To the more jocose effusions are to be referred the Phallic songs, which were sung during the procession of the Paλλos. The singers of the Dithyrambs, says Aristotle, gradually improved Tragedy; and those of the Phallic song Comedy; both having originally been extemporaneous3. The second age of dramatic representations was that in which the actor prepared beforehand some story, which he represented to the audience partly by narration, partly by dancing and gesticulation. It was then that Tragedy was no longer an extemporaneous song, indiscriminately poured forth by the votaries of Bacchus as wit or wine prompted them, but became a profession or art. The first who exercised it was Thespis; but even he, although he was not long prior to Eschylus, left no written drama1, and it is most probable that he never committed any to writing. In his time the Ὡς Διωνύσοι ̓ ἄνακτος καλὸν ἐξάρξαι μέλος We may observe, by the way, that, as the first syllable of dilupaμßos is uniformly long, (see Porson ad Eurip. Orest. 5.) it can have nothing to do with di0upos, the first syllable of which is invariably short. A bold Etymologist would suppose that A must be for Aû, as in Δίφιλος, and that perhaps Διθύραμβος was originally Διὶ θρίαμβος, οι that θρίαμβος was originally θυρίαμβος. In this case Δis would be Bacchus, as in the name Διόνυσος, or Δὶς Νύσιος, the Nysian Jove. But of such speculations as these there is no end; Sir William spins a thousand such a day. Mr. Romani de Timkowsky (we give his name as we find it, and are nowise accountable for it's structure) in a Commentation upon Dithyrambs, published at Moscow in 1806, has a pleasant conceit upon the origin of this term, which is also sanctioned by Proclus and the Scholiast on Pindar. Διθύραμβος ὁ Διόνυσος, παρὰ τὸ διὰ δύο θύρας βῆναι, τήν τε τῆς μητρὸς Σεμέλης, καὶ τῶν μηρῶν TOU Aíos. The same Mr. Timkowsky says, that the word was undoubtedly invented by some man when he was drunk; if this be true, it might have been intended for Δι θρίαμβος, οι Διονύσῳ θρίαμβος, οι any other Opiaußos: for there is no saying to what lengths the inventor might unwittingly have gone in clipping the standard Greek. 3. γενομένη οὖν ἀπ ̓ ἀρχῆς αὐτοσχεδιαστικὴ καὶ ἡ τραγῳδία καὶ ἡ κωμῳδία, καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξαρχόντων τὸν διθύραμβον, ἡ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν τὰ φαλλικά, ἃ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν πολλαῖς τῶν πολέων διαμένει νομιζόμενα, Kaтà μIKρov nνčńon. De Poetic. §. 9. We are not to conclude that the Dithyramb was changed into Tragedy, since the former was still an important part of the Dionysiac festival, and was performed by a chorus of fifty men. 4. Bentl. Diss. Phal. p. 238. word pay día appears to have been first used. It seems probable, as Bentley supposes, that Tragedy and Comedy may originally have had one common name, Kwuwdia, being both of them equally songs of the village. It appears, however, to me somewhat doubtful, whether there were any distinction at all between Tragedy and Comedy before the time of Thespis; and even he, as we shall see hereafter, represented none but ludicrous stories. Comedy, from the nature of it, must have been of later date than Tragedy. I mean Comedy, as it is usually understood: viz. that which concerns itself in the transactions of common life: for it seems probable that the most ancient Comedy, the Doric, related to mythological subjects, and differed only in title from the Tragedy of the earliest Athenian actors, which was itself much the same as the Satyric drama, occasionally composed by the Tragedians in later times, one of which species of drama was usually added to the trilogia, or three serious plays, out of respect to the original form of Tragedy. To establish our position with respect to the original constitution of Comedy, we need only refer to the titles of some of the plays of Epicharmus, such as Αλκύων, Αταλάντη, Βάκχαι, Βούσιρις, Διόνυσοι, Αβας γάμος, Κύκλωψ, Μώσαι, Νᾶσοι, Οδυσσεὺς αυτόμολος and ναυαγός, Πύῤῥα καὶ Προμαθεὺς, Σειρᾶνες, Σφίγξ, Φιλοκτήτης, Χείρων. One name for Comedy was Tpuydia; but it was only called 1. Aristotle §. 