Aeschylus Accomplishments

Theater in ancient Greece was considered the climax of the days long cultural festival of The City Dionysia. At the festival, various types of plays were shown but one of the most popular was tragedy. These tragedies show the main character, usually a god or person of myth, going through human suffering and the terrible sequence of events that followed; and were produced in 472- 401 BCE. In order for a play to be performed at The City Dionysia festival; tragic playwrights would first have to appeal to the state official that was organizing the festival by submitting ideas to him and his committee. The ideas submitted were outlines of main themes and points of interest to be performed in the play. If a playwright was selected by the state official and his committee, then they received a financial backer and a chance to compete in the drama competition of the festival. The state official, or his committee, was likely pushing their own agenda and choose playwrights that matched their ideals. This is just one example of how theater in ancient Greece was used to influence the morality of Greek culture by using the stories of tragedies, like those of Euripides.

The Greeks were known for giving offerings to their gods. They decided to build a theater where they could give their offerings. Although the main thing that they used it for was giving offerings, it was also used for some other things. This paper will be talking about Greek drama genres, why theater was so important, and how they make their voices heard.

Our play was the tragedy Hecuba which was written by Euripides in 424 BC, 7 years after the beginning of the Peloponnesian and Archidamian War which was fought between Athens and Sparta. Euripides was an Athenian who was born around 485BC on the island of Salamis which is off the coast of Piraeus. He competed several times in Athens’ annual City Dionysia, which, as we know, was a dramatic festival held in honour of Dionysus. This means that the majority of his audience would have been Athenians, like himself.

Empedocles was a pre-Socratic philosopher who lived from 490 to 430 BC in Acragas, Sicily, Italy. His writings mainly focus on the study of cosmetology, religion, and nature; and have influenced some of today’s modern theories in science. Although he was a colorful character who claimed to be able to bring back the dead, he maintained a democratic political standpoint and was known for being generous and fought for equality of the people. Empedocles was a poet, philosopher, and physician.

Ancient Greece is a very unique and foreign place to us today but surprisingly the ancient Greeks liked theatrics as much as we do now. This love for the stage led to many great plays being written one of which was “Oedipus the King”. “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles in 430 BC is a Greek tragedy that shows the tragic downfall of Oedipus the king of Thebes. In this play Oedipus finds out that the prophecy that he had fled from so long ago had come true as he married his mother and murdered his father. “Oedipus the King” is a brilliant allegory for man's unwinnable struggle against fate and the puzzling actions of the indifferent gods.

Drama played a major role in the life of classical Athens. Tragedies and comedies were performed in the city as part of an important religious festival, the Festival of Dionysia. A large proportion of the plays were about the City of Dionysia. During the sixth century BCE, the tyrant Pisistratus established the festival called the City of Dionysia. It took place in Elaphebolion, a month to the last half of March and the first half of April. During the classical period, this festival lasted several days and included several types of performances, which were also competitions for important honour and prizes as many aspects of Athenian society were highly competitive. Plays were only presented at City Dionysia festival. The festivals were attended

Thank you for your insights and questions. Yes, you are right that we can connect it with these spheres. As for the arguments of Aeschines over Timarchus, Aeschines’ attacks were reflecting a public sphere that, that is, the Greek society was not accepting a job that was selling one’s body in return of making money. Yes, according to the public sphere, it was not nice, but on the other hand, Aeschines’ claims were just allegations. As for the metics’ life in the Athens, it was not so complex that most of them got the chance to work in Athens, and so they paid taxes, and some of them joined the Athenian army to fight, and maybe they wanted to sacrifice their lives in return of making some money, some jobs, and maybe a little more rights

The most memorable writers are often those who diverge from the status quo, bending the lines just enough so that the curve of disbelief still faintly hits the border of reality. Although not the prime example, Athenian playwright Euripides deviated tremendously from the typical standards of Greek tragedies in his famous work Medea. Albeit the characterization was majorly based off of an existing Greek myth, Euripides’s manipulation of the protagonist and storyline created a drama encompassed by aberration and eccentricity far more peculiar than that of the established legend. However, Euripides used his audience’s developed knowledge of Greek mythology to his advantage and was still able to convey a believable story to the citizens of ancient Greece, earning him the third place prize at the Dionysian Festival that year.

