Dionysus, the Dionysiaand

The Origins of the Theatre

Caesar van Everdingen. Rape of Europa. 1650

Zeus = Io

Memphis = Epaphus

Poseidon = Libya Lysianassa

Belus Agenor = Telephassa

• Io, a princess of Argos, raped by Zeus and pursued by Hera, fled to Egypt

Agenor = Telephassa

• Agenor migrated to the Levant and founded Sidon• But see Josephus, Jewish Antiquities i.130 - 139

• “… for Syria borders on Egypt, and the Phoenicians, to whom Sidon belongs, dwell in Syria.” (Hdt. ii.116.6)

Cadmus Phoenix Cylix Thasus Phineus Europa

The Levant

• Zeus appeared to Europa as a bull and carried her to Crete.• Agenor sent his sons in search of Europa

• Don’t come home without her!

Agenor = Telephassa

Cadmus Phoenix Cylix Thasus Phineus Europa

• The Rape of Europa• Maren de Vos• 1590Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (Spain)

Image courtesy of wikimedia

• Rape of Europa• Caesar van Everdingen• 1650• Image courtesy of wikimedia

• Europe Group• Albert Memorial• London, 1872.• A memorial for Albert,

husband of Queen Victoria.

Crete

Europa = Zeus

• Asterius, king of Crete, married Europa• Minos became king of Crete• Sarpedon king of Lycia• Rhadamanthus king of Boeotia

Minos Sarpedon Rhadamanthus

The Brothers of Europa

• Phoenix• Remained in Phoenicia

• Cylix• Founded Cilicia

• Thasus• Island of Thasos

• Phineus• Thrace

Cadmus

• Went to Thrace• Discovered the gold of Mt. Pangaeus• His mother died there

• Delphi• Told to follow a cow

• Cadmeia• Founded Cadmeia were the cow stopped

Cadmus at Thebes

Harmonia

• Ares and Aphrodite• Affair produces:• Harmonia• Phobos• Deimos• Eros

Cadmus

• Founder of Thebes• Married Harmonia, the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares• Brought Phoenician Alphabet to Greece

• Alpha = Aleph, Bull• Beta = Bet (Beth), House• Αα Ββ Γγ Δδ Εε Ζζ Ηη Θθ Ιι Κκ Λλ Μμ Νν Ξξ Οο Ππ Ρρ Σσ Ττ Υυ Φφ Χχ Ψψ Ωω

Cadmus = Harmonia

• Zeus lay with Semele• Trick of Hera• Semele consumed by the fire• Zeus recovers the baby, Dionysus

• Handel’s Semele (1744)

Autonoe Ino Semele Agave

Dionysus

Dionysus

• Taken by Hermes to Ino and Athamas• Both driven mad by Hera: Athamas killed Ino• Zeus turned Dionysus into a ram

• When he grew up, Hera made him mad.• “Both the Greeks and the Egyptians have many legends about

Dionysus” (Paus. 10.29.5)

Dionysus

• Wandered the world:• Visited Egypt, Syria, Babylon …India• Accompanied by Pan, Satyrs and maenads

• Returned to Greece as a god• God of wine and the vine

• Youth, effeminacy, sexuality• Theatre

Pan

• Arcadian in origin• Son of Zeus and Hybris (Apollod. 1.4.1)

• The cult of Pan reached Athens ca. 490 BC.• Pan promised them he would help against the Persians

• The god of pastures, sheep and shepherds.• He invented the flute

PanRoman mosaic2nd c. AD

Maenads

Dionysus at Thebes

• Originally doubted,• Dionysus drove the women of Thebes into a Bacchic frenzy in the

mountains

• Pentheus• Son of Agave and Echion• King of Cadmeia after Cadmus• Tried to intervene • Torn to pieces by the women

Apotheosis

• Having proven himself a god, Dionysus rescued Semele from Hades and both ascended to Olympus

• Dionysus replaces Hestia in the list of the twelve gods of Olympus

Nietzsche

• The Birth of Tragedy• Apollo and Dionysus represent a contrast, a struggle, between order and

ecstasy. • Creative art is a negotiation, a reconciliation of opposing forces.

Apollo

Dionysus

Dionysian Music

The Dithyramb

• First composed by Arion of Methymna (Hdt. i.23)• A song, sung by a chorus at the Dionysia to recount the stories of

the life of Dionysus.• Choregia

• Bands of performers who sang and danced at various festivals, most especially that of Dionysus.

• In the city they sang the Dithyramb• In the country they sang the more raucous komodia (Comedy).

The Goat Song (tragoidia)

• Tragedy… “originated in improvisation—both tragedy itself and comedy. The one came from the prelude to the dithyramb and the other from the prelude to the phallic songs which still survive as institutions in many cities. Tragedy then gradually evolved as men developed each element that came to light and after going through many changes, it stopped when it had found its own natural form. Thus it was Aeschylus who first raised the number of the actors from one to two. He also curtailed the chorus and gave the dialogue the leading part. Three actors and scene-painting Sophocles introduced.”

• Aristotle, Poetics 1449a

The Dionysia• Instituted at Athens in 534 BC.• A celebration of the various stages of wine production• Four Dionysia at Athens:

• Little (Rural) Dionysia – December, to celebrate the harvest (disputed)• Lenaea – January, to celebrate the pressing (theatrical presentations)• Anthesteria – February/ March, to open last years casks• Great Dionysia – March/ April, with the main procession and contests.

• Celebrants dressed as Dionysus, Maenads or Satyrs• The Procession:

• Women (drunk, of course) carried an Ithyphallic statue• Men (drunk as well) dressed as women followed

Theatre

Theatre

Theatre of Dionysus

Acropolis

at Athens

Aeschylus

• 525 – 465 BC• He claimed that it was Dionysus, appearing to him in a dream,

who compelled him to write tragedy (Paus. i.21.2).• Credited as the father of modern theatre, but his first dramatic

entry was in 499 BC – the city Dionysia was already well established.

• Served at the Battle of Marathon in 490• The only personal fact mentioned on his grave-stone.

• Won his first Dionysia in 484. Title unknown.

AeschylusOnly 7 of 70 plays extant

• 472: The Persae• 469/8: Seven Against Thebes• 459: Suppliants

• Victory at the Dionysia over Sophocles.

• 458; (last production) Oresteia• Agamemnon / Libation Bearers / Eumenides

• Prometheus Bound• may have been composed by his son Euphorion

Thespis and Phrynicus

• Solon, “prohibited Thespis from performing tragedies on the ground that fiction was pernicious. [60] When therefore Pisistratus appeared with self-inflicted wounds, Solon said, "This comes from acting tragedies.“ (Diog. Laert. 1.2 Solon 59 - 61)

• [321a] Now tragedy is a thing of ancient standing here; it did not begin, as people suppose, from Thespis or from Phrynicus, but if you will reflect, you will find it is a very ancient invention of our city. Tragedy is the most popularly delightful and soul-enthralling branch of poetry: in it, accordingly, we get Minos on the rack of verse, and thus avenge ourselves for that tribute which he compelled us to pay. (Plato. Minos)

Agamemnon

Eumenides:The Erinyeschasing Orestes