Classics Cram

H.B Stricker on the architecture of ancient theatrons

"The Greek theatre ... is invariably a structure of three completely independent elements, only partly deserving the name of building"

O.Taplin on Greek Theatre and Special effects

"Theatre of the mind"

H.B Stricker on theatre as religious worship

"The theatre was a sacred place, the actors were sacred persons, their action was sacred action, and it was performed at a sacred time"

A.Wiener on Sophocles' vs Euripides' use of the chorus

"Euripides' choruses seem to be less a

"collective character" than those of Sophocles"

A.Wiener on the relationship between the Chorus and the actors

"producing Greek tragedy in an essentially Greek manner is to think of the characters as Apollonian and the chorus as Dionysian, to approach each as a distinct entity with a distinct function, but each being an integral part of the whole production"

P.Cartledge on the relationship between Dionysus and comedy

"that god of fertility, regeneration and wine was a potent catalyst of self-liberating personality change"

P.Cartledge on Dionysus in Frogs

"remarkably, indeed pathetically human"

P.Cartledge on the chorus in Frogs

A.W Schlegel on Euripides' protagonists

"his characters generally suffer because they must, not because they will"

A.W. Schlegel on the function of the chorus

"the ideal spectator"

H.Foley on the power of Greek Choruses

"their effective interventions are verbal rather than physical"

H.Foley on Euripides' use of the chorus

"Euripides' interest in suffering victims leads him to flirt repeatedly with jeopardizing the survival of and stressing the pain and uncertainty of his chorus"

M. Damen on Tiresias in Bacchae

"Teiresias, the mortal prophet, rationalizes in sophistic language [...] and strips away the mystery from an essentially mysterious god"

E.R Dodds on the politics of ancient playwrights

"when a Greek dramatic poet had something he passionately wanted to say to his fellow citizens he felt entitled to say it"

E.R Dodds on the final lines of Oedipus Rex

"the last lines of the play [...] appear to suggest that in some sense Oedipus is every man and every man is potently Oedipus"

M. Barstow on sympathy for Oedipus

"His emotions, his thoughts, even his errors, have an ardent generosity which stirs our deepest sympathy"

M. Barstow on Oedipus' hermatia

"he was raised, by the very qualities that ultimately

wrought his ruin, to the height from which he fell"

L. Silberman on revelation in Oedipus Rex

"As Oedipus' human experience unfolds diachronically, the synchronic pattern of the god's curse is gradually revealed.

L. Silberman on the divine in Oedipus Rex

"The only evidence of [Apollo's] existence is the retrospective coincidence of the story of Oedipus' life and the prophecy

given at Oedipus' birth"

L. Silberman on Oedipus and sickness

"Oedipus takes Thebes' sickness upon himself as a kind of scapegoat or sacrificial victim"

S. Perris on sympathy in Bacchae

"The exodos provides a model of compassion, in which knowledge of guilt does not preclude sympathy"

Henrichs on violence in Greek tragedy

"It reeks of blood and is strewn with corpses"

Macintosh on death in Greek Tragedy

"death in tragedy is a culmination, not an ending"

GM. Grubb on Pentheus' characterization

"true to type, he will not be able to drink without being disgustingly drunk"

C. Segal on the symbolism of Dionysus

"a threat from outside to the stable order of the polis, a threat from the wild and the alien"

C. Segal on Pentheus' fate

"a poetic justice done to one who resists the god of fusion"

C. Segal on Dionysus and Pentheus

"both youth and adult, male and female, Dionysus embodies all that Pentheus has repressed in defining himself as the authoritarian king of Thebes"

N. Demand on the frog chorus in Frogs

"The frogs seem to many people to be irrelevant to the play as a whole"

RF. Moorton on Dionysus' mission in Frogs

"The Frogs begins with a project to restore one Athenian poet to life and ends with a project to regenerate all of Athenian society"

M. Habash on Dionysus and metatheatre in Frogs

"Aristophanes has Dionysos exchange acting and festival roles [...] thereby essentially celebrate his own festival"

M. Habash on Dionysus and the chorus in Frogs

"Dionysos becomes both a member of the Chorus and a literary judge or critic when he competes with the Chorus of Frogs in song"

HC Baldry on the Chorus in tragedy

offers "a brief means of escape from the otherwise unbearable pressure of the drama"

K.Dover on the politics of Frogs

"Old ways good, new ways bad"

"I have put aside my divine form in the body of a man"

Dionysus disguise at the beginning

"I must vindicate my mother semele"

Dionysus motivation for all of his later actions - shows

"Pentheus, who now fights with gods - with me!"

