RWAAG, Drama Questions and Answers-->
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The information presented here represents my impressions as a result of reading in the subject over many years. I present this information with the purpose of providing ideas and stimulus for further research. Feel free to quote me, but undertand that some of my statements will require additional substantiation from ancient sources. There is a bibliography included which should document my main sources.
Comment: In a question asked about the participation of women in Greek theatr e, you answered that women probably were allowed to attend the theatre. I believe that is incorrect. In ancient Greece, only citizens were allowed to attend the theatre of Dionysis. This excludes women.
Answer:" H.D.F Kitto, in is book 'The Greeks' makes the following comment on p. 233.: The ancient "Life of Aeschylus tells the story that the Chorus of Furies in the 'Eumenenides' was so terrific that boys died of fright and women had miscarriages -- a silly enough tale, but whoever first told it obviously thought that women did attend the theatre." Minoan art plainly shows women acting as goddesses with women attendants. Since the theater rose out of religious ceremonies, it stands to reason that women participated. Kitto does complain that what you say is fairly commonly claimed in recent years. Perhaps you can find a ancient reference to back you up.
Comment: I am doing an anotated bibiography on women in dramatic literature and came across your comment. I am taking an introduction to theatre class and I was taught that women were not allowed in the theatre. I talked to my teacher about it and was told that it is debatable whether they did attend or not. I have also found a web page that attempts to answer the question as well, if you care to look. Click here
My observation, that theater is related to Minoan religious festivals in which women clearly participated, is not considered in the article you reference. I am, of course referring to a time about 1000 years prior to the classical Greek period. H. D. F. Kitto is refering to the debate referenced. At the present I consider him the best reference.
Question: What element of costume was vital 2 the actors ability 2 play numer ous roles without being detected?
Answer: Greek drama made use of the mask.
Question: What is a stasimon and a parados?
Answer: These words seem related to the words stasis and paradox. The parados is the first chorus entrance. Chorus songs are called stasima.
Question: the 2 essential elements of the original Greek plays, which clearly defined the role of the chorus, were ________ and _______.
Answer: Song and dance.
Question: What was the name of a 3 day annual festival held for Dionysius?
Answer: The Haloa was one Dionysian festival. But drama grew out of the worship of Dionysius, and as a result all drama were performed at a festival of Dionysius. The plays were performed during 7 to 8 hours on the days 11-13 in the Greek month Elaphebolion. This corresponds to the festival of Dionysia.
Question: What is a mechane?
Answer: This seems to be related to the Greek word for contrivance.
Question: Did women preform in the theater?
Answer: This is a subject about which there is great debate. Most information has woman excluded from the theaters in classical times. Before this the situation is fuzzy. The theater grew out of religious festivals and there is evidence that women participated in festivals where women played the part of a goddess in the Minoan Culture.
Question: what evidence can theaters supply us for "the rise of the individual" in the hellenistic age?
Answer: Drama reflects the taste of the audience. Playwrights also look to their society for models for their characters. The trick would be to find contemporary dramas or historical records. During that period I find Menander and Polybius who could be studied. Other authors include Quintus Smyrnaeus, Theocritus, Bion, and Moschus. Aristophanes is just before the very beginning of the Hellenistic age, while Demosthenes passes into it. Aristotle's Poetics might be very useful. You might be able to find ancient comments on the Poetics which are also useful.
Question: How does the role of women in ancient Greek art, compare to the role that Helen & Theonoe played in Euripides' Helen?
Answer: Their role is consistent with the role of women. Both women are secluded and under the control of one man, Theonoe's brother Theoclymenus. But they are able to do a lot anyway. Toward the end of the play Theoclymenus says "I have been duped and tricked with women's artful treacheries." When you try to control people, and the Greek men tried to control women, you find things get done behind your back. It would be better to educate the women so they know what to do. It is often easier to just do what the women want, and if you have kept them ignorant, you will be doing some pretty ignorant things.
Question: i have an interdiciplinary project to do, using 'oedipus' and pre-hellinistic greek references. i plan to do it the impact plays and drama had on the greek people (lessons and morals conveyed by the plays themselves), and how their orgins came through religious festivals. can you set me in the right direction?
