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was¡¡a¡¡matter¡¡of¡¡birth¡£¡¡You¡¡were¡¡an¡¡Athenian¡¡because¡¡your

father¡¡and¡¡your¡¡grandfather¡¡had¡¡been¡¡Athenians¡¡before¡¡you¡£

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were¡¡born¡¡of¡¡non¡­Athenian¡¡parents£»¡¡you¡¡remained¡¡a¡¡¡®¡®foreigner''

until¡¡the¡¡end¡¡of¡¡time¡£



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to¡¡one¡¡and¡¡who¡¡performed¡¡those¡¡tasks¡¡to¡¡which¡¡we¡¡modern

people¡¡must¡¡devote¡¡most¡¡of¡¡our¡¡time¡¡and¡¡energy¡¡if¡¡we¡¡wish¡¡to

provide¡¡for¡¡our¡¡families¡¡and¡¡pay¡¡the¡¡rent¡¡of¡¡our¡¡apartments¡£

The¡¡slaves¡¡did¡¡all¡¡the¡¡cooking¡¡and¡¡baking¡¡and¡¡candlestick

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and¡¡the¡¡jewelers¡¡and¡¡the¡¡school¡­teachers¡¡and¡¡the¡¡bookkeepers

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the¡¡omnipotence¡¡of¡¡the¡¡great¡¡god¡¡Zeus¡£



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masters£»¡¡and¡¡it¡¡was¡¡very¡¡pleasant¡¡to¡¡be¡¡a¡¡member¡¡of¡¡the

organisation¡£



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people¡¡about¡¡whom¡¡you¡¡have¡¡read¡¡in¡¡the¡¡pages¡¡of¡¡¡®¡®Uncle

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freeman¡¡who¡¡had¡¡come¡¡down¡¡in¡¡the¡¡world¡¡and¡¡who¡¡had¡¡been

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more¡¡prosperous¡¡than¡¡the¡¡poorer¡¡classes¡¡of¡¡the¡¡freemen¡£¡¡For

the¡¡Greeks£»¡¡who¡¡loved¡¡moderation¡¡in¡¡all¡¡things£»¡¡did¡¡not¡¡like¡¡to

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upon¡¡the¡¡smallest¡¡pretext¡£



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without¡¡which¡¡no¡¡city¡¡could¡¡possibly¡¡become¡¡the¡¡home¡¡of¡¡a¡¡truly

civilised¡¡people¡£



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for¡¡those¡¡household¡¡duties¡¡which¡¡take¡¡up¡¡so¡¡much¡¡of¡¡the¡¡time

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husband's¡¡coat¡¡with¡¡her¡¡seamstresses¡¡£¨who¡¡were¡¡slaves£»£©¡¡and

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the¡¡accounts¡¡which¡¡the¡¡overseer¡¡of¡¡his¡¡farm¡¡£¨who¡¡was¡¡a¡¡slave£©

had¡¡just¡¡brought¡¡to¡¡him¡£



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be¡¡truly¡¡free¡¡in¡¡spirit£»¡¡they¡¡reduced¡¡their¡¡daily¡¡needs¡¡to¡¡the

