Bernd Seidensticker
In the heyday of the ancient Greek theatre each of the three poets who were elected to participate in the tragic contest at the most important Athenian theatre contest, the City or Great Dionysia, had to present not only three tragedies but also a satyr play. The large number of plays that are attested for Sophocles suggests that, over the course of the six decades in which he wrote plays, he produced no fewer than 30 satyr plays.1 In the book fragments, however, only thirteen plays are identi ed as satyr plays.2 Since we know the titles of almost all of Sophocles’ works, the missing satyr plays must be hidden among the preserved titles.3 The generic term satyroi or satyrikós/ê, which in the o cial records of the performances was added to the title, appears not to have been an indispensable component of the title. In the catalogue of Aeschylus’ plays, which probably traces back to Callimachus’ Pinaces, only one of the poet’s ten certain satyr plays, Circe, is classi ed as such;4 in most cases where we possess more than one book fragment of a satyr play, only one of the authors who preserve the fragments adds the information that he is quoting from a satyr play. The title alone rarely tells us that a given play was a satyr play. Some titles, however, ofer indirect clues: we may suspect a satyr play when its title suggests the birth or upbringing of a god or hero, such as Heracleiscus or Dio- nysiscus. And since tragedians did not use abstract terms as titles, we may assume that not only Crisis, Momus, and Hybris—for which we have explicit testimonia—but also Eris were satyr plays.5 Furthermore, since the satyrs
1 TrGF T 1, 76f. (Vita): 130; T 2,9 (Suda): 123. 2 In the cases of Kedalion and Momus the explicit identi cation hinges on conjectures of the titles in one of the book fragments (Kedalion fr. 328; Momus fr. 424). 3 Cf. the list in Radt (1982) 217f. 4 TrGF III T 78, l. 8. 5 Pearson (1917) I.139 and Sutton (1974) 133 believe that Eris was a tragedy. But besides the title the tone of the only fragment suggests that it was a satyr play: ‘I (fem.) again look hungrily at the cakes’ (fr. 199); Krumeich/Pechstein/Seidensticker (1999) 390f. 212 bernd seidensticker and their old father Silenus are obligatory elements of the genre, we can be certain that plays in which their presence is testi ed were satyr plays.6 Thus we know that TheLoversofAchilles (AchilleôsErastai; cf. fr. 153), the so-called Oeneus play (fr. 1130) and probably also Helen’s Wedding (Helenês Gamos)7 were satyr plays. Indications of this genre can also be seen in typical motifs and themes (as in the case of Daedalus and Cerberus8) and in the metre,9 language, and style of a fragment.10 In particular, we can expect colloquial, scatological, and obscene words and phrases. Opinions as to what is possible in tragedy difer widely. But if there is reason to believe that a certain play could be a satyr play, linguistic and stylistic observations can help to con rm our suspicion. With the help of these criteria and considerations we can establish the following lists of (a) certain, (b) probable, and (c) possible Sophoclean satyr plays: a) Certain: The Lovers of Achilles (Achilleôs Erastai), Amycus, Amphiarëus, Dionysiscus, (Heracles) At Taenarum (Epi Tainaro), Heracleiscus, Hera- cles, Hybris, Trackers (Ichneutae), Cedalion, The Judgement (Krisis), The Dumb Ones (Kôphoi), Momus, Oeneus play, Salmoneus.11 b) Probable: Admetus, Daedalus, The Strife (Eris), Nausicaa, Helen’s Wedding (Helenês Gamos), Inachus, Cerberus, Pandora or Hammerers (Sphyrokopoi).12
6 Cf. e.g. Aesch. Isthmiasthae and Dictyulci. 7 The orator Aristides (46, 307, 14; cf. Radt, TrGF III, 181), in a comparison of philosophers with satyrs, says that the satyrs in a play by Sophocles were overcome by lust when they saw Helen. But his words prove that Helenes Gamos was a satyr play only if he had this play in mind. 8 Satyr-drama is a genre of recurrent typical themes and motifs; cf. Guggisberg (1941) 60– 74; Seidensticker (1979) 243–247; Sutton (1980) 145–159; Seaford (1984) 33–44; Lämmle (2012 forthcoming). 9 There are a number of respects in which the trimeter of satyr drama deviates from that of tragedy: comic anapaests (resolution of breve or anceps outside the rst foot and not in names); breach of Porson’s law (no word-ending after a long third anceps) and three consecutive tribrachs; the trimeters of Ichneutae, however, are (almost) indistinguishable from tragedy (one rst foot anapaest: 230; four violations of Porson’s law: 114, 120, 341, 353; in addition the play contains iambic trimeters (298–329), which are not found in tragedy or comedy). 10 Cf. pp. 234–237. 11 For diferent lists, see Radt (1982) 190n7. 12 Many other plays have been nominated as potential candidates.