10. says of Tragedy, Ti de TO péyεlos éx μikρшov μúow v καὶ λέξεως γελοίας διὰ τὸ ἐκ σατυρικοῦ μεταβαλεῖν, ὀψὲ ἀπεσεμνύνθη, which says Tyrwhitt, is not to be understood, as if the Satyric drama was anterior to Tragedy, for Suidas says that this was first composed by Pratinas a few years after Thespis, and as Mr. Tyrwhitt thinks, not till after the addition of a second actor by Eschylus. I am not of this opinion. I do not believe that the plays of Pratinas differed in any respect from those of Thespis, except in their being more dramatic. Phrynichus and Æschylus forsook the ludicrous style, and were the inventors of the grave or doleful tragedy; Pratinas confined himself to the former, and was the first who committed his compositions to writing, whence he is considered as the inventor of the Satyric drama. Pausanias II. 13. informs us that the Zárupo of Pratinas and his son Aristias were the most highly esteemed of any, except those of Eschylus. The Tragic poets, in proportion as the serious drama was perfected under their hands, seem to have by degrees neglected the Satyric, and at length to have laid it aside altogether. so in derision, because the actors smeared their faces with the lees of wine, as the earliest tragedians did, according to Horace. The etymology of τραγωδία is clearly τράγος and ᾠδή; but the reason of it is involved in some obscurity. The common notion is, that it was so called because a goat was the prize of the singer. So the Arundel Marbles, xaì åÐλov été‡ŋ ỏ тpayos: and Horace, speaking of Thespis, Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit. ob hircum. This opinion is adopted as the most probable by Bentley. It is not unlikely that the singer originally wore a goatskin, the usual ornament of the priests and votaries of Bacchus. Hesych. Τραγηφόροι. αἱ κόραι Διονύσῳ ὀργιάζουσαι, τραγῆν περιήπτοντο. (See also in v. Neßpis.) This they may have done in order to assimilate themselves to the Zárupo, the usual attendants of Bacchus. Hesych. Τράγους. Σατύρους, διὰ τὸ τράγων ὦτα ἔχειν. Tragedy, therefore, was originally nothing more than a song in honour of Bacchus, accompanied by gesticulations and dancing. In process of time were introduced relations of some mythological story, by a second person, who relieved the singer; an improvement first adopted by Thespis. Then another actor was added, who kept up a dialogue with the other performer, the singer introducing the Bacchic hymn between the different portions of their performance. The subject of this song was afterwards less strictly confined to Bacchus, and frequently bore some reference to the matter of the dialogue. Upon the first introduction of this innovation, the audience are said to have exclaimed, ovdev πρos Tòv Aióvvcov. this has nothing to do with Bacchus: which words passed into a proverbial mode of expression; and hence apoσdióvνσov signifies that which is nothing to the purpose. In consequence of the fault which was found with this mark of disrespect to Bacchus, it was judged expedient to revert in some measure to the original constitution of Tragedy; and accordingly the Satyric drama was added to the graver representations. For this account, which is very different from the notions commonly entertained of the origiu of the Satyric drama, we have the authority of Zenobius, who no 2. Diss. Phalar. p. 292. Cf. Schol. in Dionys. Thrac. ap. loison. Anecd. Gr. II. p. 178. Vil doubt borrowed his relation from some more ancient writer. As his words are very remarkable, I have subjoined them in a note'. Although the subject of the dithyrambic song was thus changed, the custom of singing it before the altar of Bacchus was still retained and when afterwards a stage was invented by Eschylus, a portion of it, called the ὄρχηστρα, or dancing-space, was set apart for the performance of the song and dance round the θυμέλη or altar. Hence Ovuéλn is sometimes put for the orchestra where it stood. Artemidorus II. 3. p. 34. τοῖς ἐπὶ θυμέλην ἀναβαίνουσι, to those who tread the stage, who are called in the same chapter θυμελικοί. Alciphr. II. 3. p. 240. δραματουργεῖν τι καινὸν ταῖς ἐτησίαις θυμέλαις δράμα. ν. Διον, τεχνισται. 