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Summary Greek Theatre Revision Pack
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In depth summaries through each section of three plays for OCR A level Classical Civilisation. Sophocles' Oedipus Rex Aristophanes' Frogs Euripides' Bacchae
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Greek Theatre Revision PackAristophanes’ Frogs
Prologue
o Begins with light-hearted humour between Xanthius and Dionysus
o Comic confusion over the role of a slave, but also the role of a master
o Use of costume with Dionysus mentioning Cleisthenes – crude language and
mocking homosexuality – humour with “lentil soup” when in reality it is his
desire for a playwright
Euripides’ death in Macedon communicated through a necrophiliac
joke by Heracles to see what excites Dionysus
o Xanthius’ running joke for carrying all the bags – what about me!
o Target audience is clearly all male – laddish humour – porn shops, drinks, the
streets, landladies, no bedbugs etc
o Characterisation of Dionysus as cowardly “not too hot or too cold” when
going to the underworld
o Word play whilst they try to work out how to get to the underworld – “rope
and stool – requires a bit of hanging around”
o Takes a serious point of the mysteries into a comic bathetic joke of his arse
hurting – negotiating with a corpse normalising the underworld as well as
playing at the banter relationship between master and slave – 2 obols
o “you’re seats here fatty” and “take the strain and row” – in an audience
full of rowers this characterises Dionysus as ridiculous – especially with a
tricolon of negatives, comic bathos - “I am beginning to feel pain”
o Chorus of frogs as they cross the Styx – bre-ke-ke-kex co-ax co-ax
o “I can still see them now” – breaking the 4th wall – pantomime-like with
behind you and in front of you – false bravery will soon be undermined
o Dionysus is then portrayed as a coward who soils his tunic – theatre of the
mind – there is also an in-theatre joke as Dionysus gives Xanthius a taste of
his own medicine
o “Priest! Save me! I’ll buy you a drink after the show!”
o “should I tell one of the usual ones?”
o “fart” “puke” and “dump” – scatological humour
o “a sudden craving for lentil soup”
Parodos
o Chorus of initiates introduced – they don’t reveal any secrets, rather broad-
brush strokes – “holy dance of the initiates”
o Materialistic characterisation of Dionysus – crackling involved
o Cratinus as a beef eater – comic subversion of a Dionysiac epithet
o “the politician who takes a bite out of comic playwrights” – Cleon sued
Aristophanes for libel against the Babylonians
o “I’ve got lots of good jokes to tell and much to say in earnest too” –
breaking the 4th wall and a direct appeal to get votes in the competition – meta-
theatre
o “I’d like to join the chorus” – irony as Dionysus is the god of theatre
o Obscenities – “bonkmeagain” and “hipponickers”
o Aeacus – judge in the underworld
, o “you are the most cowardly of all gods and men” – soils himself after
“feeling faint”
o Male orientated humour with “dancing girls” during role reversal as, of
course, Heracles is given a warm reception
o Interlude – Dionysus’ change of plan, compared to politicians who frequently
make U-turns, changes plan from the costume swapping – other motivations
though “buffing chickpea”
o Innkeepers – Dionysus gets a hostile reception – mundane references to garlic,
cheese, 20x steaks, 16x loaves = glutenous depiction of Heracles
o The second agon is the comic beating competition – starts with a reference to
Clouds in which torture was a routine – Dionysus should have an advantage
over Xanthius because he is a god – “take this slave of mine and torture
him” and “if he is a god, he won't feel it”
o Dramatic irony as the audience knows who a god is and who is not, but
Aeacus has not worked it out – humour through “I see men on horseback”
and “it’s the smell of onions”
Parabasis – midpoint of the play – change of tone and atmosphere
o “a clever audience” – breaking 4th wall, flattering the audience
o “it is right for a holy chorus to encourage and instruct the city” – purpose
of drama with a didactic role for comedy – the demagogue shows a forceful
politician using aggressive rhetoric to whip up popular support as Cleophon
was condemned to executive
o Those that fought at Arginusae got Plataean level citizenship but those who
took part in the 400 coup did not – “that one disaster”
o Coins – “true minted” vs “base metal things” – quality of political leaders
and coins
o Parabasis received a commendation in 405BC
Slave talk
o “and a bit of snooping” – satirising the disloyalty of slaves
o “their poetry will be placed in the balance” – measurement important,
Sophocles is also portrayed very well, winning the Dionysia 18 times, and
never coming third, he was also given a hero cult after his death
First appearances
o Chorus of initiates act as an announcer – Aeschylus is described as “helmets
with soaring crests flash” which is typical Aeschylean language, whilst
Euripides is seen as “his smooth tongue unfurls” but also requires Dionysus
to say “don’t be too cocky” as Euripides as an aggressive reputation
o Euripides – “bragging bundle of boasts” - tricolon
o Aeschylus – “gossip-gathering, beggar-begetting, ripped-rag-monger” –
“my poetry has not died”
Agon
o A choral prelude flatters the audience whilst introducing the competitors, not
by name, as they respond using tetrameters than the more usual trimeter
o The contemporary Athenian audience would like the idea of “sophisticated,
and don’t use clichés or copy” and to “cross-examine this man” for it
shows Euripides to be taking a lawyer-like approach to his argument on odes
and characters
o Aeschylus insults Dionysus by calling him ignorant – this is comedy about
tragedy, the nature of comedy, shows gods can take a joke
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