Chapter II: Introduction: 1

The Origin of Tragedy 1

The Origin of Comedy 35

The Greek Theater 57

CHAPTER

I. THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS ORIGIN 119

II. THE INFLUENCE OF CHORAL ORIGIN 133

III. THE INFLUENCE OF ACTORS 162

IV. THE INFLUENCE OF FESTIVAL ARRANGEMENTS 196

V. THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 221

VI. THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS (_Continued_):
THE UNITIES 246

VII. THE INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL CUSTOMS AND IDEAS 268

VIII. THE INFLUENCE OF THEATRICAL MACHINERY AND DRAMATIC
CONVENTIONS 284

IX. THEATRICAL RECORDS 318

INDEX OF PASSAGES 341

GENERAL INDEX 349

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

MEDALLION OF ATHENIAN COIN (see p. 63, n. 1) _Front Cover_

FIG. 1.—THE THEATER OF DIONYSUS ELEUTHEREUS AT ATHENS
AS SEEN FROM THE ACROPOLIS _Frontispiece_

PAGE

FIG. 2.—SKETCH MAP OF ATTICA AND THE PELOPONNESUS, SHOWING
EARLY CENTERS OF DRAMATIC ACTIVITIES IN GREECE 3

FIG. 3.—CAPRINE SILENI UPON THE FRANÇOIS VASE, 600-550
B.C. _facing_ 26

FIG. 4.—PREPARATIONS FOR A SATYRIC DRAMA FROM A NAPLES CRATER
OF ABOUT 400 B.C. 25

FIGS. 5, 6.—VIEWS OF A SATYR-PLAY FROM A DINOS IN ATHENS _facing_ 26

FIG. 7.—VIEWS OF A SATYR-PLAY FROM A DINOS IN BONN _facing_ 26

FIG. 8.—POET AND CHOREUTAE OF A SATYRIC DRAMA FROM A POMPEIAN
MOSAIC 28

FIG. 9.—SATYRS ON A BRITISH MUSEUM CRATER OF ABOUT 450 B.C. 30

FIG. 10.—A BRITISH MUSEUM PSYKTER BY DURIS OF ABOUT 480 B.C.,
PROBABLY SHOWING INFLUENCE OF CONTEMPORANEOUS SATYRIC
DRAMA _facing_ 31

FIG. 11.—A SATYR UPON A WÜRZBURG CYLIX OF ABOUT 500 B.C. _facing_ 32

FIG. 12.—A COMUS UPON A BERLIN AMPHORA _facing_ 32

FIG. 13.—A COMUS UPON A BRITISH MUSEUM OENOCHOE _facing_ 38

FIG. 14.—A COMUS UPON A BERLIN AMPHORA 39

FIGS. 15, 16.—COMUS SCENES UPON A BOSTON SKYPHOS 40

FIG. 17.—COMIC ACTORS AND FLUTE PLAYERS UPON AN ATTIC VASE IN
PETROGRAD 47

FIG. 18.—AN ATTIC TERRA COTTA IN BERLIN REPRESENTING A COMIC ACTOR 48

FIG. 19.—AN ATTIC TERRA COTTA IN MUNICH REPRESENTING A COMIC ACTOR 48

FIG. 20.—ACTORS OF DORIAN COMEDY UPON A CORINTHIAN CRATER IN PARIS 49

FIG. 21.—ACTORS OF DORIAN COMEDY UPON A CORINTHIAN VASE 50

FIG. 22.—GROUND PLAN OF A GREEK THEATER WITH NAMES OF ITS PARTS 57

FIG. 23.—CROSS-SECTION OF A GREEK THEATER WITH NAMES OF ITS PARTS 58

FIG. 24.—CROSS-SECTION OF THE GRAECO-ROMAN THEATER AT EPHESUS
WITH NAMES OF ITS PARTS 61

FIG. 25.—THEATER AT OENIADAE IN ACARNANIA _facing_ 62

FIG. 26.—THEATER AND TEMPLE OF APOLLO AT DELPHI _facing_ 62

FIG. 27.—THEATER AT MEGALOPOLIS IN ARCADIA _facing_ 62

FIG. 28.—THEATER AT PERGAMUM IN ASIA MINOR _facing_ 62

FIG. 29.—PLAN OF THE ACROPOLIS AT ATHENS 62

FIG. 30.—ATHENIAN COIN IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM SHOWING THE
PARTHENON AND OUTLINE OF THE THEATER OF DIONYSUS
ELEUTHEREUS 63