Answer: There is no doubt that Oedipus-Rex involves a moral lesson, but Sophocles died in 406 BCE and Hellenism started in 338 BCE so you must find a reference in a short window of time. But an old Plato or a young Aristotle might work. The strongest moral lesson involves the father of Oedipus, King Laius. His mistake was thinking that he could challenge fate. Our problem is that we do not think that fate is cast as solidly as the ancient Greeks believed, nor do we think much of fortune telling. But what happened was that fate and right turned into logic, and the question becomes more interesting when you think about logic as a ground for moral action.
Question: I have a paper due on Antigone. I must compare and contrast Antigone by Jean Anouilh and the Antigone by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. I dont know where to start.
Answer: Start with Antigone by Sophocles. This play has much to say to the contemporary audience, but the environment of the story could use some updating. Is this what these modern authors have done? Why would they bother to improve on Sophocles?
Question: Have any women ever played in a Ancient Greek play?
Answer: In ancient times in classical Greece in the dramas that have come down to us, all the actors were men. In modern times many women have performed in Greek plays.
Question: drumming
Answer: I do not find any drumming among the Ancient Greeks.
Question: How does the role of women in entertainment today compare to the role of women in the ancient greek theatre?
Answer: Some of the most dramatic roles for women are found in the ancient Greek plays. These are unprecedented because of the seclusion of women of the time and because the actors and audience were mainly men. The women of Greek theater were sometimes powerful women powerfully portrayed. The women of today want to be powerful, but they do not want to be powerfully portrayed. They seem to prefer sexy roles where they are rewarded for being sexy.
Question: Noting the obvious differences between men and women (voice, body, emotions), why did the Greeks insist on men playing female parts? What was gained and/or lost by so doing?
Answer: The Greek drama arose from a male choral festival. They satisfied their need for tradition by doing this. There were similar female festivals that went another way. They were quite serious at first since it was a religious festival and not really for entertainment. They got a more objective view of women this way. Men had to understand how women behaved to write the dramas and men had to understand how women behave to perform them.
Question: why was there an all male cast during classical greek theatre
Answer: Mainly it was a matter of tradition. Greek drama grew from a male chorus that performed during an all male religious festival.
Question: How did women's life change from then and now?
Answer: Then there was slavery, women had no education, could not vote, and stayed secluded. Now slavery is gone, women are educated, vote, and can go anywhere they want. But to be an Antigone is still hard.
Question: What role did music play in Greek theatre
Answer: The chorus was chanted and sung. Music was monophonic so the chorus sang in unison.
Question: I am researching the reasons for the exclusion of women within ancient greek theatre. Could you help?
Answer: Yes. The reasons are entirely historic. Greek drama grew out of a religious festival that was for men only. There were similar festivals for women only, but drama did not result.
Question: what were the differences between the Ancient Greeks' classes in way of life?
Answer: As you would expect the wealthy had their tokens of wealth and the slaves did menial work for the most part. But this statement does not get at what was unusual about Greek (and especially Athenian) society. The populace was very civic minded and they placed more emphasis on what they did in the community than what they did at home. The most visible result of this is that their public places and temples were beautiful and well decorated, while their homes were plain. Festivals and other public events were very important, and it is likely that the more prominent citizens took a more prominent role.
Question: what is the most significant diffrence betwin the woman in greece and the woman in Rom?
Answer: The Roman ladies wielded considerably more political power and were cosiderably more free in their movements than the Greek ladies. But in spite of this the educational oppotunities for the Greek ladies were greater and they accomplished significantly more.
Answer: Women did not participate in the Greek drama, because it was a festival for men. They did participate in their own festivals.
Question: Where certain people not allowed to act?
Answer: Greek drama occurred in the context of a religious festival for men. One must expect rituals in this context and one ritual involved the exclusion of women.
Question: What was the role of Greek women in philosophy, literature, politics, and how were they received by their counterparts
Answer: Women made a significant contribution to each of these areas in spite of the fact that during the classical period they tended to be secluded in their homes. Within their own culture they were sometimes appreciated and sometimes ridiculed but this is often the price of fame. Not only did they make a direct contribution, but they also played a supportive role. Xantippe's wealth allowed Socrates to philosophize. They also served as a model for the creators who produced works that included women. The ancient Greek women are some of the most productive of any culture.
Question: I am doing a report on The Women of Acient Greece. I want to know how the men treated the women of this time.
