tragedies were written.

- we do not know if C5th Athenians shared his view

> His 'definition':

- "tragedy is [...] with embellished language [...] people performing and not by narration, and through fear and pity achieving the catharsis of such emotions"

What is peripeteia?

a terrible reversal of fortune

The Tragic Hero in Aristotelian tragedy

"a person who is not outstanding in either virtue or just behaviour, who falls into bad fortune through not vice or wickedness, but through some mistake, one of those who enjoys great reputation and prosperity."

What is hamartia? What causes hamartia?

a word which meant 'mistake' - it leads to disastrous consequences.

What is catharsis?

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

The Plot of Aristotelian tragedy

> the best tragic play has a single plot line which is complex

> it has three key elements - suffering, recognition and 'reversal'

Topic Review: How believable do you find the traditional Athenian view of tragedy's development?

Topic Review: How different are these three playwrights? What would be most useful to know more of about them?

Topic Review: How different would it have been to watch actors perform in the Athenian theatre compared to today?