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The Aeschylean Chorus The Aeschylean Chorus Anastasia Lazani A Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Department of Greek and Latin, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University College London January 2019 1 Declaration I, Anastasia Lazani, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Abstract The chorus lies at the heart of the tragic genre for the Greeks. Yet modern scholars, audiences and theatre professionals have struggled to relate to this element of the tragic performance, which lacks a direct equivalent in modern Western theatre. Furthermore, the dramatic chorus (tragic or comic) is unique among Greek choral groups, as it combines a fictive identity inside the world of the play with the ritual identity of a chorus performing at a religious, civic festival. It thus occupies a space that is enriched by both strands of its existence: the fictionality of its persona, which is fully integrated into the tragic plot, and the rich tradition and connotations of Greek chorality. This thesis offers a new reading of the chorus across the Aeschylean corpus, organised around the fictive identity of the chorus members. Chapter 1 draws on the stark gender divide that characterises Greek life and the way this is translated into female tragic choruses, while the chapter also examines the rich non-dramatic choral tradition that underpins female tragic choruses. Chapter 2 analyses Aeschylus’ take on the ‘barbarian’ in an era where issues of identity are particularly relevant due to the Persian wars and the emerging supremacy of the Athenians. Chapter 3 looks at aged choruses, examining the connotations of wisdom and weakness that old age has in Greek thought, and how this impacts on the position of the chorus in the play. Chapter 4 analyses the peculiar case of divine tragic choruses, and examines how Aeschylus incorporates the notion of the divine as understood by the Greeks into the pre-dramatic tradition of divine choruses. The chapter also look at the construction of chorality in Aeschylus’ satyr plays. Where possible, evidence from fragmentary plays, as well as works that have influenced, or been influenced by, Aeschylus has been used to expand our perspective on Aeschylus’ dramatic practice. 3 Impact Statement This thesis aims to offer a reevaluation of the chorus in the Aeschylean corpus and thus deepen our understanding of the tragic chorus as a whole and reaffirm the centrality of chorality in Greek culture. With its emphasis on elements of the fictional identity of the chorus that are based on socio-political taxonomies, this thesis also touches on issues relating to identity- shaping mechanisms and the power of the visual medium. In an era when we are moving away from traditional modes of representation, largely owing to the widespread use of social media, the Greek tragic chorus can offer useful insights into our own ways of expressing, questioning and shaping collective and personal identities. The investigation of this seemingly uniquely uniform voice of a group of people whose dance and song lies at the heart of Greek tragedy can also open up new ways of looking at modern theatrical performances and offer a perspective on the history and evolution of theatrical practice. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments p.8 Abbreviations p.9 Introduction p.10 A. The Identity of the Dramatic Chorus p.11 B. The ancient reception of Aeschylean choruses p.16 C. Studies on the Aeschylean chorus p.20 D. The approach taken in this study p.22 E. The themes p.27 i. Gender p.27 ii. Ethnicity p.29 iii. Old Age p.30 iv. Divinity p.32 Chapter 1: Gender p.34 A. Introduction p.34 B. Seven against Thebes p.40 i. Male control: setting the scene p.40 ii. The entrance of the women p.44 iii. Managing gender identity p.49 iv. Maidenly Emotions p.51 v. Female Rituals p.53 vi. Women: the polis and the oikos p.56 vii. Conclusion p.60 C. Suppliants p.61 i. Self-perception, self-presentation and rhetoric p.64 ii. Female authority: threats and persuasion p.69 iii. Marriage p.80 iv. Secondary Chorus p.82 v. Changes in choral mood p.84 vi. Conclusion p.88 D. Choephori p.89 i. The chorus in black p.90 ii. Lamentation and the etiquette of death p.96 iii. The authority of the chorus p.101 iv. The chorus and the siblings p.103 v. The chorus and the rulers p.107 vi. Conclusion p.110 Chapter 2: Ethnicity p.112 A. Introduction p.112 B. Persians p.116 i. Defeated yet sovereign: the identification potential of the chorus p.118 ii. Self-presentation of the chorus p.122 iii. The costume of the chorus: exoticism and oriental wealth p.127 5 iv. The chorus in interaction p.132 ▪ The chorus as royal councillors p.132 ▪ The messenger scene p.137 ▪ The ghost of Dareius: conjuring despotism p.139 ▪ Lamenting