Answer: A lot depends upon when, in the period and who, you are talking about. The Minoans worshipped women. The Myceneans converted to a sky-god that raped a lot of women. They had powerful women queens, but they also had women slaves who did what they were told. The classical greeks were careful to seclude their wives, which protected them from being raped, but kept them from shopping and moving about. These women did not go to school, but they did learn things from their fathers and brothers. The hetaerae were a class of women that did go to school and were allowed to move about, but they had the indignity of being entertainers and prostitutes. The women slaves could easily be turned into sex slaves. Some of the women were very successful and productive as artists or scientists, but they sometimes were humiliated for their success as women.
Question: Are there any other facts about any kind of ancient greece theater that would be suitible for a report
Answer: There are a number of interesting concepts that could be developed in terms of Greek Drama: Totemism, Family relations, Property(particularly land). These concepts changed from the time of the subjects of the dramas and the time the dramas were written.
Question: who were the three famous philosphers in Greek history
Answer: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Question: i am writing a term paper - a comparison of male-female orientation in ancient Greek mythology vs. ancient Greek culture. any pertinent info. would be appreciated.
Answer: There is much material on this site. You need to remember that the situation was much different during Mycenean times when the characters in the dramas lived, and classical Greek times when the damatists lived.
Question: Who are the main script writers in Greek Drama?
Answer: The great Greek playwrights wrote the first great dramas and many of them are still worth reading. The great authors are: Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, Sophocles.
Question: I was conducting some reasearch on your website. I came across your sentence that states, if women were involved in acting in ancient greece is debatible. In all of my other sources, it says that they WERE NOT. What is your source?!?!?!?!
Answer: Drama as we know it came from the Greek festival of Dionysius which was for men only. But the notion that women were not even spectators at these events is ridiculous. This subject is discussed in the book by H. D. F. Kitto cited in the Bibliography at Click here
But women had their own festivals. Though there is no real debate about whether women were involved in drama, there is question about whether they were involved in acting. Harrison, in her book states it this way" Most primitive religions have 'dromena' but from the religion of Dionysious sprang the drama. The analogy between 'dromena', things done, actions, and 'drama', a Thing Acted in the stage sense, has often been observed,...." She also points out that the rituals which stimulated the development of drama came partly from the religion of Crete. It is in Crete that the question of whether women acted is most relevant. The fact is that a number of images from Crete are explained by saying that a priestess is acting in the role of the goddess, for example, this one: Click here
Question: Why, if women were so unimportant in the politics of a male dominated society, did they have so much power and impact as godesses and characters in plays?
Answer: Women were important to Classical Greece, but the men took care of the politics for them. The plays were about a much different society that existed 800 years earlier. The stories about the goddesses may have been much older and may reflect the situaltion in an even older society.
Question: facts of women in ancient rome
Answer: The following sites are available:
Question: how was the god of it
Answer: Dionysius was the god of drama.
Question: Why were they treated so roughly
Answer: Life was rougher because they had fewer resources and less knowledge of how to use those resources.
Question: Why was it that women were not allowed to be in the dramas before 1660?
Answer: In ancient Greece drama was part of a festival for men only, so only men actor's were used. Later it was felt that it was immoral for a woman to appear on a stage.
Question: what were greek woman's interests, rights and personalitites??
Answer: Women did not have rights. This is a concept that was foreign to the Ancient Greeks. They had roles. Their main role was the bearing of children, which they did take an interest in. They also took an interest in traditional women's roles such as food preparation and the preparation of clothes including weaving and sewing. But the women of ancient Greece were an active part of a very creative culture and they participated to a great depth in a wide variety of interests including: poetry, healing arts, prophecy, sculpture, painting, music performance and composition, education, astronomy, astrology, philosophy, athletics, religion, rhetoric, writing plays, history, politics, mathematics, martial arts, dance. Greek drama displays women with a wide range of personalities. These range through compliant servant girls, delightful entertainers, working women, dutiful wives, faithless wives, loyalists, schemers, lovers, vengeful social climbers, queens, and concubines.
Question: what clothing did the trojan people wear?
Answer: Probably the same clothing as the Minoans and Mycenaeans.
Question: I have to do a senior research on ancient literature, could you assist me in finding websites on ancient literatue, goddess and women
Answer: Probably. But notice how much material this site has. And you should review the resources page at: Click here, the bibliography at: Click here, and the index at: Click here.
Question: What roles did women play in shaping Greek Society as it is today
Answer: This site is about Ancient Greece and not about Modern Greece. Ancient Greek Culture, and the ancient Greek religion have had a world-wide influence on art, science, and religion. When the Greeks converted to Christianity in about 125 AD this influence was greatly reduced.
