BMCR 2009.05.29: Seranis on Dugdale, Greek Theatre in Context. Greece and Rome: Texts and Contexts

Eric Dugdale, Greek Theatre in Context. Greece and Rome: Texts and
Contexts.  Cambridge/New York:  Cambridge University Press, 2008.  Pp.
viii, 200.  ISBN 9780521689427.  $25.00 (pb).

Reviewed by Panos Seranis, University of Mainz ([email protected])
Word count:  1375 words
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Greek Theatre in Context by Eric Dugdale is the second book published
by the Cambridge University Press in the new series Greece and Rome:
Texts and Contexts. Dugdale, alongside James Morwood, are also the
general editors of the series.  The book focuses on Athenian drama of
the fifth, fourth and third centuries, comes in an attractive,
user-friendly shape and is illustrated with pictures throughout.

This 200 page volume is divided into seven chapters whose aim is to
shed light on the social, historical, political and cultural contexts
of Greek theatre. In doing so, the author does not promise an
exhaustive analysis but rather a general introduction that could open
students' appetite for a more thorough reading, a list of which is
provided at the end of the book, alongside a glossary of key terms.

All chapters contain information from ancient sources (all in
translation), draw on visual resources, and include questions to
stimulate and to provoke further discussion on the topics addressed in
the book. Dugdale also makes use of extensive footnotes in order to
make the text more accessible to his audience. Although not explicitly
stated in the book (a significant omission from the introduction), the
present volume is an effort to combine literature and civilization
topics and to bring Greek theatre to life for high school and
undergraduate students as well as the general public.

Chapter 1 focuses on the genres of performance (dithyramb, tragedies,
satyr-plays and comedies), whereas chapter 2 situates the social
context within which the plays were performed. Festivals played a
significant role in the development of ancient drama and Dugdale
rightly discusses them in some length.  The third chapter in the book
provides a closer look at the theatrical space and its significance for
the theatrical performances. Dugdale discusses different types of
theatres and their elements (wooden stands, stage, scene setting and
scene painting, mechanical devices) to show how these contribute to the
dramatic effect.

Chapter 4 revolves round the role of chorus in classical drama as a key
element of the unfolding of the plot and the communication of meaning
to the audience. Dugdale differentiates the role of the chorus in the
different types of drama (old and new comedy, satire) and selects a
number of extensive passages from Greek plays to show how the chorus
engages with the characters and the audience through the visual and
auditory spectacle it offers (costumes, masks, song and dancing).
Dugdale is right to devote a whole chapter to the chorus, as for the
modern reader this can be a distinctly foreign element of tragedy,
since it is not one of the standard conventions of modern drama.

One of the most important elements of Greek theatre, the dramatic
actors, is discussed in chapter 5. Dugdale's fresh approach deals with
issues such as posture and dramatic silences, actors' entrances to and
exits from the stage, supplications and prayers, to demonstrate how
these add to the aesthetic effect of the drama plays in antiquity. He
goes on to discuss non-verbal elements of theatrical performance, and
he centers the argument on the use of masks and the creative
possibilities they offer in depicting the characters and in conveying
meaning. Dugdale discusses the practical advantages of wearing a mask
and how masks have contributed to the formation of recognizable
dramatic characters. Finally, Dugdale comments on the development of
the acting profession and the recognition of its status.

Classical drama, as we know it, would not have been the same without
the recognition and appreciation it received from the audiences of the
time. This is the theme of the penultimate chapter of this book, where
Dugdale discusses matters such as audience size and composition,
seating arrangements and other social aspects of the Athenian
theatre-goers. Theatre was not only a source of entertainment and
Dugdale rightly explores the social and sociological implications of
drama for the audiences of the classical era. He also emphasizes the
audience's emotional involvement and response in giving Greek theatre
its significance and value, and he highlights the dramatic conventions
the authors have been using in order to attract and maintain the
audience's interest and yield emotional responses to it. In this
chapter Dugdale manages to bring out the central role of theatre in the
Athenian society as a multifaceted cultural phenomenon. I also found
interesting his brief sociological analysis of the different types of
theatre-goers, which has a lot to say about the audiences of our time
too.

Finally, the last chapter pays homage to the leading playwrights
(Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander) of
Athenian drama, providing brief synopses of their lives, works and
particular contributions to the advancement of theatre in antiquity.
This chapter is perhaps the least stimulating in this book, mainly
because of its descriptive character due to the material the author
deals with.

Dugdale writes with wit and precision and knows how to address his
audience and bring his subject to life. He also writes in a clear,
jargon-free language which definitely contributes to the high degree of
readability of this volume. Whenever he uses terminology, Dugdale
provides full explanation in extensive footnotes, leaving no room for
misconceptions. He is also not afraid of making references to, mutatis
mutandis, modern-day parallels of key themes discussed in the book,
which allow his audience, and the undergraduate student in particular,
to draw from their own experiences in order to understand Athenian
drama better.

In building his arguments, Dugdale makes extensive use of extracts from
classical drama and other literary and non-literary sources. This is
done to good effect, as it engages the readers in the reading activity
and allows them to follow the arguments more clearly. It also
familiarizes undergraduate students with a wide range of topics through
the study of original texts, which may encourage students to have a
closer look at the original for a more thorough study of a particular
theme discussed in the book.

The illustrations are of high quality, although in one or two cases
students cannot extract any valuable clues from the visual stimuli
discussed in the book. On page 10, for instance, where Dugdale focuses
on the Pronomos Vase, he asks his readers to draw likely conclusions
from the fact that chorus members are labeled with the names of the
actors while those playing the main parts bear the names of their
characters. However, it is unlikely that any of the students can
actually see this particular piece of information on the vase, so they
can only imagine it. Finally, a full index of illustrations at the end
of the book would have been much better than the notes on the inside
title page.

D invites readers to reflect on the material he presents to them by
setting a number of questions throughout his book, both at the end of
chapters and in specific sections. Posing questions is one of the most
useful elements in this book. Questions prompt students' critical and
reflective skills, allowing them to make comparisons with today's
theatre and take their thinking in deeper levels. Dugdale's questions
are generally concise, clear and thought provoking. I felt, however,
that there were times where the questions were rather leading ones and,
in certain cases, more or less included the answer. To give an example,
on page 67 Dugdale discusses a scene from Euripides' Bacchae (576-626)
and asks:

How might this scene have been staged in a time before Jurassic Park
and the era of computer generated special effects? The scene refers to
many spectacular sights and sounds: was everything to be imagined, or
do you think there was some kind of enactment of the god's epiphany
through stagecraft (e.g. a drum roll for the earthquake, smoke
ascending from backstage for the fire, the collapse of some stage
scenery)?

>From a pedagogical point of view, I believe that some questions could
be improved in order to be more fruitfully used in university courses
on drama.

Overall, Greek Theatre in Context is a valuable text for an
introductory course in Greek drama. It is clearly and engagingly
written and fulfills its aims, to provide the rich contextual framework
within which Greek theatre is situated. Students will find it
informative and stimulating and instructors will recognize it as a
useful companion in their teaching.