POLS 2490 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Aeschylus, Thyestes, Trojan War
7 Dec 2017
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5th century athens: cultural explosion, classical age, literature, great advancements in history, philosophy, comedies. With drama, athens became the home of dramatic theatre. Political is a translation of politica: things to do with a polis. As a citizen, you participate in the polis. The institution of theatre was similar to law courts and assemblies. Tragedies brought the citizens together to judge the arguments in a political context. Once a year, the poets come together and compete to see who is the best. Each ceremony promoted the ideal of athenian citizenship. Project an image of power and glory of athens. The festival is the largest formal collection of citizens on the calendar. The performances were competitive and funneled down to 3 sets preformed over a 3 day festival. The judges were chosen by lot, representation from each tribe. 10 judges but only 5 votes were randomly chosen. The aim was the educate the citizens, to bring them together.