Question: What is the significant role of female in ancient greek drama, especially in Sophocles?
Answer: Sophocles wrote about Antigone and Electra. Both are women challenging the rule of men.
Question: i have to do a research paper for my senior class, I'm doinit on the role of women in greek society. what would be the best to base my paper on?
Answer: You need to narrow your topic. Here are some examples:
Question: where do you get this information from?
Answer: There is a bibliography at: Click here
Question: education of children
Answer: For boys school was a school house and a teacher. Subjects included reading, writing, arithmetic,literature, music, lyric poetry, and physical education. Girls did not have to go to school. Sometimes they went to dance and music lessons, but most learning was done from their mother, other women, or their husband after they were married. Some Greek women also learned from a brother who went to school, or their father. There were special schools for the women who wanted to become a hetara. The women of ancient Greece are some of the best educated women ever in spite of the fact that they were often confined to the home.
Question: C.J.Herington claims that "..in the Athenian tragedies...to condemn women as aclass, to reject the feminine outright, is regularly a sign of a flawed character and impending disaster". For example, Eteocles is doomed when he unnecessarily retributes the chorus of women in Aechylus' Seven Against Thebes. Are there any other greek plays which bear this factor and do you think that it is a fair assumption?
Answer: Rejecting the feminine outright is probably a sign of insanity, so the claim is a good one. This is called misogyny. There is a reference at Click here. Euripides was accused of being a misogynist.
Question: What are some plays in which Sophocles' displays the struggle of women
Answer:Antigone, Electra, Oedipus Rex
Question: I have to do a research paper and my topic is the inequality of women in ancient Greece where could I go to find more information on this topic?
Answer: This site has lots of infomation on that topic. Click on the Menu Directory below and then click on the politics page. Many of the other pages can be used. Check out the resource page for other useful sites.
Question: what is Shakespear's thoughts on the role of women?
Answer: Shakespeare lived almost 2000 years after the ancient Greeks so his thoughts do not belong here. He did use material from the Greek myths. More important is the fact that he lived during the time of Queen Elizabeth I who ruled England very well and long. He was, no doubt, influenced by the example of his Queen.
Question: I am writing a paper on the similarities and differences (compare & contrast) Clytemnestra(Agamemnon) and Jocasta(oedipus rex). I know the content of the plays but I am having trouble finding ways to connect them. Help!!!
Answer: Clytemnestra is a character in the following plays:
Jocasta is a character in the Oedipus Rex by Sphocles.
Note that both women were queens of a territory and their husbands became king because they both killed the former king. Jocasta did not know this, however. Orestes killed his mother, Clytemnestra, because she had killed his father. Jocasta killed herself because her husband was her son who had killed his father.
Question: how did women influence the roles of men characters in the oddyssey, shaname ( Sohrab and Rostam )
Answer: Society consists of men and women relating to work out their various roles in life. The society of the Odyssey was no different. What is remarkable about the Odyssey is the variety of roles that women are found in. The generality of these roles also makes the Odyssey more relevant.
Question: about medea
Answer: Click on the Menu Directory below, and then click on Medea.
Question: How does Jocasta in Sophocles' _Oedipus the King_ compare with Medea in the play of the same name by Euripides?
Answer: Medea acts. Jocasta reacts.
Question: im doing a research paper on lysistrata and i dont want to do it on its symbolism of feminism any suggestions?
Answer: There is a lot in this play suggestive of the normal behavior of the citizens. When one of the women says "you'll never eat garlic and black beans again." one can conclude that black beans and garlic were part of the diet. There is also stinging criticism of the politics of the day.
Question: Did Greek women attend the performances of greek drama?
Answer: It was a festival for men, but at such an exciting event it would be hard to keep them out.
Question: What were the main events or avtivities that the ancient greece women would participate in?
Answer: There were many religious activies that they participted in. Otherwise they supervised the household, took care of the children, and wove. The hetaerae were entertainers.
Question: How did women progress in greek theatre
Answer: Because Greek theater was part of a festival for men, women did not participate. But because women were important to Greek society, women had very strong roles in the plays but these parts were performed by men.
Question: who were some powerful women leaders in ancient greece
Answer: From Judy Chicago:
Question: When were Greek plays peformed?
Answer: only during the few days of the festival of Dionysos.
