Athenian Supremacy & Greek Tragedy: 5th Century BCE

Athenian Rule in the 5th Century BCE

• 490 BCE: Athens defeats Persians at Marathon
• 404 BCE: Athens is defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War
• Between these two events, Athens enjoys cultural and political supremacy.

Dramatic Festivals

• In honor of Dionysus, son of Zeus and Semele.
• Dionysus was reared by satyrs, killed, dismembered, and resurrected.
• In Attica, four annual festivals were held: Rural Dionysia, Lenaia, Anthesteria, and City Dionysia.

Origins of Tragedy

• Various hypotheses for the meaning of TRAGOIDIA or “goat song”.
• Aristotle’s Poetics: from improvisations by leaders of the DITHYRAMBS.
• Other hypotheses: recited stories, sung poetry, and narrative dance.
• First recorded author of tragedies: THESPIS.
• Thespis started dialogue between himself and the chorus.

Structure of Greek Tragedy

• [Prologue]: Information on previous events.
• PARODOS (plural PARODOI): Entrance of the chorus.
• EPISODES (3 to 6): Develop the main action.
• STASIMON (plural: STASIMA): Choral dance songs.
• EXODOS: Exit of the chorus.

Aeschylus (c. 523-456)

• The Persians (472): The only one based on history.
• Seven Against Thebes (467)
• The Oresteia, the only extant trilogy: Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides (458).
• The Suppliants
• Prometheus Bound (probably after 468)
• Major innovation: introduction of the second actor.

Sophocles (c. 496-406)

• Thought to have written more than 120 plays, but only seven have survived:
  • Ajax (between 450 and 440)
  • Antigone (c. 441)
  • Oedipus the King (c. 430-425)
  • Electra (c. 418-410)
  • Trachiniae (c. 413)
  • Philoctetes (409)
  • Oedipus at Colonus (406)
• Credited with the introduction of the third actor.
• Fixed the size of the chorus at fifteen members.
• First use of scene painting.
• Mastery of dramatic structure: Oedipus the King is often called the most perfect of Greek tragedies.

Euripides (c. 480-406)

• Wrote about 90 plays, of which 18 have survived. Among these:
  • Medea
  • Heracles
  • The Trojan Women
  • Electra
  • Iphigenia in Tauris
  • The Phoenician Women
  • Orestes
  • The Bacchae
  • Iphigenia in Aulis
• Cyclops, a satyr play.
• Famous for his outrageous themes, plots, and emphasis on spectacle.