Enduring Influence of Oedipus Rex Ancient Greece is widely recognized for its exceptional achievements in literature and dramatism. Arguably, the civilization’s most enduring contribution to modern society is its theatrical evaluation of human nature. Sophocles, considered one of the three great playwrights of the golden age, is noted for his powerful tragedy Oedipus the King which analyzes the conflict of fate and freewill. Even centuries after its initial composition, Oedipus the King continues to influence today’s culture in many ways by aiding in a more comprehensive understanding of ancient Greek lifestyles and values.

Following the scene in Richard Schechner’s ‘Dionysus in 69’ when the Messenger provides context regarding the Pentheus’s death, the actual scene is performed in the way that the audience is well aware of the violent death scene. In Euripides The Bacchae, the scene involves the Messenger explaining the details leading up to Pentheus death where he is drawn to the women and perches upon a tree to get a better view. Instead, the act of Pentheus’s death in ‘Dionysus in 69’ is re-imagined as an interpretive dance to provide emotion and action in order to understand the scene. As a result, the actor of the Messenger engages with the audience by reciting the scene as a conversation with the audience and takes them on a journey with the performance.

“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.” This is a famous quote from Euripides. Euripides was born in 480 BC and died in 406 BC. His work was quite favored in his own time, he had a large impact on Roman drama. Euripides was one of the 3 great tragedians of classical Athens. His plays iconoclastic, attitude to both religious belief and the ancient legends and myths that formed the traditional subject matter for Greek drama. He was famous for his writing, he wrote about mythological themes. Euripides left an impact on the world he enhanced the intisfy of intrigue in tragedy.

Aeschylus being the founder of greek tragedies and the forerunner for playwrights ultimately set the stage for future aspiring playwrights that changed how plays would be viewed and critiqued forever. Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, 525 or 524 BC. His father was the head of an aristocratic family. Although it is said he did have a brother who died at the battle of Marathon-a great victory for the Greeks against a larger invading force-nothing else was said about his family. Aeschylus too was said to have fought against the Persians at the battles of Marathon, Artemisium, and Salamis.

Some 2500 years ago the ancient greeks flocked to a festival known as Great Dionysia where playwrights competed with their various tragedies. Today these tragedies, the few that survived, are regarded as classics and are extensively studied and performed as works of art. What is it about these plays that makes them so special? Is it simply because they are ancient, thus they offer historical information, or is it the emotional relevance that these works offer?

Having described such a man, let us now in our argument put beside him the just man, simple as he is and noble, who, as Aeschylus put it, does not wish to appear just but to be so. We must take away his reputation, for a reputation for justice would bring him honor and rewards, and it would then not be clear whether he is what he is for justice’s sake or for the sake of rewards and honor. We must strip him of everything except justice and make him the complete opposite of the other. Though he does no wrong, he must have the greatest reputation for wrongdoing so that he may be tested for justice by not weakening under ill repute and its consequences. Let him go his incorruptible way until death with a reputation for injustice throughout his

The Greeks considered tragedy the greatest form for literature.  However, the tragic ends for the characters were not ordained or set by fate, but rather caused by certain characteristics belonging to that person.  Such is the case with the characters of Sophocles' plays Oedipus the King and Antigone.  Oedipus from King Oedipus, and Antigone and Creon from Antigone posses characteristics, especially pride, that caused their tragic ends.  As the play progress, other characteristics appear and further add to the problem to such a point that it is inevitable that it will end in tragedy.  Therefore the tragedies were not a result of a plot by the fates, but rather a result of the