Conflict and Identity in Greek drama

I am a student of the University of Hull blogging as part of my assessment for the module Drama, Conflict and Identity. All views expressed here are my own and do not represent the university.

Student Number: 202208874

The origins of theatre can be traced back to many ancient civilisations, however more notably, the ancient Greeks are often credited with the invention of modern theatre; theatre has evolved and is still evolving into a vibrant art form, but it still draws upon the same techniques and themes the ancient Greeks explored. In ancient Greek theatre, the use of outdoor amphitheatres was used, which, if using the example of the Theatron (or Theatre) of Dionysus, the Greeks patron god of fertility, wine, and pleasure, consisted of the orchestra (a designated area where the chorus would sing and dance in unison), proskenion (where the actors would perform), logeion (a speaking place for the actors), and the parados (these were walkways that acted as entrances and exits for the chorus and performers). The theatre was also comprised of five stage mechanisms: the skene (a tent),  proskenion (before the tent), orchestra (a dancing place), ekkykelma (a rolling platform), and mechane (a crane); whereas now we may have lighting, sound systems and extensive props, the ancient Greeks used their archaic and limited resources to create a setting that would harbour impactful plays during the crucial festivities of Dionysus. 

(Below) A floor plan of what the Theatre of Dionysus would have looked like in the fourth century ( Dörpfeld, & Reisch: 1896).

The ruins of the Theatron of Dionysus (Shutterstock: 2023).

The adaption of Euripides' tragedy Medea can highlight the evolution of theatre. To begin with, one of the glaring differences is the casting of actresses as the ancient Greeks only allowed men to perform and would have employed young boys to act as women, such as the central persona Medea, and the figure and stature of the boy would be seen by the audience, but all the performers would have heavily relied on the use of masks and exaggerated gestures to convey emotion and character; within the adaptation though, masks are not used, and they express more subtle gestures, such as fluctuating their intonation to display more raw emotions that a mask would block. Symbolic and striking, costumes helped distinguish characters (such as a heavy flowing cloak for a tragic hero) and displayed the extent of Athenian wealth, creating a sense of grandeur to the festivities. They were a crucial part of the overall theatrical experience, s, as Wyles describes, being "elaborately patterned" using silk, linen, and gold thread, creating a more stylised and dramatic effect with the costume. Though the costumes in the modern adaption may not be elaborate, they accurately display the clothing and hairstyles that would have been worn by the ancient Greeks themselves, such as the simple linen dresses the enslaved women wore. Though there are many differences between modern and ancient Greek theatre, similarities demonstrate the power of theatre and drama as an evolving and everlasting art form.  

A clip of an adaption of Medea (Kenney & Quintero: 1959).

“Greek myths were endlessly malleable” (Wiles, 2000: 19), and Euripides’ Medea falls under this stipulation. While other playwrights (such as Aeschylus and Sophocles) portrayed her as a wise and powerful sorceress who assists Jason, Euripides displays her as a microcosm of ultimate betrayal, manifesting into a hideous act of revenge – killing their two children. “Think of thy torment. They are dead, they are dead!” (Euripides, 2011: 76) uses repetition to metaphorically drown Jason in despair as not only does the death of their children break him entirely, but the unsuspected betrayal of his wife, who he once loved and trusted, destroys him. The “torment” she has so desperately craved for her husband to feel sprouts from the humiliation she was forced to experience due to her husband leaving her. Hence, she torments him with the most unbearable pain unimaginable to a parent – losing their child. It could be argued that he was the reason for the death of his children as he seemed more concerned with his political ambitions and social status rather than the wellbeing of his existing family – he mentally erased his family, so Medea made it a permanent mark on his mind by killing the two innocent bystanders in their war for power; by doing so, the loss of his children exposed him to the futility of his ambitions and is left to grapple with the consequences of his actions.  

A sarcophagus with the telling of Medea (Zucker, & Harris: 2015).

Medea’s destructive line is the beginning of the last battle the venomous couple would partake in, stichomythia occurring during the exchange between Jason and Medea, spotlighting their final battle through a swordfight of the mind through language as their unbroken one-line dialogue emphasises their struggle for power, an imbalance of power between them (forged by the patriarchal society of their era) making itself known, forcing Medea to desire the reclamation of power and control she once had over her life, instead being known as a foreign woman who betrayed her city-state for Jason; their conflict resulting in the deaths of their children and the annihilation of their family and Medea’s nonchalant attitude concerning the ordeal, as if the haze of the perfect revenge has clouded her mind, even signified by the punctuation used (a full stop), further expressing the callous approach Medea undertakes and her apathetic nature towards the vile deed she has committed. Both sentences also highlight Medea’s identity as a mother finally being erased by her hands, a crucial aspect of the play. Even though she adored her children, the constant downplaying and lack of acknowledgement of her being a mother shown by other characters and instead being seen as a murdering foreign sorceress, Jason arguing that she is too unstable to be trusted with their children, her identity as a mother being weaponised against her, and of course, the murder of her children solidifies her rejection of being a maternal figure and implies a willingness to sacrifice her children in order to achieve her ambitions.   

Medea carrying her dead child (Zucker, & Harris: 2015).

Bibliography:  

Baldry, H.C. (1981). The Greek tragic theatre. London: Chatto & Windus. 

Berg, N. V. D. (2019) Woman carrying baby statue [photograph]. Available online: https://unsplash.com/photos/GVheioPZdpk [Accessed 29/03/2023].

Dörpfeld. W., & Reisch. E. (1896) Das griechische Theater [photograph]. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Dionysus [Accessed 29/03/2023].

Green, J.R. (1996). Theatre in ancient Greek society. London: Routeledge.

Medea (1959) Directed by Wes Kenney and José Quintero [Film]. WTNA.

Shutterstock. (2023) Theatre of Dionysus [photograph]. Available online: https://www.historyhit.com/locations/theatre-of-dionysus/ [Accessed 29/03/2023].

Wiles, D. (2000). Greek theatre performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Wyles, R. (2023)  An introduction to... tragic costume. Available online: http://www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/learning/an-introduction-to/an-introduction-to-tragic-costume [Accessed 25/03/2023].

Zucker, S., & Harris, B. (2015) Medea Sarcophagus [photograph]. Available online: https://smarthistory.org/medea-sarcophagus/ [Accessed 29/03/2023].