Question: What were the roles of men in ancient Greek drama?
Answer: Because Greek drama was performed during a festival for men, men performed all the roles.
Question: HI i'm doing a 4 page assignment about greek drama could you tell me what are the most important subject I could talk about and could you give me heaps of info about it.
Answer: Greek drama was developed in a festival for men and flowered in a Society where women were politically unimportant and isolated. It seems odd that women should be included prominently in the drama and that they should becom heroines. Yet Antigone, Medea, and Electra are characters in some of the most powerful roles ever written. This is an important subject which you can investigate further by going to the Menu Directory below and clicking on the names of each of these ladies.
Question: What are the standards of beauty in ancient Greek society?
Answer: The standards are still conveyed by the great art they produced. Because of the greatness of the art a verbal list is hard to provide, athough some have attempted measurements of the Venus de Milo. It is better to study the art itself to determine the standards.
Answer: Ve nus de Milo.
Question: Were there any Goddesses then ?
Answer: Homer reports the existence of goddesses in the Iliad and the Odyssey. These two books were taken as a true statement of the nature of the world until about 125 AD.
Question: hi.I am in gr6 and I have a project due.can you help me?I am arguing against another group that men shouldn't have been the head of the family,& that women should have been treated with respect.They also should have had the same rights that men did.can you give me some reasons?
Answer: You should study the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
The best head of the family is the person who has sense and can lead.
Women should always be treated with respect. If they are not respected then the children they are raising will not be respected. The early education of a child is the most important.
Legally, men and women should have the same rights. Both are an important part of the community and should be supported. People who are debased will not work well and support the community.
Question: can you tell me the most famous woman in ancient greece and information about her because i need to write 10 questions and their answers so please help me out!!
Answer: The most famous woman in pre-classical Greece was Helen. The most famous woman in classical Greece was Aspasia. You can click on the menu directory below and get information on these and other famous women of ancient Greece.
Question: what are the elements of a tradegy
Answer:
A tragedy call also be viewed as a noble struggle against impossible odds that eventually overwhelm with a resulting apotheosis.
Question: I'M DOING A YEAR 12 ASSIGNMENT AND I HAVE TO COME THE ADVANTAGES THAT THE MODERN FEMAIL ACTOR HAS IN ENHANCING HER THEMES, ISSUES, CHARACTERISATION AND SO ON OVER THE ACTOR ON A 4TH CENTURY BC GREEK AMPITHEATER? CAN YOU HELP ME WITH ANY INFORMATION?
Answer: The study of female roles in the drama of ancient Greece is an excellent topic. The modern female actress has the advantage of a sympathetic understanding of the role because in those days all the actors were male. You might find some examples where this would be especially true.
Question: How valuable is Greek drama (particularly looking at Antigone, Lysistrata,Medea,Thesmophoriazusae)as a source of information about the lives of women in ancient Athens?
Answer: It is extremely valuable especially when you consider how much information there is about women in other cultures of the time. You should also consider the enormous impact these works have had on the lives of women down through the ages. That is not to say that the information is easy to interpret. Realize that these plays are written by Athenian men who are writing about women who lived 800 years before them. Fortunately we have supportive information from other media of the time. It is a very valuable exercise and you should pursue it.
Question: information on a great male actor of anciet Athens in the 5th century
Answer:"The tragic poets of the 5th century BCE, most notably Phrynicus and Aeschylus, not only composed the plays but acted in them, directed them, and choreographed them." This is a quote from a web page about ancient Greek drama at: Click here
Phrynichus was an Athenian tragic poet who lived in the 6th through the 5th centuries BCE. Ancient authors believed he originated tragedy. Between 511 and 508 BCE he won his first victory for tragedy. In spite of his fame only a few fragments of his plays survive. One of his most famous was one on the capture of Miletus by the Persians. This one was probably produced about 492 BCE. This play was so upsetting to the Athenians that they fined him for producing it. He may have been the first tragic poet to introduce female characters. He did this by using a female mask.
Question: In your opinion, what are the three best drama examples to use when trying to illustrate famous heroines in literature?
Answer: Antigone, Electra, Medea.
Question: What are women's roles in Greek society and what are the differences between that and their roles in Greek literature/drama and why? Thank you very much!
