Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/318

296 296 HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER XXII. § I. Ideal character of the Greek tragedy ; splendid costume of the actors. § 2, Cothurnus ; masks. § 3. Structure of the theatre. § 4. Arrangement of the orchestra in connexion with the form and position of the chorus. § 5. Form of the stage, and its meaning in tragedy. § 6. Meaning of the entrances of the sta,ge. § 7. The actors ; limitation of their number. § 8. Meaning of the protagonist, deuteragonist, tritagonist. § 9. The changes of the scene incon- siderable ; ancient tragedy not being a picture of outward acts. § 10. Eccy- clema. § 11. Composition of the drama from various parts; songs of the entire chorus. § 12. Division of a tragedy by the choral songs. § 13. Songs of single persons of the chorus and of the actors. ^ 14. Parts of the drama intermediate between song and speech. § 15. Speech of the actors; arrange- ment of the dialogue and its metrical form. § 1. We shall now endeavour to arrive at a distinct conception of the peculiar character of ancient tragedy, as it appeared in those stable forms which the origin and taste of the Greeks impressed upon it. The tragedy of antiquity was perfectly different from that which, in progress of time, arose among other nations; — a picture of human life agitated by the passions, and corresponding, as accurately as possible, to its original in all its features. Ancient tragedy departs entirely from ordinary life ; its character is in the highest degree ideal. We must observe, first, that as tragedy, and indeed dramatic exhibi- tions generally, were seen only at the festivals of Bacchus,* the cha- racter of these festivals exercised a great influence on the drama. It retained a sort of Bacchic colouring; it appeared in the character of a Bacchic solemnity and diversion; and the extraordinary excitement of all minds at these festivals, by raising them above the tone of everyday existence, gave both to the tragic and the comic muse unwonted energy and fire. The costume of the persons who represented tragedy was far removed from that free and natural character which we find raised to the per- fection of beauty by the Greeks in the arts of design. It was a Bacchic festal costume. Almost all the actors in a tragedy wore long striped garments, reaching to the ground, t over which were thrown upper latter being a most brilliant festival, at which the allies of Athens and many foreigners were also present. Old tragedies also were acted at the Lenaea ; and none but old oues were acted at the lesser Dionysia. These facts appear, in great mea- sure, from the dulascalice ; that is, registers of the victories of the lyric and dramatic poets as teachers of the chorus (^o^oS/Sao-xaXw), from which, through the learned writers of antiquity, much has passed into the commentaries on the remains of Greek poetry, especially the arguments prefixed to them. ■j- %iruvi; •ffobni'iii) trroXal.
 * In Athens new tragedies were acted at the Lensea and the great Dionysia; the