FIG. 31.—PARTHENON AND THEATER OF DIONYSUS; IN FOREGROUND
ALTAR IN PRECINCT OF DIONYSUS ELEUTHEREUS _facing_ 64

FIG. 32.—PRECINCT OF DIONYSUS ELEUTHEREUS IN ATHENS, SHOWING
DÖRPFELD’S RESTORATION OF THE EARLY ORCHESTRA AND
OF THE LYCURGUS THEATER 64

FIG. 32_a_.—CROSS-SECTION OF PRECINCT OF DIONYSUS ELEUTHEREUS
IN ATHENS, SHOWING LATER AND EARLY TEMPLES AND EARLY
AND LATER ORCHESTRAS 65

FIG. 33.—EAST FRAGMENT OF WALL BELONGING TO THE EARLY
ORCHESTRA IN ATHENS _facing_ 64

FIG. 34.—WEST FRAGMENT OF WALL BELONGING TO THE EARLY
ORCHESTRA IN ATHENS _facing_ 64

FIG. 35.—OUTLINE OF THE OLDEST WALLS OF THE SCENE-BUILDING
IN ATHENS 67

FIG. 36.—THEATER OF DIONYSUS IN ATHENS LOOKING NORTH: CHOREGIC
MONUMENT OF THRASYLLUS IN THE BACKGROUND _facing_ 68

FIG. 37.—THEATER OF DIONYSUS IN ATHENS LOOKING NORTH
AND WEST _facing_ 68

FIG. 38.—GROUND PLAN OF THE HELLENISTIC THEATER IN ATHENS
ACCORDING TO DÖRPFELD 71

FIG. 39.—NERO BALUSTRADE AND PAVEMENT, AND PHAEDRUS STAGE OF
THE THEATER IN ATHENS _facing_ 72

FIG. 40.—PLAN OF THE ROMANIZED THEATER IN ATHENS ACCORDING
TO DÖRPFELD 73

FIG. 41.—FRIEZE OF THE PHAEDRUS STAGE IN ATHENS _facing_ 72

FIG. 42.—VITRUVIUS’ _Theatrum Latinum_ ACCORDING TO DÖRPFELD 76

FIG. 43.—VITRUVIUS’ _Theatrum Graecorum_ ACCORDING TO DÖRPFELD 77

FIG. 44.—MOVEMENTS OF THE ACTORS IN ARISTOPHANES’ _Frogs_,
VSS. 1-460 89

FIG. 45.—STONE CHAIR OF THE PRIEST OF DIONYSUS OPPOSITE THE
CENTER OF THE ORCHESTRA IN ATHENS _facing_ 90

FIG. 46.—PLAN OF THE THEATER AT EPIDAURUS IN ARGOLIS 102

FIG. 47.—EPIDAURUS—THE AUDITORIUM FROM THE NORTH _facing_ 104

FIG. 48.—EPIDAURUS—ORCHESTRA AND SCENE-BUILDING FROM
THE SOUTH _facing_ 104

FIG. 49.—EPIDAURUS—THE WEST PARODUS _facing_ 104

FIG. 50.—EPIDAURUS—THE EAST PARODUS _facing_ 104

FIG. 51.—EPIDAURUS—THE GATEWAY IN THE WEST PARODUS _facing_ 104

FIG. 52.—EPIDAURUS—LOOKING THROUGH THE WEST PARODUS _facing_ 104

FIG. 53.—GROUND PLAN OF THE THEATER AT ERETRIA IN EUBOEA 105

FIG. 54.—CROSS-SECTION OF THE THEATER AT ERETRIA 106

FIG. 55.—THE THEATER AT ERETRIA AS SEEN FROM THE
NORTHWEST _facing_ 106

FIG. 56.—GROUND PLAN OF THE THEATER AT OROPUS IN ATTICA 109

FIG. 57.—THE SCENE-BUILDING OF THE THEATER AT OROPUS _facing_ 106

FIG. 58.—GROUND PLAN OF THE GRAECO-ROMAN THEATER AT TERMESSUS 110