Answer: In classical Greek society women were isolated from men and their role was defined in terms of child bearing and other activities that they could do in the home. The women of Art and Literature were not so isolated and confined. This is because the Greek artists and authors chose to write about a society that existed in the distant past. The only way that they knew about that society was through epic poetry and other hearsay that was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. The context of the art was usually religious so the stories were considered truthful by the classical Greeks. The tales gave the general report but when the classical artists wished to provide realistic details they had to turn to their local society for examples. The reader of the classical literature has to decide for which society each statement is true.
One example of how the interpretion must be made is the matter of freedom. In the literature the ancient ladies seem free to move about and interact with men. But archeological studies suggest that the Mycenean society was much more involved with taboos than the classical society. But the epics did not transmit information about taboos. Women in many societies have suffered many restrictions as a result of taboos, so it is reasonable to assume the the Mycenean ladies were similarly restricted. The classical ladies were confined to their quarters. This may have been a conscious choice to protect them from rape and the enforcement of taboos. The classical ladies may have been freer in confinement than the Mycenean ladies were with their taboos.
Question: I am presenting an oral on the following topic: What was the role of Theatre in Athens up to and just after Sophocles? I am finding it extreamly difficult to access any information, so if you have an answers regarding this question, I would apreciate it ASAP. Thanking you.
Answer: The following articles may help:
Question: women and culture.
Answer: Culture involves skills that are passed on by education and training and are devloped by discipline and practice. Women have always been involved with their own culture related to the family and child rearing. But they have always been involved in early childhood education as well. In many societies they are involved in later aspects of education as well. In ancient Greece the separation of women emphasized a separate women's culture with special religious holidays and festivals.
Question: what year were women allowed to go in the plays?
Answer: In ancient Greece drama was part of a religious festival for men, but by Roman times everyone went to the theater.
Question: ancient greek boys?
Answer: Boys participated in the chorus.
Question: how has the myth of pandora reflected attitudes towards the role of the female in classical greek society
Answer: The Greek males did a lot of wondering about the role of women in society. They wanted to control them bnut they never could. The myth of Pandora seems to reflect their general perplexity. It is not helpful in identifying the proper role of women.
Question: What was the role of the audience in an Athenian theater?
Answer: The drama of ancinet Greece was a religious ceremony in which the audience witnessed the effects of the deities.
Question: Whatwas the role of song and dance in Greek theater?
Answer: Song and dance was believed to be pleasant to the deities.
Question: i am writing a research on the position of women in greece, in the classical, archaic and hellenistic periods due to laws literature arts medicine religion.
Answer: You are planning a many volume book which you will probably never finish. Pick a much smaller topic. I might suggest that you write on the position of women in the classical period due to religion. This would only take 1 book. If you studied the position of Cassandra in Greece due to the religion of the time, you might have a good Phd. thesis topic. A master's thesis might study the religious implications of the rape of Cassandra. A term paper might involve Cassandra's involvement with the Trojan Horse.
Question: any modern movies influenced by greek plays?
Answer: Every movie owes a debt to Greek drama to some extent because Greek drama established the idea of drama and plays. Likewise shakespearean theater was influenced by Greek drama which in turn has had an influence on many movies. It may make more sense to turn the question around and ask, for any movie, what were the influences of the Greek drama. The last movie I saw was "Space Cowboys". This, of course, was a space odyssey. Even this movie has much in common with Greek drama. One could easily argue that this is influence. The influence of Greek drama is pervasive.
Question: I have a question about how the Greek culture expressed the idea "Man (meaning human beings) is a measure of all things" in the drama?
Answer: Man is the measure of all things means man sets the standard against which other things are judged. This means that the goal of human action should be good for man in general. This is consistent with the idea that if you do good then you will be rewarded in this life. The dramas generally deal with human interactions and how their results are played out. You can then see the relation between the actions and their consequences.
Question: Is Shiva, Parvati and their children on Mount Kailasa a work of Greek Art?
Answer: This seems to be from India.
Question: do you like ducks? do do do
Answer: Cranes were much more important to the ancient Greeks than ducks.
Question: What other name is the Pythia known by?
Answer: The oracle of Delphi was called Pythia.
Question: what are some of the main events tha took place in acient rome?
Answer: This site is about the role of women in ancient Greek art. Rome came later.
Question: How were women portrayed by playwrites in anciet greek theatre?
Answer: Women were portrayed as important.
Question: what level of intelligence did society think that the average greek woman attained?
Answer: Many Greek women were known for their intelligence. The fact that Athena was the goddess of wisdom helped, no doubt.