5ο θυμελικοὶ ἀγῶνες in Athenæus XV. 16. See Aulus Gellius ΧΧ. 3. This account of the origin of dramatic exhibitions will serve to explain the reasons why such entertainments were confined at Athens to the Dionysiac festivals; and why the actors were called Διονυσιακοί τεχνίται. Inscriptio Corcyraa ap. Montfaucon. Diar. Ital. p. 412. Αριστομένης Αριστολαϊδαλεὺς δίδωτι τῇ πόλει τῶν Κερκυραίων, εἰς τὴν τῶν τεχνιτῶν μίσθωσιν τῷ Διονύσῳ, ἀργυρίου Κορινθίου μνᾶς ἑξήκοντα. Artemidorus l. c. θυμελικοῖς καὶ σκηνικοῖς καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον τεχνίταις. Cf. Pollux. III. 144. 1. Οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν Διόνυσον. ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις λεγόντων ή παροιμία εἴρηται. ἐπειδὴ τῶν χορῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰθισμένων διθύραμβον ᾄδειν εἰς τὸν Διόνυσον, οἱ ποιηταὶ ὕστερον ἐκβάντες τῆς συνηθείας ταύτης, Αἴαντας καὶ Κενταύρους γράφε ἐινπεχείρουν. ὅθεν οἱ θεώμενοι σκώπτοντες ἔλεγον, Οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν Διόνυσον. διὰ γοῦν τοῦτο τοὺς Σατύ ρους ὕστερον ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς προεισάγειν, ἵνα μὴ δοκῶσιν ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι τοῦ θεοῦ. From this expression, προεισάγειν, it might seem that the Satyric drama was acted before the three tragedies; but in the extracts from the Didascalia we always find it the last in order. It appears from Plutarch Sympos. I. 1. that Phrynichus and Eschylus were the first who took for the subjects of their tragedies mythological and pathetic stories, and gave occasion to the above mentioned remark of the audience. If Pratinas wrote any tragedies, as Suidas says he did, it must have been after he had seen Eschylus succeed in his new species of composition; but it seems not probable that he ever did. II. Of the Tragic Contests. The contests of Tragic Poets were not thought of, till their art had attained a certain degree of consistency and polish. In the time of Thespis, who acted his own interludes, it was not thought of sufficient importance to be made a public concern. ἀρχομένων τῶν περὶ Θέσπιν ἤδη τὴν τραγῳδίαν κινεῖν, καὶ διὰ τὴν καινότητα τοὺς πολλοὺς ἄγοντος τοῦ πράγματος, οὔπω δ' εἰς ἅμιλλαν ἐναγώνιον ἐξηγμένου—Plutarch. in Solone. p. 173. HSt. Plutarch observes, that the circumstance of Thespis having acted upon a waggon, afforded a hint to his contemporary, Pisistratus, to harangue the populace from a similar stage; ἧκεν εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐπὶ ζεύγους κομιζόμενος, καὶ παρώξυνε Tov Suov, which explains the peculiar meaning of Solon's reproach, Οὐ καλῶς, ὦ παῖ Ιπποκράτους, ΥΠΟΚΡΙΝΕΙ τὸν Ομηpikov 'Odvoσéa, You do ill, to act the Ulysses of Homer. But this appears to be one of the many stories for which Plutarch was indebted to his own imagination. Bentley has convicted him in this case of an anachronism. The dramatic contests always took place at the Dionysia, or festivals of Bacchus, of which there were three holden in Attica at different times in the year. 1. τὰ κατ ̓ ἀγροὺς, celebrated in the month Ποσειδεών (the sixth Attic month, answering to the latter part of December and the beginning of January) in all the duo and villages of Attica. 2. τὰ Ληναῖα, or τὰ ἐν Λίμναις, so called from Λίμναι, a part of the city near the Acropolis, in which was a sacred πepißoλos, or enclosure, of Bacchus, called Anvalov, from λnvos, a wine press. In this enclosure plays were acted, the audience being placed upon a wooden scaffolding. But afterwards a regular theatre was erected. This festival was celebrated in the eighth month Aveστηριών, originally called Ληναιών, answering to part of February and March. The festival itself in later times went by the name of τὰ Ἀνθεστήρια, and was holden on three consecutive days, the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth of the month; the first day's ceremonies were called Пoiyia, the Broachings; those of |
