Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/330

 304 ON THE REPRESENTATION OF CERTAIN second story of the stage ; secondly, Dicasopolis knocks at the door until the interior is opened by the eccyclema; thirdly, Euripides gives the rags to his visitor, who must have been on a level with him to take them from his hands; and fourthly, when he wishes to relieve himself from the intruder he says (479), Kkele irrjKra ^cofMa- Tcov, which is the same sort of order as that by which Ajax in Sophocles {Ajax, 581 : irv/ca^e ddaaov. 593 : ov ^vvip^eO' tw? Tdxo<;;) directs the closing of the inner view of his tent by wheeling round the eccyclema. We have no doubt therefore that the interior is similarly displayed on the level of the stage in the Acharniaiis. After his apologetic speech and the scene with Lamachus, Dicseopolis retires into his house (625), and the Para- hasis follows. He then returns by the centre door and sets up the boundaries of his market (opot wyopd^ — probably ropes or poles) in the centre of the stage. The Megarian (729), the Boeotian (860), and the Attic farmer (1018) enter from the left: the sycophant (818), Nicarchus (908), the herald (1000), bridesman (1048) and the herald (1071) enter from the right. Lamachus and his servant (1179, 1190) of course return to the stage from the left. There seems to be no reason to suppose^ that there is another use of the eccyclema in order to exhibit the culinary preparations of Dic£eopolis. It is clear that he is outside, for he says (v. 1098), <f)ep e^o) Bevpo, and (v. 1102), oirrrja-a) 8' e'/cet, so that his direc- tions about the fire (v. 1014) are addressed to his servants within, who are not necessarily visible. As Dic^eopolis is to sup with the Priest of Bacchus (v. 1887), he goes off to the city, i.e. by the right-hand door (v. 1142), and returns by the same way, supported by the dancing-girls (1198), having won the prize in the dfjLiXka rod %oo9 (1202). Lamachus is carried off to the right to the house of Pittacus, the surgeon, (1226); and shortly after Dicaeopolis makes his exit by the same door, for he is going to the King-Archon to receive his prize ; and at the same time the chorus, whom he invites to follow him, go off by the right-hand parodos. After this specimen of the manner in which a Comedy was put on the stage, it is not necessary to discuss the performance of all the plays of Aristophanes. It is only necessary to mention that the upper story of the scene, or the balcony, is freely used in 1 This is Schonborn's opinion, p. 311.