tragic chorus (origins):

Spengler’s speculation that Satyr plays & songs were the origins of the chorus; Greek tragedy began with choral performances where groups of around 50 men danced & sang dithyrambs, the lyric hymns in praise of the god Dionysus.  Competitions was a vital part of the festivals of Dionysus (the Dionysia & Lenaia); each tribe entered 2 choirs & the winning teams were recorded & a statue for the winner was erected.  In mid-6th century BC, Thespis introduced the first actor who engaged in dialogue with the chorus leader.

 

Thespis:

6th century BC, a singer of dithyrambs, responsible for introducing a singer or actor who performed the words of an individual character in the stories, masks were used to distinguish one character from another.  He was also the first person to appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a play (instead of speaking as him).  This new style was called tragedy & he was the main exponent of it.  In 534 BC competitions to find the best tragedy were inaugurated at the City Dionysia in Athens; Thespis won the first recorded competition.  Capitalising on his success, he also invented theatrical touring; he would tour various cities while carrying his costumes, masks & props in a horse-drawn wagon.

 

threnos:

Greek, a wailing ode, song, hymn or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.

 

naenia:

Latin, magic song, doleful song, incantation, dirge; also associated with an ancient Roman funeral deity (Nenia Dea or Goddess Nenia).

 

Phrynichus:

pupil of Thespis, one of the first Greek tragedians & considered father of Greek tragedy; in 511 BC he achieved his first victory in the drama contests; his plays dealt with both mythological & contemporary subjects & include : the Fall of Miletus, Actaeon, Alcestis, Antaeus, Daughters of Danaus, Egyptians, Pleuroniai, Tantalus).  Like most early tragedies, the dramatic element was subordinate to the lyric element (the chorus & dance).  He was famous for introducing a separate actor distinct from the leader of the chorus, laying the foundation for theatrical dialogue.  He may have also introduced female characters (played by men in masks) & made special use of the trochaic tetrameter.

 

Phrynichus (Fall of Miletus):

tragedy performed 494 BC following the Persian capture of Miletus (on the western coast of Anatolia), a colony of Athens & therefore traditionally held especially dear to the mother city.  The audience was much harrowed & moved to tears.  The playwright was fined for reminding the citizens of the recent misfortune; the play was banned from being performed again

 

Aeschlus (the 2nd actor):

When Aeschylus first began writing, Greek theatre was just evolving.  Thespis had already expanded the cast to include an actor interacting with the chorus.  Aeschylus adds a 2nd actor, allowing greater dramatic variety.  Conflict might now be evident between the actors .  After Aeschylus the chorus played a less important role.

and see Chapter I pages 14, 28 Chapter VIII page 268, and above page 313 and 320

 

μύθος (foreground):

Greek, myth or legend

 

τραγώδία (songs of the Chorus):

Greek, tragedy, any grave or serious poetry (hence Homer is called a writer of tragedy); an exaggerated speech (hence descriptions of horrors); outward grandeur, pomp.

 

περιπέτεια:

Greek, a reversal of the normal order, any strange occurrence or the unexpected, a sudden reversal of circumstances on which the plot in a Tragedy hinges, such as Oedipus' discovery of his parentage.

 

Prometheus (woe of mankind);

see above page 313

 

Agamemnon (woe of mankind):

see Chapter IV page 129

 

Oedipus Rex (woe of mankind): * see EndNote<A>

tragedy by Sophocles first performed 429 BC & considered the masterpiece of Greek tragedy;

and see Chapter IV, page 129

 

Polycletus:

see Chapter I page 27, chapter III page 112.

 

ήθος:

Greek, ethos (moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion; fundamental spirit of a culture; underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group; dominant assumptions of a people or period; character or disposition of a community or group); Spengler’s point is Greek tragedy emphasizes not an individual but the individual’s passive acceptance of the community’s spirit.

 

somatic:

adjective, of the body; bodily; physical.

 

Aeschylus (the Prometheus trilogy):

see Chapter IX page 313

 

King Lear's madness:

Lear bequeaths his power & land to 2 of his 3 daughters, after they declare their love for him in an extremely fawning & obsequious manner.  His 3rd daughter gets nothing, because she will not flatter him as her sisters had done.  When he feels he has been treated with disrespect by the 2 daughters who now hold his wealth and power, he becomes furious to the point of madness. (Act II)

and see Chapter IV age 129

 

Sophocles (Ajax):

In the opening of scene 1 Athena tells Odysseus that she has driven Ajax mad.

see Chapter IV page 129 and above page 318

 

Aristotle (Poetics): * see EndNote<B>

335 BC, earliest surviving work of dramatic & literary theory.

and see chapter VI page 203 and Chapter VIII page 284

 

περιπέτεια:

a turning right about, reversal of the normal order especially a sudden change of fortune, mostly from good to bad (less frequently from bad to good); generally, any strange occurrence, unexpected event, a sudden reversal of circumstances on which the plot in a Tragedy hinges (eg Oedipus' discovery of his parentage)

 

άναγνώρισις:

in Tragedy, recognition, leading to the dénouement (the outcome of a doubtful series of occurrences)

 

έλεός:

pity, mercy, compassion or an object of compassion or piteous thing

 

καθάρσις:

cleansing from guilt or defilement, purification, cleansing of the universe by fire, cleansing of food by or before cooking; clarification

 

άταραξία:

impassiveness, calmness,