FIG. 59.—THE PROSCENIUM OF THE GRAECO-ROMAN THEATER AT
EPHESUS _facing_ 111

FIG. 60.—GROUND PLAN OF THE EARLY HELLENISTIC THEATER AT EPHESUS 112

FIG. 61.—THE LATER HELLENISTIC THEATER AT EPHESUS: ABOVE,
ELEVATION OF PROSCENIUM AND EPISCENIUM; BELOW,
GROUND PLAN OF PROSCENIUM AND PARODI 113

FIG. 62.—GROUND PLAN OF THE GRAECO-ROMAN THEATER AT EPHESUS 114

FIG. 63.—GROUND PLAN AND CROSS-SECTION OF THE THEATER AT PRIENE 115

FIG. 64.—THE THEATER AT PRIENE AS SEEN FROM THE SOUTHEAST _facing_ 111

FIG. 65.—A “WAGON-SHIP” OF DIONYSUS AND PROCESSIONAL UPON
AN ATTIC SKYPHOS IN BOLOGNA OF ABOUT 500 B.C. _facing_ 120

FIG. 66.—IVORY STATUETTE OF A TRAGIC ACTOR _facing_ 162

FIG. 67.—DISTRIBUTION OF RÔLES TO ACTORS IN SOPHOCLES’
_Oedipus at Colonus_ 180

FIG. 68.—MASK OF A SLAVE IN NEW COMEDY _facing_ 212

FIG. 69.—TERRA COTTA MASK IN BERLIN REPRESENTING A
COURTESAN IN NEW COMEDY _facing_ 212

FIG. 70.—GROUND PLAN OF THE THEATER AT THORICUS IN ATTICA 227

FIG. 71.—AUDITORIUM AND ORCHESTRA OF THE THEATER AT
THORICUS _facing_ 228

FIG. 72.—HORIZONTAL SECTIONS OF PROSCENIUM COLUMNS AT
MEGALOPOLIS, ERETRIA, EPIDAURUS, DELOS, AND OROPUS 236

FIG. 73.—A FOURTH-CENTURY VASE IN MUNICH REPRESENTING THE
VENGEANCE OF MEDEA 237

FIG. 74.—THE ATHENIAN THEATER OF ABOUT 460 B.C., SHOWING THE
EARLIER TYPE OF ECCYCLEMA 286

FIG. 75.—WILHELM’S TRANSCRIPTION AND RESTORATION OF TWO
FRAGMENTS OF THE ATHENIAN FASTI 320

FIG. 76_a_.—WILHELM’S TRANSCRIPTION AND RESTORATION OF TWO
FRAGMENTS OF THE STONE DIDASCALIAE AT ATHENS 322

FIG. 76_b_.—TRANSLATION OF INSCRIPTION IN FIG. 76_a_ 323

FIG. 77_a_.—A FRAGMENT OF THE ATHENIAN VICTORS’-LIST _facing_ 324

FIG. 77_b_.—WILHELM’S TRANSCRIPTION AND RESTORATION OF TWO
FRAGMENTS OF THE ATHENIAN VICTORS’-LIST _facing_ 324

FIG. 78.—WILHELM’S TRANSCRIPTION AND RESTORATION OF FOUR
FRAGMENTS OF THE ATHENIAN VICTORS’-LIST 328

FIG. 79.—WILHELM’S TRANSCRIPTION AND RESTORATION OF FIVE
FRAGMENTS OF THE ATHENIAN VICTORS’-LIST 329

FIG. 80.—THE VILLA ALBANI STATUE OF EURIPIDES IN THE LOUVRE
WITH THE BEGINNING OF AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF HIS PLAYS 333

Some day a benefactor of his kind may prove beyond cavil
that the problem of the origin of tragedy is as incapable of
solution as is that of squaring the circle.—W. S. BURRAGE.