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Aeschylus (525 - 456 BC) to play structure was to introduce a Helen, The Madness of Heracles, The
‘It is a character of very few men to third actor into the drama and extend Children of Heracles, The Suppliant
honour without envy a friend who has the chorus from 12 persons to 15. He is Women, The Phoenecian Women and
prospered.’ Agamemnon. also said to have introduced scene Hippolytus and Orestes.
painting.
Aristophanes (450-385BC)
Sophocles was an evergreen. One of
‘Let each man exercise the art he
his works, Oedipus at Colonnus,was
knows.’ Wasps
completed shortly before his death at
the age of 93! Other works include
Philoctetes, Ajax, Antigone and Women
of Trachis.
One play stands out above all
others. In the opinion of Aristotle, in
Oedipus the King Sophocles created the
defining work of Greek tragedy; a view
which has not been challenged.
Euripides (c.485-406BC)
Aeschylus fought for Athens against
‘There is one thing alone
Persia at Marathon in 490BC. He won
That stands the brunt of life
the City Dionysia 13 times. His plays
throughout its course; Aristophanes wrote with a derisive,
were enhanced on stage by wondrous
A quiet conscience.’ Hippolytus comic touch. Often disrespectful of
effects, serious dancing, and gripping
Athenian politics and people, there is
descriptions of battle scenes. Aeschylus
invariably a serious undertone to his
was a master of metaphor.
work. He achieved notoriety from a
The word drama is derived from the
young age (The Banqueters was written
Greek dran, meaning 'to do.' According
when he was about 17).
to Aristotle it was Aeschylus who
His plays were often fanciful and
introduced a second actor into staged
insulting. For example, Euripides is a
performances, where previously a
target in Frogs, in which the god
single actor and a chorus had to carry
Dionysus is sent to the underworld to
the story. Aeschylus practically
retrieve Euripides, because a poet is
invented drama as we know it.
needed to extricate Athens from its
His works include the Oresteian
political and financial turmoil.
Trilogy (Agamemnon, The Choephori
Dionysus, however, has his own views
and The Eumenides), Prometheus and returns from the underworld with
Bound, Persians and Libation Bearers. The work of Euripides has not Aeschylus instead.
always received the acclaim of his
Sophocles (496-403BC) predecessors. A tendency to set up His other well-known works are
‘One word, dramatic tensions never fully resolved, Peace, Birds and Lysistrata.
Frees us of all the weight and pain and to ‘emasculate’ his tragedies PERFORMANCE
of life. diminishes his work in the opinion of
The evolution from one actor to two
That word is love.’ Oedipus at some scholars. At the same time his (via Aeschylus), to three actors (via
Colonus ‘beggar’ heroes are not so different to Sophocles) has been discussed. The
those in modern drama, with its interest
word protagonist is still used to refer to
in life on the margins of society. Some
the principal or main actor. And, as
read into his works a misogynistic
today, the play was his showcase. Other
streak.
performers were duty bound not to
Nevertheless, or even because of deflect the focus away from the 'star.'
these faults, Euripides’ works have
In the sixth-century BC, a poet
remained popular. More of his plays
would often enact his own work.
have survived than of any other Greek
According to Greek tradition this was
playwright. Euripides won the City
thespis (our ‘thespian’). By the mid-
Dionysia four or five times. He could
fifth century BC, it was more common
certainly shock an audience!
for the city of Athens to pay for an
Sometimes the drama in his plays actor to be allocated to a poet. The poet
became so complex that only the directed the actors in the presentation
descent of a god on to the stage by
Sophocles also served in the army, of his words.
crane could resolve matters. The
later involving himself in the civil Given the limited acoustic technology
expression deus ex machina (a god out
administration of Athens. He continued of the time, the most significant attribute
of the machine) has evolved from this.
in this role until well into his 80s. of an actor was of course his voice.
Euripides’ best-known works
Sophocles is believed to have won the Costumes were important and swords
include Medea, Electra, Women of Troy,
City Dionysia 18 times. His innovation were a common prop.
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