First sign of Pentheus' impiety (prologue)

"We must honour him as much as we are able"

Cadmus promoting piety at the beginning of the play

"No logic will overthrow tradition"

Tiresias explaining how he remains religious - the example of piety

"Fake Bacchic revels", "women creep off to hide in secret places and serve the lusts of men", "I will catch them in iron nets", "I will put a stop to him... by cutting his head from his body!"

Introduction to Pentheus - blasphemous, very conservative, assumption that women go mad when not supervised by men, dismissive, impious

"You know the fate of Acteon, torn apart by flesh-eating dogs, for boasting he was better than Artemis at hunting"

Story of Acteon - forshadowing Pentheus demise - emphasising the danger of impiety - Pentheus = stupid for ignoring the warning signes at this point

"Throw everything into utter confusion", "hurl his sacred fillets to the winds!"

Dionysus threatening to trash Tiresias's home - especially cruel to trash the house of a blind man - makes him much less sympathetic - destruction of a place of worship highlights his impious and uncaring nature from the beginning

"We have captured the prey"

The soldier sees Dionysus as an animal to be caught - hunting imagery = rampant in the play - continues the theme of the divine being equated to animals which runs throughout Euripides

"Your hair is long... curling down your cheeks; very seductive!", "you are not bad looking", "your skin is fair"

Pentheus is enthralled by Dionysus - trying to insult him but it is only really complimentary

"What was he like?", "what form do they take?", "what good do they do?", "that is a clever trick to make me want to hear!"

Pentheus insatiable curiosity throughout the agon - stichomythic exchange - P = obsessed with the Bacchants even though he does not believe

"What terrible things will you do to me?"

Dionysus mocking Pentheus - sarcastic - shows the extent of Pentheus ignorance

“He is here now”, “he is not visible to my eyes”, “where I am, but you do not have reverance so you do not see him”, “seize him!”

Exchange between Dionysus and Pentheus - very ironic - obvious that Pentheus has no idea that he is speaking to a god - forshadowing - D = playing with his prey before he eats it - callous and cold - Dionysus is in control the whole time even when P thinks he is which higlights his role as both actor and director

"Dionysus will exact recompense for these outrages"

D giving as many clues to P as possible - he has a chance to change his fate but repeatedly refuses to take it - completely blind - makes him less sympathetic

"Pentheus born of the earth", "a savage, unnatural creature", "a giant so bloody he threatens the gods"

Making Pentheus into the hated and feared one - influencing how the audience was meant to feel - equating him to the Titans who tried to overthrow the gods of Olympus

"Burn, burn the house of Pentheus!", "he has turned it upside down!"

Dionysus destroying the prison and palace with an earthquake - compare to Pentheus previous threat of destroying house of Cadmus

"Panting his rage", "sitting peacefully and watching"

Contrast between Pentheus and Dionysus mental state

"I fear your temper which is excessively kinglike"

The first messenger points out Pentheus' hubris

"A marvel of decency and grace to behold", "water... wine... milk... honey"

Behaviour of the Maenads as reported by the first messenger

"My running hounds, we are being hunted", "all the wild animals joined in on the dance", "like birds rising in flight, the women moved over the plains", "women overcoming men! Some god must have been there"

The line between animal and human, hunter and hunted, male and female are blurred - hounds are meant to be the attackers, not the prey

"They turned everything upside down"

The maenads ransacking the villages arounf mt Cithaeron - reflects the imagery used of Tiresias home being destroyed and the fall of Pentheus's house - the play is fundamentally normal life being turned on its head because of Dionysus

"I will sacrifice a great slaughter of women"

Pentheus has gone too far - willing to initiate human sacrifice (a huge taboo among the Greeks) - willing to kill his mum

"By taking orders from my slaves?"

