Abbey Miller

Greek Tragedy

The arts were a very prominent aspect of Ancient Greek’s culture and society. Many of the artifacts found from this era are considered some of the greatest works of art created by man. This area ranges from pottery and vase painting to mosaics and sculpting. Frequently scenes from Greek tragedies and myths were the artists’ main focuses, usually depicting important gods or brave heroes or heroines. The appearances of the actors and the costumes they were adorned with are also an area of art which played an extremely major role in tragedies. Scenes from everyday life were also illustrated in art, which also helps modern day historians decipher how the ancient Greeks lived.

One very well-known feature of Greek art is pottery, more specifically vase painting. There were two types of vase paintings; black figure and red figure. These two techniques were used between the beginning of the sixth century and the end of the fourth century B.C.E. Black and red figure painting was only used on decorative and fine pottery. They usually depicted people, animals, patterns, gods, and/or scenes from myths, plays, or daily life. Black figure painting was created using a special kind of slip, (clay in a liquid form), which turned black when it was fired. The background of the scene or picture stayed the same color as the clay. Vase painters used white and purple colored enhancements in order to bring out individual forms from the black. These enhancements were made by mixing colored pigments with clay. Red figure painting was created by keeping the objects or designs the color of the clay while painting the background with the slip which turned black when fired. The figures on the vase were sometimes outlined in a glaze in order to better define the outlines. This technique was discovered in about 530 B.C.E., after the black figure painting had been established. It eventually overtook the use of the black figure painting because of the improved ability to represent shapes and ideas, such as garments, structures, and emotions.

Music was another important area of Greek art and tragedy. Many songs were incorporated into the plays themselves, which were sung by the chorus at different points during the performance. These songs were usually accompanied by dancing as well. The singing of choral songs and dancing, (the stasima), were the tragic chorus’s most important functions. Only about fifty pieces of music have survived from ancient Greece, ranging in time from 500 B.C.E. to 300 A.D. They differ significantly from the modern music we are accustomed to today. Ancient Greek music contains unusual tones, rhythms, and time meters. There were four main categories the songs fell into; dance songs (hyporchema), sad songs (threnos), drinking songs (skolion) and hymns (hymnos or dythyrambs). A large variety of instruments were played along with the chorus. Some of the instruments also represented certain gods and goddesses. For example, the aulos, a wind instrument, was associated with Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy. This instrument can be related to the modern day recorder. The kithara was a stringed instrument and was associated with Apollo, the god of the Sun and reason. The kithara was also used in accompanying Homer while he chanted the Iliad and Odyssey. This instrument can be related to the modern day guitar. The tympanon (modern drum), kymbala (modern cymbals), and the syrinx or Pandean pipes (modern panpipes) are also examples of instruments which were used in ancient Greece.

Another important connection between art and Greek tragedy were the costumes worn by actors during performances. Two major characteristics of the costumes of tragedy actors were long, close fitted sleeves and elaborate embroidery and patterns. During the Dionysiac festival, actors wore extremely gaudy and rich costumes, much like the ones used occasionally in modern times. The characters of gods, old men, and heroes whore a chiton, (a shroud of rich material), which fell about ankle length. The character of a god who was the patron of the festival, most notably Dionysus, was dressed in especially detailed and extravagant costumes. The actor portraying Dionysus was typically draped in a rich purple fabric covered in gold stars. It was fastened around the chest with a purple colored girdle which was covered in jewels and gold. On top of everything was a purple cloak. Women of high rank and goddesses were also adorned with a similar type of costume. The actor of a goddess who was the matron of the festival wore a veil of translucent embroidered cloth around their head. Princesses and queens were dressed in long, gold star covered purple robes. Actors who played the part of a warrior wore a vast amount of armor. Their helmet bore plumage on the top. In cases of high recognition they also wore a scarlet tunic. The chorus men in a satyr play wore wooly loincloths with horse tails, artificial phalluses, and bearded, snub-nosed masks. Many actors wore cothurnus, also known as buskin, which were calf length boots with soft soles and turned-up toes.

A second part of the costume that an actor wore during a tragedy was a mask. The masks worn in tragedies greatly differed from the ones worn in comedies. Tragedy masks were not huge or distorted and were realistically decorated. They also had a wig attached to the top. These masks covered the entire head and contained holes for the eyes and mouth. Stiffened linens, leather, and/or wood were the most common materials used to make the masks. The skin color of the masks differed with the type of character it would portray. Satyr masks were painted with reddish skin, male masks had brownish or yellowish skin, and female masks had white skin. The age of the male characters were distinguished by the amount and color of the hair on the mask. Hair length also stood for specific characteristics with females. Female masks typically had long hair, although “half-shorn” wigs symbolized women in mourning and very short cropped wigs indicated female slaves. Special masks were also used in portraying a dramatic event, for example when Oedipus takes a brooch and blinds himself. Both the masks and the costume played crucial roles in the performances of Greek tragedies.

The arts were one of the most important aspects of the ancient Greek society. They’re impact on culture can even be seen today. Many facets of ancient Greek art can be identified as modern day evolved versions, for example instruments. The Greeks had the aulos and the kithara while today we have the recorder and the guitar. The arts also help us piece together the puzzle of how the people of ancient Greece lived. Through pictures on vases, mosaics, sculptures, and literature we are able to not only see daily life, but also to see specific aspects of their culture and society, including Greek tragedy.