Mixed Messages in Greek Theatr
Mixed Messages in Greek TheatrMixed Messages in Greek Theatre: an Examination of Vases and Written Histories
No one fully understands the nature of ancient Greek theatre. The barriers that
stand between the scholars of the Twentieth Century and the truth of the
theatrical practices of 5th and 4th centuries B.C. Athens are: 2,500 years of
divergent cultures, incomplete collections of plays, vases, figurines, and
theatre spaces, and a lack of the proper tools with which the evidence can be
examined. Yet, hypotheses can be formulated, conclusions drawn, and
understanding strengthened by undertaking a thorough and painstaking analysis of
all the available data. A limited understanding of the Greek theatre is the
ultimate promise of this continuing research. However, seeking this restricted
perspective is clearly the only choice for those who have discovered the
provocative remains of a great lost theatre.
Deciding what can be learned from ancient vases is a difficult problem for
experts and novices alike. Questions pertaining to theatre further complicate
matters with the added condition that the vase must be depicting a scene that is
theatrical in nature. Green asserts that the ancient artists "were not at work
to provide visual aids for textbooks and lectures. We can, with care, use them
in that way as aids to a modern imagination" (Green 1995, p.13). Green's
statement brings to light the importance of cautious research into this area of
history, especially keeping in mind the context in which the vases were made and
used. Certainly, vases exist which are, as Green explains it, "inescapably"
linked to the theatre. A sample of these well-understood vases is examined
below.
Historians often agree on the subject matter of certain Greek vases because of
one or more distinguishing qualities like the presence of masks, staging,
inscriptions of the names of characters, and elaborate costuming. A neck-amphora
by the Ixion Painter (c.350 B.C., Kiel, private collection) "represents an actor
with the satyr mask he has been wearing drawn up on top of his head" (Trendall
1989, p. 161). An Apulian bell-krater by the Tarporley Painter (400-380 B.C.,
Sydney 47.05) depicts "three chorusmen for a satyr play" (Trendall 1971 p. 29).
Two of the men hold their masks while the third begins to dance near a
tambourine, the instrument further supporting the theatrical nature of the vase.
All authors cited agree that the presence of masks is theatrical.
Assertions are easily made in the presence of staging, inscriptions, and
elaborate costumes. One Apulian bell-krater (380-370 B.C., London B.M. F. 151)
depicts a phlyax play and represents a wooden stage and masks of comic actors.
An inscription describes the main character as "Cheiron." The fourth vase to be
considered is equally uncontested in its theatrical nature. A Paestan
bell-krater, signed by Python, (c....
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