Pentheus is completely unwilling to take advice or even discuss the issue - would have decreased his sympathy in the eyes of the democratic Athenians - he sees his subjects as slaves - not a good leader

"Shall I change from man to woman?"

Pentheus questioning what he must do in order to see the Bacchants for himself - not only would he change his clothes but his entire being - liminality of Dionysus - he has become everything that he previously hated in the space of 20 line - D = all-powerful

"I will dress you myself"

Dionysus = completely in control now - mesmerising, charming, manipularing Pentheus

"The man is moving into the net"

More hunting imagery - Dionysus is completely in control still, pulling all the strings

"He will be punished by death", "i want him to be laughed at"

Dionysus seems more and more cruel - he does not only want to kill Pentheus but shame and ridicule him in the process"

"Divine power is certain, it corrects mortals who worship arrogance"

Third choral ode - themes suggest that this signals the Peripeteia is coming - the bacchans hint at what becomes of those who practice impiety

"My job is to look after you so I shall put it back in place"

Dionysus is physically dressing Pentheus and making tweaks to his constume - is completely the director now, in total control - ironic

"You arrange it. I am in your hands now"

Pentheus has completely relinquished himelf to Dionysus control - the second part of the quote suggests that Pentheus is in fact dedicated to Dionysus as a sacrifice - fitting punishment?

"I see two suns... double... you look like a bull"

Pentheus has completely lost his mind - tripping - out of it - Dionysus = neither god nor human nor animal but all 3

"I cry out in ecstacy... no longer I cower in fear of chains!"

Chorus reaction to Pentheus death - celebrating - meant to reflect how the audience should feel? - their persecuter has died - sinister

"Poor Pentheus"... "poor Agave"

The messenger who delivers news of Pentheus death is very sympathetic which changes the tone considerably - much later on, when she is about to rip apart her son, the messenger spares compassion also for Agave

"And instead of seeing the Maenads, he was seen by them", "now take vengence on him!"

Is this the peripeteia and anagnoresis? Pentheus is finally, irrevocably doomed - no more second chances - Dionysus reveals himself and commands his maenads

"Capture the climbing beast"

Agave = clearly in charge - she has become the predator and Pentheus the prey - confusion between human and animal

"Priestess", "take pity on me mother and do not kill me for my mistakes"

Could this be the moment of anagnoresis? Very dark - Pentheus finally knows the truth of it all and realises that he has made many mistakes - supplicating?

"Possessed by the god", "rejoicing in her disasterous prey"

Very much blurring the lines between predator and prey - who is in control? It is not clear - lots of sympathy for Agave who's mind has been so clearly manipulated

"Tearing his flesh", "screaming so long as he had breath"

So much sympathy for Pentheus during his death scene - very graphic and gory

"This young cub of a wild lion"

Agave with Pentheus head - although she sees him as an animal, she still emphasises his youth - sympathy, she does not realise that it is in fact her own cub still - this would make her the king of the jungle - top predator, once again mixing roles

"Let us dance to the Bacchic god!"... "poor woman!" (x2)

The chorus initally rejoice in the death of Pentheus but then it seems that even they begin to feel sympathy for Agave - Dionysus = more and more alienated

"Where is my son Pentheus?"

Very ironic as she is literally holding him in her hands - very, very dark - could it possibly have been slightly humerous? - lots and lots of sympathy for Agave

"Lord Bromios has destroyed us with justuce, but excessively hard"

Cadmus summarising how cruel Dionysus has been at the end - Pentheus has been punished for his harmatia but too much

"What is this i am carrying in my hands?", "I am holding the head of Pentheus"

Agave anagnoresis - second one? Euripides is playing with the conventins of tragedy

"You were the terror of the city", "counted among those I love most", "I grieve for your fate"

Cadmus grieving for Pentheus - even the chorus find this sympathetic, however he seems to feel pride over all of Pentheus' worst deeds - excusing his reign of terror - reduces the sympathy

"I speak as Dionysus son of Zeus!"

