Class #16: Greek tragedy to Jason and the Argonauts

• Tragedy


  • Homer
  • Greek tragedy
  • Greek comedy
• The festival at Athens


  Plays were composed and performed at Athens in honor of Dionysus, a god of wine, fertility, revelry and freedom from mundane life
• Dionysus was popular rather than aristocratic and favored by tyrants, who counted on support from the lower classes for their power
• Peisistratus, an Athenian tyrant, took advantage of an existing agrarian/rural festival to Dionysus at the end of the god which included prizes for tragedies


  534 BC
• The festival


  • It developed as a dramatic festival, within a political and religious setting, which also highly competitive
  • It was a four-day festival held in march
  • There was a religious procession bearing the image of Dionysus to the theater - he was present watching the performances; there was sacrifices of animals in the theater itself, and priests of Dionysus had reserved seats at the front of the theater
• All through the Greek countryside were circular threshing floors, for processing grain - separating the kernels from the chaff. These were convenient places for worship - where an image of a god or an altar could be placed and hymns and dances in their honor performed
• At the start of the festival, before the first dramatic performance

  1. War orphans paraded through the theater to receive armor, paid for by the state

  2. There were many cities subject to Athens and at this time their representative would show the audience the tribute they owed the city
• The Greeks loved competition and it was normal already to associate competition with religious festivals
• At the city of Dionysia there were competitions in singing dithyrambs (songs in honor of Dionysus), and drama for a time both tragedies and comedies
• For tragedies - who gets to compete

  Competitors had to conceive the Archon - sort of 1 year position as mayor - to select them. He only chose three competitors. It is not known how the selection was made - perhaps on reputation or initial performance of some songs or dialogue from the plays
• There were no avenues to just write a play and have it performed if you weren't chosen to compete
• Who gets to go to the festival

  • Athenian citizens
  • Foreign visitors/dignitaries
  • Slaves or women (we don't know for sure)
• Tickets may have become free for Athenian citizens but early on they were a couple of obols - about a 3rd of a day's wage
• Conventions of Athenian theater

  • Males performing all roles
  • Costumes and masks
  • All lines are in meter - poetic drama (very close to opera)
  • Least number of actors possible
  • Special effects
  • No violence was performed on stage
• Three most important Athenian tragedians

  • Aeschylus (525 - 456 BC)
  • Sophocles (496 - 406 BC)
  • Euripides (480 - 406 BC)
• Core elements of the Jason and the Argonauts myth

  • Where does the Golden Fleece come from?
  • Why does Jason quest for it?
  • What heroes help him and what adventures do they have along the way?
  • How does Jason meet Medea and how does she help him get the Golden Fleece to Greece?
  • What happens to Jason and Medea in Greece?
• Where does the Golden Fleece come from?

  • Boeotia
  • Athamas' family
  • Ion's plan
  • The golden fleece
  • Phryxus in Colchis
  • Prophecy
• Why does Jason quest for the Fleece?

  • Iolcus
  • Jason danger
  • Prophecy
  • The return of Jason
• What heroes came on the voyage and what adventures did they have?

  • Gathering of heroes
• Greek Countryside


  Rural areas in Greece where agriculture is practiced, featuring threshing floors for processing grain.
• Ancient Greek City


  Urban centers of culture, commerce, and government in ancient Greece, featuring public buildings such as temples, theaters, and marketplaces.
• Medea


  Sorceress and daughter of King Aeetes, who falls in love with Jason and helps him obtain the Golden Fleece.
• Jason and Medea's marriage

  Marriage marked by difficulty, as Jason breaks his promise to Medea and takes a new wife, leading to Medea's infamous revenge.
• Heroes who help Jason


  Hercules, Atalanta, Orpheus, and the Argonauts.
• Jason


  Rightful heir to the throne of Iolcus, tasked by his uncle, Pelias, to retrieve the Golden Fleece to prove his worthiness as king.
• Adventures along the way

  Hercules' battle with Antaeus, Orpheus's enchanting of the Sirens, and the Argonauts' passage through the Symplegades.
• Selection process


  Not explicitly stated, but it's possible that it was based on reputation or performance
• Competition


  A selection process where the Archon chooses three competitors to compete for the position of Archon
• Archon


  A position similar to a mayor or a leader in ancient Athens, chosen for a one-year term
• Competitors


  Individuals who are competing to become the Archon in ancient Athens