Even those who dissent from this view are unanimous in acknowledging that the tragedies and the satyric drama constituted a single group. So far as concerns scenic arrangements the point is not of vital importance. For it is clear that whether the series consisted of four plays or of five, one and the same set cannot have been employed throughout. The scene of the satyr-plays was often, if not indeed regularly, a country region with trees, rocks and the like, and frequently a cave. Comedy chose a variety of settings, while even in tragedy the usual background of house or temple was not uniformly employed (p. 49). Unfortunately no single series has been preserved entire, not didascalia The nearest approach to such a series is in at the CHANGES OF THE SETTING 75 some untrodden spot" and there bury his sword, "hatefullest of weapons," as token of submission to the gods, Ajax departs. But his ambiguous words and a message from Teucer affright Tecmessa, and she and the chorus hasten forth (vs. 814), "some to the westward bays, some toward the eastward," to "seek the man's ill-omened steps." At this point the scene is changed and becomes a lonely wooded glen (cf. xŵpov ảσtißî, vs. 657; váπovs, vs. 892), to whose sheltering depths the despairing Ajax makes his way and there falls upon his sword, burying it indeed, as he truly said, but in his own heart! Here also, as in the Eumenides, the rearrangement of the setting was effected during the absence of both chorus and actors, but precisely how it was accomplished is not known. 159 160 the evi meet w (vss. 74se two instances are generally referred to as the only ex- nbbery, which represent the woodland, the play; so, for example, Schübl, unfortunately this cannot be estahed. An attemp would issue only in a petitio princip Of the changes of locality whichvolve a mod the setting the most conspicuous inace occurring plays is found in the Eumenides of Ahylus. This be also the earliest example known. backgrou at first the temple of Apollo at DelphiIn an imp Apollo bids Orestes quit his shrine and, to Ath instituted her Athona setexculpa howmand between Those t of the e of a Eness of ovination, mind 76 THE GREEK THEATER The way in which at hand with Hermes; while about them in a group are seen the dark and hideous forms of the sleeping Furies. this disclosure was effected is not certain. tions that have been offered are legion. 181 But whatever the manner of its accomplishment, it constitutes, in my opinion, a genuine instance of a change of the setting. The new set continues in use until verse 234.162 Be this as it may, the evidence of the dramas seems to show that only on rare occasions did a change of scene within a play involve a modification of the setting. But between plays this must have been of frequent occurrence. For in the fifth century, at the greater Dionysia at least, there appear to have been regularly three series of dramatic performances, each series consisting (Aeschyli of five plays and each constituting the program of a singlae ponunTrue, the evidence is somewhat hazy, but this is to-day tumeiden, vailing interpretation. In other words, it is generally bons wieder that on each of three successive days there were presehe Second rapid succession five dramas, and that each of these seri composed regularly of three tragedies, a satyr-play and a co 161 Many scholars, following the scholiast, assume the use of (p. 83); so most recently Flickinger (op. cit., pp. 286, 287) of Greek Plays," Class. Phil. X (1915), 130.) In my judgment any explanation + are not seen, be it ever so dim' auf dem e trial was Even those who dissent from this view are unanimous in acknowledging that the tragedies and the satyric drama constituted a single group. So far as concerns scenic arrangements the point is not of vital importance. For it is clear that whether the series consisted of four plays or of five, one and the same set cannot have been employed throughout. The scene of the satyr-plays was often, if not indeed regularly, a country region with trees, rocks and the like, and frequently a cave. Comedy chose a variety of settings, while even in tramad.. 