ANHS1600 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Hoplite, Strategos, Aeschylus
15 May 2018
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Lecture – Tragedy and Society
13/04/16
- Theatre was deeply embedded in the city of Athens
- Tragedy → Occupied the last three days of the festival. It was the climax of the week long occasion.
The immediate context of tragedy:
- A number of things happened immediately before the tragic contest began on the 13th Elaphbolion:
1- Sacrifice by the ten ‘generals’ (strategoi)
2- Tribute (money) from the Athenian empire was paraded before audience
3- Names of people who did great good were read out and honours bestowed on them.
4- War-orphans paraded in polis – funded hoplite panoply
5- Announcement of awards for the murder of aspiring tyrants
What do these actions signify?
- Celebration of Athenian power and wealth
- Reaffirmation of civic ideology, devotion to the polis – especially its democratic values
- Reciprocal assertion of how the polis looks after and shows gratitude to its citizens.
Tragedy: Proximity and distance:
- Tragedy distancing and generalising
Scenes removed from the military and political present of Athens Chronological and conceptual
distance of myth
Treats universal – or at least pan-Hellenic – issues:
→ Mans relationship with gods, how to live in a community, Gender issues.
We know that there was a brief experimental period during tragedy where an interesting genre of
historical tragedy existed → e.g. Aeschylus’ “Persians” – produced 472, dramatized Battle of Salamis
- Tragedy shouldn’t get too close to Athenian events → They fined Phrynichos for reminding
the Athenians of troubles too close to home and banned his play.
Tragedy: reaffirm or critique?
- Celebration of democratic ideology
- Critique of non democratic systems:
- Settings in Thebes, Argos; Tragedy happens elsewhere, not in democratic cities.
- Tyrants, Kings, royal families and elites: tragedy happens to and is triggered by super-elites
- Tend to come to sticky ends
- Explicit praise of democracy:
- Aeschylus’ Oresteia
- Theseus of Athens in Euripides’ Suppliant Women
Theseus the (democratic) king:
‘Nothing is more hostile to a city than a tyrant. In the first place, there are no common laws in such a
city, and one man, keeping the law in his own hands, holds sway. In that case equality is at an end.
But when the laws are written down, both the powerless and the rich have equal access to justice
and it is possible for the weaker man to use the same language to the prosperous when he is reviled
by him, and the little man, if he has justice on his side, defeats the big man. Freedom consists in this:
“Who has a good proposal and wants to set it before the city?” and he who chooses to help the city
gains renown, while he, who does not, remains silent. What greater equality can there be in a city?”
– Euripides Suppliant Women 429-41
-Glorification of key Athenian democratic principles + practices
- Tyrant viewed as the “bogey man” Key figure
Critique of democracy?
‘ Next there stood up a man with no check on his tongue, strong in his impudence… relying on noise
from the crowd and ill informed free speech (parrhesia → anyone who is a citizen can say anything
and discuss), persuasive enough to involve him in the future in some misfortune. When someone
with a pleasing trick of speech, but of unsound principles, persuades the mob, it is a great
misfortune for the city. But those who give good counsel with intelligence on all occasions are useful
to the city in the long run, if not immediately. One should look at a leader in this way: the same thing
applies to the public speaker as to a holder of offices’. → Euripides Orestes 902-16
- Describes meeting of assembly in Argos (shows distancing)
- Reflection to the dangerous possibilities of letting anyone talk in a democracy
- Tragedy is not afraid from pulling back and showing that things can go wrong
Tragic politics: reaffirm or critique?
- Smug self celebration and condemnation of others?
- Anxious critique of democratic values?
- Careful exploration of tensions within democratic society?
- Pressure valve release of dangerous tensions within a safe environment (festival time, fictive
performance)?
How would Antigone fit with this?
First: Sophokles: Some facts
- Born 497 and died in 406 → Coincides with the 5th century and Athens rise as an imperial
democracy
- Served as an ambassador
- Held office as a treasurer of Athena
- He grew up in the period immediately after Persian war, died before Athens defeat in
Peloponnesian war → Lived during change and progress
- All facts refer to his ‘public life’ → Link to ambassador, treasurer, general, served as an emergency
magistrate. (These don’t link with his poetic life)
- His first production was in 468 and last in 409
Antigone (Tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 B.C.) → date of production at Great
Dionysia unknown: probably in or near 442-441
Polis as focus of absolute loyalty: Perikles tells the citizens of Athens to ‘gaze at the power of the city
day after day and become her lovers
Document Summary
Theatre was deeply embedded in the city of athens. Tragedy occupied the last three days of the festival. It was the climax of the week long occasion. A number of things happened immediately before the tragic contest began on the 13th elaphbolion: 2- tribute (money) from the athenian empire was paraded before audience. 3- names of people who did great good were read out and honours bestowed on them. 4- war-orphans paraded in polis funded hoplite panoply. 5- announcement of awards for the murder of aspiring tyrants. Reaffirmation of civic ideology, devotion to the polis especially its democratic values. Reciprocal assertion of how the polis looks after and shows gratitude to its citizens. Scenes removed from the military and political present of athens chronological and conceptual distance of myth. Treats universal or at least pan-hellenic issues: Mans relationship with gods, how to live in a community, gender issues.
