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Tragic Comic Masks Hadrian's Villa mosaic

Ancient Greek Theater: Is it a Man’s World?

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By Ben Potter / Classical Wisdom

The two major Athenian theatrical festivals, The Lenaia and The City Dionysia were held in honor of the god Dionysus. Calling them theatrical, whilst not misleading, isn’t wholly illuminating as they were merely primarily, not exclusively, concerned with theater.

Athenian Festivals of Dionysus

The Lenaia lasted for four days during January/February and, because of the time of year, was almost exclusively attended by Athenian residents, due to little winter shipping in the Mediterranean.

The Lenaia was originally a festival of comedy (although tragedy was introduced in 488 BC), probably because there was more scope for political and social ‘in-jokes’, as the audience would have consisted of few non-citizens.

Alternatively, the City (or Great) Dionysia lasted six days and took place in the spring (March/April). Consequently it could have been attended by citizens from Athenian colonies (in addition to friendly travelers) because shipping would have resumed by this point. Moreover, it seems the Dionysia was ‘more religious’ or, perhaps, more preoccupied with traditional religious practice than the Lenaia.

Statue of Dionysus. Marble, 2nd century CE (arms and legs were heavily restored in the 18th century), found in Italy. © Marie-Lan Nguyen

Statue of Dionysus. Marble, 2nd century CE (arms and legs were heavily restored in the 18th century), found in Italy. © Marie-Lan Nguyen

Supporting evidence comes from Oswyn Murray in his comprehensive Early Greece: ‘the festival involved an annual procession of the ancient statue of Dionysus from Elutherai (a mountain settlement on the northern borders with Boeotia) to Athens’.

This shows us that if one wished to take in a show, then, at the very least, one would have to feign interest in a religious procession.

Classics professors looking to justify their tenure have made a lot of the ins and outs of these two festivals. However, something really interesting, and still now ambiguous, is the role women who were allowed or obliged to play in them.

Ancient Greek women in togas with feasting items. (CC0)

Ancient Greek women in togas with feasting items. (CC0)

Women at the festivals

Women would certainly have had a role to play in the holy procession and would have been given a share of the rare and delicious animal sacrifice. Additionally, women were generally a vitally important part of most Dionysian rituals in their official status as his Maenads/Bacchae (specific female acolytes).

Beyond this, things get a little sketchy, as reliable evidence for Athenian women (their lives being private, domestic and illiterate) is scarce. However, we do have reason to believe women were allowed to attend dramatic festivals even if, like in Shakespearean London, they were not permitted to act in them.

We look to the comic masterpiece of Aristophanes, The Frogs to confirm this: ‘Every decent woman or decent man’s wife was so shocked by plays like Euripides’ Bellerophon that she went straight off and took poison’.

Bust of Aristophanes in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. (Public Domain)

Bust of Aristophanes in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. (Public Domain)

There is a school of thought that says women were perhaps allowed to attend tragedies, but not comedies.

The main argument for women being excluded from comic shows is that comedies would have been a ‘bad influence’ on the ‘easily susceptible’ (i.e. women), whilst tragedies had an important moral message to teach. This, however, does not hold up to closer scrutiny. In Aristophanes’ comedies the women behave no worse (and usually better) than the men, whilst in tragedies such as Medea we see a woman kill her babies. Additionally, in Agamemnon we see a woman kill her husband, and in Electra we see a woman kill her mother and display incestuous feelings towards her father.

Clytemnestra hesitates before killing the sleeping Agamemnon. On the left, Aegisthus urges her on. By Pierre-Narcisse Guérin. (Public Domain)

Clytemnestra hesitates before killing the sleeping Agamemnon. On the left, Aegisthus urges her on. By Pierre-Narcisse Guérin. (Public Domain)

Thus, it’s hard to imagine that the corrupting influence of bawdy jokes and toilet-humor would have been more damaging on the delicate sensibilities of Athenian lady-folk than tales of incest, murder, suicide, treachery and blasphemy.

Furthermore, if women could attend one branch of theater, but not the other, then we may expect to be told somewhere why this was (or at least have it joked about by the waggish Aristophanes).