11 of house or templa CHANGES OF THE SETTING 75 some untrodden spot" and there bury his sword, "hatefullest of weapons," as token of submission to the gods, Ajax departs. But his ambiguous words and a message from Teucer affright Tecmessa, and she and the chorus hasten forth (vs. 814), "some to the westward bays, some toward the eastward," to "seek the man's ill-omened steps." At this point the scene is changed and becomes a lonely wooded glen (cf. xŵpov ảσтɩßî, vs. 657; váπovS, vs. 892), to whose sheltering depths the despairing Ajax makes his way and there falls upon his sword, burying it indeed, as he truly said, but in his own heart! Here also, as in the Eumenides, the rearrangement of the setting was effected during the absence of both chorus and actors, but precisely how it was accomplished is not known.159 around and) glen." Alise two instances are generally referred to as the only ex160 Flickits in Greek drama of a change of the setting during the prog(vss. 747-86. the evidence a play.160 But by rights at least one other should be indence for the meet with lit This occurs between verses 63 and 64 of the Eumenides. ed priestess, terror-stricken at what she has beheld within ple, totters from the scene. The "stage" is deserted and es a brief pause in the action. Then suddenly the inmple is disclosed and there are discovered Orestes los and Apollo, his protector, standing near bubbery, which represent the woodland, the play; so, for example, Schübl, 78 THE GREEK THEATER But his arguments will not bear examination, and the traditional assumption is fully justified.1 167 We may assume then that for this series of plays the scene was changed from a house (Medea) to a mountain side (Philoctetes), back again to a house (Dictys), and finally to a country region (Harvesters). What setting was demanded by the comedy that is believed to have closed the day's performances is not known, and is unimportant. So the Oedipus Coloneus of Sophocles with its sacred grove was in all probability preceded or followed by a play or plays which required a temple or other building as the background. And there can be no doubt that in the history of the fifth-century drama there were scores, perhaps hund of similar instances in which several changes of the set were n sary in the course of a single day. to show de cave of (Soph.) 176, Trag. 389, Nauck, ed. 2,: ouK The Philoctetes of Euripides can once have possessed has since been nullified by the discovery of the !! of Sophocles (see Pearson, Fragments of Sophocles, I arment is thatween octetes and the envoys, follow the Euripidean version. These word in that certain Etruscan caskets, which depict the Tepresent Philoctetes as sitting before a cave. des troischen Sagenkreise auf etruskischen Aschenkiste beschrieben, etc. (1868), pp. 134-150; also Baumeister, Denkmäler, fig. 1483. See Schlie, Die Darstellungen VI HOW WERE THE CHANGES OF SETTING EFFECTED? VARIOUS THEORIES 168 The significance of the changes of setting which were discussed in the preceding chapter is patent. A program consisting of a didascalia (p. 76) followed by a comedy, each of average length, could not have been completed in less than six or eight hours of continuous acting. It is evident, therefore, that long pauses between the separate plays for the readjustment of the setting would have been impracticable, 169 although it is possible of course that a longer interval may have been ordinarily allowed between the conclusion of the didascalia and the presentation of the comedy that followed. According to Robert this may have been even an hour in length. 170 But that so long an interval was 168 Selected bibliography: Müller, Die griechische Bühnenalterthümer (1886), §§ 12, 13. Oehmichen, Das Bühnenwesen der Griechen und Römer (1890), §§ 55, 56. Navarre, Dionysos (1895), pp. 122 ff. Bethe, Prolegomena zur Geschichte des Theaters im Alterthum (1896), chaps. 5, 10. Dörpfeld und Reisch, Das griechische Theater (1896), pp. 211 ff. Mantzius, A History of Theatrical Art in Ancient and Modern Times; translated by L. von Cossel, I (1903), 124 ff. The original was published in 1897. Schübl, Die Landschaft auf der Bühne des fünften vorchristlichen Jahrhunderts (1912). von Wilamowitz, Aischylos, Interpretationen (1914), especially pp. 10, 11. Noack, Σκηνὴ Τραγική (1915). Flickinger, The Greek Theater and its Drama (1918). Other references are given in the footnotes. 169 Müller, op. cit., p. 323, allows seven to eight hours for the presentation of a didascalia. 170 Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen, CLIX (1897), 36. He is speaking of the |