Dionysus has finally revealed his true nature right at the end of the play - no longer mortal but a god through and through

"Nothing to remind me of a Thyrsus"

Agave wishes to never see the symbol of Dionysus ever again - his punishment has achieved nothing but misery as she is still not inclined to worship him - all in vain - would have been much better if he had come to them in peace and inspired worship rather than fear

"The world knows my fame: I am Oedipus"... ""it's mine alone, my destiny - I am Oedipus!"

The way that Oedipus introduces himself to the audience - very arrogant and narcissistic - dramatic irony - he is right but not for the reasons he thinks - contrast to moment at the very end when he realises what he has done and why he will actually be famous

"Our ship pitches wildly", "the red waves of death"

First naval metaphor - delivered by the priest at the beginning - comparing Thebes to a storm at sea / boat - Athenians could relate because theirs was a naval emipire = they relied on ships

"You cannot equal the gods... but we do rate you first of men", "now we pray to you"

His subjects have complete faith in Oedipus to begin with - they rate his power as almost equalling the gods - bordering on impious?

"I have wept through the nights", "I acted at once"

Oedipus good leadership qualities - he is decisive and feels the pain of his subjects deeply

"I am the land's avenger by all rights, and Apollo's champion too"

Oedipus allows himself to be hyped up - far too arrogant - assuming the role of the symbol of a god - ironic (he is once again wrong - you cannot be both avenger and perpetrator or can you?)

"For my own sake I rid us of this corruption"

Oedipus has very selfish reasons for finding the murderer of Laius - he is worried that the same thing might happen to himself and not about stopping the plague or protecting his citizens

"Where?", "what's that?", "someone to cross examine?"

Oedipus' curiosity is present from the beginning - he asks many questions to Creon concerning the murderer of Laius - also connects it to a modern detective novel making it more interesting for a modern audience (Garvie)

"The miseries are numberless, grief on grief, no end", "Thebes is dying" (x3)

Numerous difficulties that the Thebens are facing - the chorus emphasise their strife - reflects Athens? The plague, death of Pericles

"You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers"

Oedipus fundamentally hubristic nature - playing the part of the divine himself - too arrogant

"He is the plague, the heart of our corruption", "my curse on the murderer" (x3)

Big moment of dramatic irony - Oedipus damning himself

"Possess his bed and a wife who shares our seed", "blood-bonds"

Height of dramatic irony - Oedipus listing all of the reasons he and Laius are similar, including the fact that they both slept with his mother - gross

"You are the one saviour we can find"... "you scum of the earth", "pious fraud", "if you didn't look so senile, the lash would teach you"

Oedipus becomes enraged by Tiresias lack of answers very quickly - begins threatening him - very disrespectful of elders - shows a more unpleasant side - compare to Pentheus

"You are the curse, the corruption of the land!"... "your words are nothing - futile"... "you cannot see"

Tiresias reveals who the murderer is and Oedipus STILL refuses to believe him - at this point, he should definitely know - ironic (the blind man can see the truth better than the one who can see)

"Creon... steals against me"

Oedipus is quick to come to false conclusions - his decisiveness is quickly becoming his hamartia

"In one respect, I am your equal"

Tiresias evoking the democratic principle - he has a right to speak as a citizen - this would have put Athenians on his side and firmly against the autocratic Oedipus

"Those who jump to conclusions may go wrong"

The leader pointing out Oedipus hamartia after his argument with Creon (agon) where he accuses him of murder before stating his wish to kill him - very unsavory

"I am not the man to yearn for kingship... who would?"

Creon pointing out why he cannot be the murderer of Laius - he has the same amount of power as Oedipus without the responsibility

"Into the palace now. And Creon, you go home"

Jocasta = very motherly - she appears to break up the fight between Oedipus and Creon (agon) - ironic

"I'd be insane... senseless... ever to turn my back on you"

Chorus saying what it would take for them to desert Oedipus - ironic because it is not them who go mad but Oedipus - forshadowing the thing that will eventually drive them apart

"Nothing human can penetrate the future", "So much for prophecy. It's neither here nor there"

Jocasta denying the power of prophecy - impious, leads to her demise? - at the time, many people were questioning religion, so this reflects their fears - makes the audience think as they are put on the same side as a foreign queen

"His build wasn't far from yours"

Jocasta describing Laius - very ironic - he looks like Oedipus because he is his dad