Question: what influenced classical greek and roman drama from the time of the early church to the time of shakespheare in the last renaissance
Answer: Greek drama was frozen after the Roman period. I have no informationon Roman drama.
Question: what about greek priests and priestesses
Answer: Priests served gods and priestesses served goddesses. Both were highly respected members of Greek society.
Question: what was the role of the chorus in The Bacchae?
Answer: The chorus of Bacchantes has the role in lyrical outburts of the most exalted delight and beauty of singing the praises of Dionysus.
Question: How are the women in Oedipus and Lysistrata different?
Answer: The women in Lysistrata were active and the women in Oedipus were passive.
Question: Why are women used in Greek Theatre where in society they play such a small role?
Answer: Women had a separate role from men, but it was not small. Women were portrayed in Greek theater because they were important to men.
Question: i have a five page paper comparing a character from Antigone to one from Oedipous the King
Answer: Compare Antigone to Oedipus on the subject of Fate. Or compare Jocasta to Ismene and how they see their feminine role.
Question: what are some differences and similarities between the characters Medea and Electra in Euripedes' plays?
Answer: Jason thinks to act but acts ineffectively. Medea responds to his action in a powerful way. Electra thinks to act but cannot. Orestes acts on her thoughts.
Question: I have this HUGE paper to do on Drama, could anybody give me ideas on what kind of topics i could do, or who else i could research besides shakespear?
Answer: What about one of the Greek dramatists that wrote about women?
Question: What does the play Medea have to say about the role of family, men and women in Greece? Does it reinforce traditions or refute them?
Answer: Medea is not a statement of fact. It is a display of the possible consequences of family members not taking the family seriously. It is not a statement of tradition. It is advice for all time.
Question: last year i saw a production of 'Agamemnon' by Aeschylus. it was produced by The Actors of Dionysus. i was wondering if you knew of their web page?
Answer: Click here
Question: were wome's theatrical masks different than men's so that you could tell it was a woman?
Answer: All actors were men and the pupose of the mask was to allow the audience to identify the character.
Question: How do Antigone and Medea Compare and Contrast
Answer: Both were powerful characters capable of firm action, but Antigone was inclined to nurturing, while Medea was more commanding.
Question: i am interested in finding information on the social function of greek drama pertaining to women
Answer: The Greek drama that we know had little to do with women. Women had their own festivals that may have included drama-like activities but we have no record of them.
Question: What kind of mask would the actor portraying Jocasta in Oedipus have worn?
Answer: The mask of a middle-aged woman.
Question: I have to compare/contrast Antigone with Sopocles, Basically my teacher asks us to compare and contrast how they both defied authority, and what were the results
Answer: Biographies of Sophocles follow:
Sophocles, himself, does not seem to be one who defied authority, but, in the play, Antigone, he seems to have a heroine who does defy authority. Your challenge is to compare Antigone's behavior with the effect that the play has had. Rather that being a challenge to authority, Antigone is a challege to make better laws. Ultimately the effect of Antigone has been more reasonable laws that are easier to obey.
Question: What do critics both old and modern say about Euripides' The Trojan Women
Answer: Some criticism follows:
Question: I am doing an oral presentation on The Trojan Women by Euripides. What was the audience's reaction to this play?
Answer: Perhaps this will help: War and Morality in Fifth-Century Athens: The Case of Euripides' Trojan Women.
Question: What are some similarities and differences between Antigone and Lysistrata?
Answer: They are both women with convictions. Antigone acts on her won while Lysistrata is organized at the political level.
Question: where can i find a web site about apollo the god of music and daphne daughter of peneus
Answer:
Question: What kind of costumes did they wear?
Answer: The dress current at the time the drama was written.
Question: what are some physical descriptions of women in ancient greece?
Answer: They were beautifully proportioned and beautiful in appearance. Greece was the land of fair women (Hellas). This is supported by the following quote from Wikipedia During the era of the Trojan War, the Hellenes were a relatively small but vigorous tribe settled in Thessalic Phthia, and centered along the settlements of Alos, Alope, Trachis, and the Pelasgian Argos[9]. This Homeric Hellas is expressly described as "καλλιγύναικος", kalligýnaikos, "of beautiful women", and its warriors, the Hellenes, along with the feared Myrmidons were under the command of Achilles.. Unfortunately this derivation of the name of the Greeks is not certain.