lowest¡¡possible¡¡point¡£







THE¡¡GREEK¡¡THEATRE



THE¡¡ORIGINS¡¡OF¡¡THE¡¡THEATRE£»¡¡THE¡¡FIRST

FORM¡¡OF¡¡PUBLIC¡¡AMUSEMENT





AT¡¡a¡¡very¡¡early¡¡stage¡¡of¡¡their¡¡history¡¡the¡¡Greeks¡¡had¡¡begun

to¡¡collect¡¡the¡¡poems£»¡¡which¡¡had¡¡been¡¡written¡¡in¡¡honor¡¡of

their¡¡brave¡¡ancestors¡¡who¡¡had¡¡driven¡¡the¡¡Pelasgians¡¡out¡¡of

Hellas¡¡and¡¡had¡¡destroyed¡¡the¡¡power¡¡of¡¡Troy¡£¡¡These¡¡poems¡¡were

recited¡¡in¡¡public¡¡and¡¡everybody¡¡came¡¡to¡¡listen¡¡to¡¡them¡£¡¡But

the¡¡theatre£»¡¡the¡¡form¡¡of¡¡entertainment¡¡which¡¡has¡¡become¡¡almost

a¡¡necessary¡¡part¡¡of¡¡our¡¡own¡¡lives£»¡¡did¡¡not¡¡grow¡¡out¡¡of¡¡these

recited¡¡heroic¡¡tales¡£¡¡It¡¡had¡¡such¡¡a¡¡curious¡¡origin¡¡that¡¡I¡¡must

tell¡¡you¡¡something¡¡about¡¡it¡¡in¡¡a¡¡separate¡¡chapter



The¡¡Greeks¡¡had¡¡always¡¡been¡¡fond¡¡of¡¡parades¡£¡¡Every

year¡¡they¡¡held¡¡solemn¡¡processions¡¡in¡¡honor¡¡of¡¡Dionysos¡¡the

God¡¡of¡¡the¡¡wine¡£¡¡As¡¡everybody¡¡in¡¡Greece¡¡drank¡¡wine¡¡£¨the

Greeks¡¡thought¡¡water¡¡only¡¡useful¡¡for¡¡the¡¡purpose¡¡of¡¡swimming

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of¡¡the¡¡Soda¡­Fountain¡¡would¡¡be¡¡in¡¡our¡¡own¡¡land¡£



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procession¡¡used¡¡to¡¡wear¡¡goat¡­skins¡¡and¡¡to¡¡hee¡­haw¡¡like¡¡real

billy¡­goats¡£¡¡The¡¡Greek¡¡word¡¡for¡¡goat¡¡is¡¡¡®¡®tragos''¡¡and¡¡the

Greek¡¡word¡¡for¡¡singer¡¡is¡¡¡®¡®oidos¡£''¡¡The¡¡singer¡¡who¡¡meh¡­mehed

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and¡¡it¡¡is¡¡this¡¡strange¡¡name¡¡which¡¡developed¡¡into¡¡the¡¡modern

word¡¡¡®¡®Tragedy£»''¡¡which¡¡means¡¡in¡¡the¡¡theatrical¡¡sense¡¡a¡¡piece

with¡¡an¡¡unhappy¡¡ending£»¡¡just¡¡as¡¡Comedy¡¡£¨which¡¡really¡¡means

the¡¡singing¡¡of¡¡something¡¡¡®¡®comos''¡¡or¡¡gay£©¡¡is¡¡the¡¡name¡¡given

to¡¡a¡¡play¡¡which¡¡ends¡¡happily¡£



But¡¡how£»¡¡you¡¡will¡¡ask£»¡¡did¡¡this¡¡noisy¡¡chorus¡¡of¡¡masqueraders£»

stamping¡¡around¡¡like¡¡wild¡¡goats£»¡¡ever¡¡develop¡¡into¡¡the

noble¡¡tragedies¡¡which¡¡have¡¡filled¡¡the¡¡theatres¡¡of¡¡the¡¡world¡¡for

almost¡¡two¡¡thousand¡¡years£¿



The¡¡connecting¡¡link¡¡between¡¡the¡¡goat¡­singer¡¡and¡¡Hamlet¡¡is

really¡¡very¡¡simple¡¡as¡¡I¡¡shall¡¡show¡¡you¡¡in¡¡a¡¡moment¡£



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of¡¡the¡¡road¡¡and¡¡laughed¡£¡¡But¡¡soon¡¡this¡¡business¡¡of¡¡tree¡­hawing

grew¡¡tiresome¡¡and¡¡the¡¡Greeks¡¡thought¡¡dullness¡¡an¡¡evil¡¡only

comparable¡¡to¡¡ugliness¡¡or¡¡sickness¡£¡¡They¡¡asked¡¡for¡¡something

more¡¡entertaining¡£¡¡Then¡¡an¡¡inventive¡¡young¡¡poet¡¡from

the¡¡village¡¡of¡¡Icaria¡¡in¡¡Attica¡¡hit¡¡upon¡¡a¡¡new¡¡idea¡¡which¡¡proved

a¡¡tremendous¡¡success¡£¡¡He¡¡made¡¡one¡¡of¡¡the¡¡members¡¡of¡¡the

goat¡­chorus¡¡step¡¡forward¡¡and¡¡engage¡¡in¡¡conversation¡¡with¡¡the

leader¡¡of¡¡the¡¡musicians¡¡who¡¡marched¡¡at¡¡the¡¡head¡¡of¡¡the¡¡parade

playing¡¡upon¡¡their¡¡pipes¡¡of¡¡Pan¡£¡¡This¡¡individual¡¡was¡¡allowed

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while¡¡he¡¡spoke¡¡£¨that¡¡is¡¡to¡¡say¡¡he¡¡¡®¡®acted''¡¡while¡¡the¡¡others¡¡merely

stood¡¡by¡¡and¡¡sang£©¡¡and¡¡he¡¡asked¡¡a¡¡lo

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