So were women supposed to learn important lessons at the theater?

Shielding of Athenian Women

Most Athenian women (even of the upper classes) would have received little or no formal education whatsoever, so these infrequent visits to the theater would probably have been the only opportunity for mass enlightenment.

We can see in plays such as Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen (396 BC) that an attempt is made to communicate ideas women may never have had the liberty to contemplate. The brief plot of this comedy is that the women of Athens obtain power of the city through an elaborate scheme in which they descend on The Assembly dressed in drag.

This play could be Aristophanes’ attempt to champion the rights of Athenian women by implying that not only are they capable of creative/devious thinking, but also that they may be suitable to play a political role.

Likewise in Lysistrata (411 BC), in which the Athenian women go on a sex strike, Aristophanes could be challenging the existing system of the husband being kurios (master) over his wife. Such plot lines may have been seen as subversive, however if they were, would any serious message have had less of an impact when veiled in comedy? Perhaps so.

Detail of cast photo from the University of Wisconsin Experimental College 1928 production of Lysistrata, via the UW Archives Meuer collection. (Public Domain)

Detail of cast photo from the University of Wisconsin Experimental College 1928 production of Lysistrata, via the UW Archives Meuer collection. (Public Domain)

However, moving away from the speculative, we must address the very real possibility that women had little significance at all in the two festivals.

Apart from the actual opening procession itself, women may have had not much to do. Even assuming women were allowed to attend all the theatrical productions, perhaps none of the performances were geared towards them.

Gender Prejudice

In Assemblywomen, the underlying message of the play is that the current politicians in Athens were so poor that even a woman would make a better leader! And the fact that rule by women is considered a suitable topic for a comedy indicates that the message of the play is not towards women but a scathing attack on low-caliber politicians.

Likewise in Lysistrata it seems that the theme is more the obtainment of peace than sexual equality.

It seems that the main and key advantageous role women had at these festivals was to receive a preciously rare moment of education at the theater. This, however, was no official or even planned act, but more the accidental vehicle by which individual playwrights could spread their influence further.

Thus, we cannot really conclude on a truly positive note that theater was a vehicle of emancipation that changed female Athenian society. What it was, however, was a pinprick of light in a life of repetition and banality, a highpoint of refinement, art, culture and beauty to liberate and elevate a class of society, which had less potential for social progression than the bevy of slaves who kept Athens ticking.

Even if only for a moment.

Top image: Tragic Comic Masks Hadrian's Villa mosaic Source: Public Domain

By Ben Potter

Classical Wisdom Limited is an online publishing company that strives to promote and preserve the classics from Ancient Greece and Rome. We aim to bring ancient wisdom to modern minds. You can visit our website here: http://classicalwisdom.com

 

Comments

Ben Potter's picture

Dear Ms McClain

Thanks for leaving a comment – they’re always appreciated even when barbed! The line you’re referring to was just a throwaway, a joke, a little bit of light badinage. However, like many of my lousy jokes, it obviously missed its mark and had the opposite effect than the intended one. However, don’t feel that you’re in a minority – many people take me to task for things I write and say; things which I, obviously mistakenly, believe to be in the spirit of fun and the joie de vivre of the moment, but which turn out to dull, irksome or downright counter-productive. I’m not sure how I can make this up to you, but if you happen to in England or Italy in the near future then you certainly have an open invitation for tea and buscuits round my place. 

And to clarify, as someone who has been teaching at universities for the last 12 years I am not merely respctful, but actively in awe of serious academics and enthusiastic students who toil for the pursuit of truth and beauty. 

Kind regards

Ben Potter

Take shots, not tack shots

"Classics professors looking to justify their tenure have made a lot of the ins and outs of these two festivals."-' why was this necessary? Why did you feel the need to tack shots at people who are trying to learn and teach? This rudeness was unnecessary and undermines the credibility of your writing. If you have some great insight, share it, but there is no need for such arrogant rudeness.

Ben Potter's picture

Ben

Ben Potter is a writer and university lecturer. He has lived and taught in several countries; notably Japan, China, Thailand, the UK, and Italy. He has an MA in Classics from The University of Edinburgh.

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