against, and with, the king p.143 v. Conclusion p.150 C. Phrynichus’ Phoenician Women p.152 i. The departed Persians and those left behind p.153 ii. The chorus p.156 iii. Conclusion p.161 Chapter 3: Old Age p.163 A. Introduction p.163 B. Agamemnon p.165 i. Self-Presentation: Weak and Powerful p.167 ▪ Σάρξ and σκῆπτρον: Physical weakness and political hierarchy p.167 ii. Old Age as a source of power: the healthy civic traditions p.171 ▪ Oἰκουρός and moral superiority p.172 ▪ Narration and the healthy civic past p.172 iii. The chorus in interaction with the characters p.176 ▪ The messenger scene p.176 ▪ The ‘carpet scene’ p.179 ▪ The Cassandra scene p.181 ▪ The awakening of the chorus p.184 ▪ Ending p.186 iv. Conclusion p.190 Chapter 4: Divinity p.194 A. Introduction p.194 B. Aeschylus’ Eumenides: chthonic divinities on the Attic stage p.196 i. Interrupted order p.196 ii. Postponed parodos p.198 iii. ‘Presence’ of the chorus before the parodos p.200 iv. A sleeping chorus p.202 v. An unwanted chorus p.208 vi. Second parodos: enter the hounds? p.212 vii. Choral authority: the chorus in Athens p.215 viii. The Play after the Trial: Athens and the Erinyes p.218 ▪ The secondary chorus p.220 ix. Conclusion p.222 C. Prometheus Bound: a divine maiden-chorus p.224 i. A divine entrance p.224 ii. Human Maiden Choruses p.227 iii. Links with non-dramatic poetry p.229 iv. Conclusion p.233 D. Nereides p.234 Conclusion p.239 E. Satyr drama: Aeschylus’ other non-human choruses p.240 i. The chorus as κνώδαλα and male sexuality p.242 ii. Satyric occupations: a chorus with its own agenda p.245 6 Conclusions p.248 Bibliography p.251 7 Acknowledgements It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the debts I have incurred during the writing of this thesis. I would first like to express my gratitude and heartfelt thanks to my supervisor, Professor Chris Carey. His unstinting generosity with his time and ideas, his good humour and his pragmatic advice have been indispensable for the completion of this dissertation. I would also like to thank Professor Stephen Colvin, whose door was always open whenever I needed his help or advice through the years, including at the final stages of my thesis. My thanks also go to the Head of the Department of Greek and Latin, Professor Gesine Manuwald, and all the staff and students of the Department, who made UCL such a supportive, positive environment to work in; the staff of the Institute of Classical Studies, for providing a stimulating and welcoming environment for a researcher; Professor Soteroula Constantinidou and Professor Constantinos N. Constantinides, for the kind help and wise advice they have given to me so generously over the years; and the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) for their financial support. Finally, I would like to thank all the people I have met and exchanged ideas with, especially my friends Margarita and Elena, for sharing the joys and stress of London life with me; and James, for his kindness and generosity. Last but not least, I would like to thank my partner and my dear family, for loving me always. 8 Abbreviations Quotations from Aeschylus follow the OCT edition of D. L. Page (Ed.). (1972). Aeschyli septem quae supersunt tragoediae. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Abbreviations of authors and their works follow the OCD3. D-K Diels, H. & Kranz, W. (Eds.). (1964) Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker (3 vols). Zurich; Berlin: Weidmann. FJ-W Friis Johansen, H., & Whittle, E. W. (Eds.). (1980). The Suppliants (3 vols). Copenhagen: Gyldendal. KPS Krumeich, R., Pechstein, N. & Seidensticker, B. (Eds.). (1999). Das griechische Satyrspiel, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. LIMC Lexicon iconographicum mythologiae classicae. (1981-1999). Zürich; München: Artemis & Winkler Verlag. LSJ9 Liddell, H. G., & Scott, R. (Eds.). (1996). A Greek-English lexicon (9th ed. revised and augmented by H. Stuart Jones and R. McKenzie). Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCD3 Hornblower, S., & Spawforth, A. (Eds.). (1996). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. PCG Kassel, R., & Austin, C. (Eds.). (1983-2001). Poetae comici graeci (8 vols). Berlin; New York: de Gruyter. PMGF Page, D. L., & Davies, M. (Eds.). (1991). Poetarum melicorum graecorum fragmenta. Vol. 1: Alcman, Stesichorus, Ibycus. Oxford: Clarendon Press. S-M Snell, B., & Maehler, H. (Eds.). (1987). Pindari carmina cum fragmentis. Leipzig: Teubner. TrGF Snell, B., Kannicht, R., & Radt, S. (Eds.). (1971-2004). Tragicorum graecorum fragmenta (5 vols). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht. 9 INTRODUCTION This thesis examines the use of the chorus by Aeschylus, the earliest surviving Athenian dramatist.
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