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Introduction to the Greek Theatre
" ...provide enough to make the theatrical context of the plays intelligible."
Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 20, 2014
An Introduction to the Greek Theatre was recommended to me as "very readable", and it does not disappoint.
I'd had some exposure to Greek theatre in the past. We read Oedipus Rex in high school; more recently I'd read Agamemnon as part of a group read (but never got around to the rest of the Oresteia); I've seen a few productions here or there, though not many. I don't think I'd ever really had the benefit of reading about it before, though. Even in high school and the group read, I don't think we talked much about the way Greek plays are written -- and, after reading this book, I think that was a serious oversight.
The thing is, what we're taught in school as "drama" is, well, Shakespeare. And please don't think I'm complaining about that; I love me some Bard as much as the next girl who hangs out on the fringes of the theatre scene. But this is the model we are given for understanding drama, and trying to impose it on the Greeks just does. Not. Work.
If I was a bit confused over Antigone when I read it not long before I read this book, likely it's because I hadn't caught onto this yet. I was expecting, you know, a play based around action and plot, neatly divided into scenes and acts, and I'll admit maybe something a bit longer. The action, however, wasn't the point. The point was the dialog that the characters have about the religious and moral issues that the play revolves around -- their obligations to the Gods, to the dead, to each other. I don't think I'd ever had that explained to me, and viewing the script through the lens of what I was expecting, I missed out on it.
I could go on and on about the things I learned, or you could just consider it highly recommended. :)
I'd had some exposure to Greek theatre in the past. We read Oedipus Rex in high school; more recently I'd read Agamemnon as part of a group read (but never got around to the rest of the Oresteia); I've seen a few productions here or there, though not many. I don't think I'd ever really had the benefit of reading about it before, though. Even in high school and the group read, I don't think we talked much about the way Greek plays are written -- and, after reading this book, I think that was a serious oversight.
The thing is, what we're taught in school as "drama" is, well, Shakespeare. And please don't think I'm complaining about that; I love me some Bard as much as the next girl who hangs out on the fringes of the theatre scene. But this is the model we are given for understanding drama, and trying to impose it on the Greeks just does. Not. Work.
If I was a bit confused over Antigone when I read it not long before I read this book, likely it's because I hadn't caught onto this yet. I was expecting, you know, a play based around action and plot, neatly divided into scenes and acts, and I'll admit maybe something a bit longer. The action, however, wasn't the point. The point was the dialog that the characters have about the religious and moral issues that the play revolves around -- their obligations to the Gods, to the dead, to each other. I don't think I'd ever had that explained to me, and viewing the script through the lens of what I was expecting, I missed out on it.
I could go on and on about the things I learned, or you could just consider it highly recommended. :)
April 9, 2016
A knowledgeable and enthusiastic introduction to Greek drama, its conventions and the expectations of its audiences, and some of its major playwrights (who were also directors and producers), that is most helpful in penetrating some of the obstacles to its appreciation due to problems of translation and more. It holds up quite well after these many decades.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews