Greek theatre scholarship

Greek theatre was not a means of worship

Athenian tragedy was performed to honour Dionysus

Masks allowed actors to alienate themselves and represent the character

The chorus act as an emotional bridge, telling us what to feel

The knowledge of slaves makes them dangerous and overcomes their usual powerlessness

tragedy is easier to write, as comedy has to be original

Perfect play as it shows the principles of tragedy

Tiresias lacks physical sight but Oedipus lacks knowledge

his discovery leads to his downfall not his crimes

the behaviour of minor characters is more attractive than Oedipus’

fate cannot be overcome by will - catharsis of audience

In ‘Bacchae’ the audience is torn in two different directions on Dionysus

Dionysus is like a director, creating his own play within a play

Cross dressing turns what could be comedy into something sinister

The most striking paradox (of ‘Bacchae’) is that the god who throughout the play promises joy will at the end produce only suffering and horror

“The victory of Aeschylus is a rejection of the new life-style, a return to the old moral centre.”

The primary function of the play (Frogs), however, is not literary criticism but political action.

The Chorus is the dramatic character that most resembles the audience

Oedipus is his own destroyer