There is a lot of spectulation about the derivation of the word Hellenes which is the word that the Greeks use to call themselves. A fair consideration of this specualtion involes the names Hellas, Hellen, Helen, and Helle. Hellen was an early male ancestor decended from the first man who married Pandora. Commonly Hellas and Hellene are synonyms considered to be derived from this name. The derivation of this name from Indo-European could be 'bhel-3', 'To thrive, bloom' and 'lendh-', 'open land'. This suggests 'Hellen', 'Hellene', and 'Hellas' mean productive land. This is consistent with the story of Hellen who was born shorly after the great flood. Helle is most likely the female form of Hellen and it is her name that is given as the reason for the name 'Hellespont' which is interpreted as 'Helle's crossing'. The name 'Helen' has a different derivation from Indo-European: 'bhel-1', 'To shine, flash, burn, fire' and 'en', 'in' so this name means 'burn within' and could be the same as the current terms 'blond bombshell'. There is also little doubt that the notion of Helen as the most beautiful woman in the world affected the self-concept of the Hellenes who formed her culture.
Question: did women participate in drama?
Answer: They did not participate in the drama that has come down to us. This was part of a festival for men involved with the worship of Dionysus. But women had their own festivals and during these they may have played the role of a goddess. This seems to have been done in the Minoan Culture. There is an important distinction between impersonation and dramatization. In a fertility festival a festival queen and king could be selected. These two could be considered as impersonating the god and goddess of fertility. They might even have participated in a sacred marriage that impersonates the union of deities. It is likely that the women in ancient Greece participated in such ceremonies. But only at the festival of Dionysis did this lead to a drama where there was text recited with action related to that text. It is easy to see how impersonation may have lead to dramatization, but it only occurred at the festival of Dionysus for men only even though the antecedents of drama were present among the women also
Question: I want to do a paper on how plays can mimic the greek myths or are derived from them, but I'm having a hard time getting information. Any suggestions?
Answer: You may be on the wrong track. The ancient Greek playwrights actually were illustrating the myths. The myths came from stories retold by bards over a thousand years or more. For many years that is all there was. The Greeks thought of these stories as essentially true. The purpose of the dramas was to make them more vivid. They did not intend to fictionalize them or detract from their truth. But they did make changes to make them more realistic to contemporary audiences. Some of the poems that the bards presented were written down and others were not. Sometimes a drama presents unique information while in other cases the information can be gotten from one or more poems. The best approach might be to compare information from a poem like the Iliad with a play like Agamemnon. The poem is older so it may be more accurate. In some cases plays were written and lost. In some cases all we have are stories about these lost plays and not infomation aboutthe poems that were the source.
Question: compare and contrast Oedipus and Creon
Answer: Both are kings who missinterpret their fate. Oedipus fails to realize that he also must be the subject of his good intentions. Creon fails to realize that he must be subject to the will of the gods even though he is king.
Question: you mentioned in an above answer that "Greek theatre was a reflection of women in Greek society, not a changing agent. Greek theatre had more had more effect on the status ofwomen in europe after the Renaissance and in the U.S." Could you help me understand what exactly you mean by this or where i could find more info about their effect on future generations. I am in the beginning process of forming ideas for a research paper for my theatre history class. I am considering the involvement, if any, of Athenian women in theatre, their involvement perhaps in religious festivities that theatre originated from and their influeces on future generations. Any information or guidance would be much appreciated and cited.
Answer: Greek drama as we know it was part of a religious festival for men. The women had their own festivals in which they may have acted roles but we know little about this because the women did not leave any record. When women started to be educated at the beginning of the nineteeth century a classical education based on Roman and Greek authors was the best available. These women were greatly affected by their reading of Antigone and Electra as indicated by the reports in their writings. In fact it would be quite good if you could document this process in a woman such as Susan B. Anthony who was educated in this way.
Question: What did women do?
Answer: They participated in festivals for the goddesses.
Question: how does Euripide's play servr and/or critique their roles
Answer: This question probably requires a detailed analysis of the plays, but superficially the plays are more illustrative than critical. Euripides uses the characters to illustrate various moral points.
Question: What role did women play in the literature of the Western world?
Answer: Unlike the situation in ancient Greece, too often they have been a tool of the Devil. In this guise they have seduced men and led them on a path to Hell. But this attitude relieves men of their responsibility and deprives women of their constructive role.
Comment: Figuring out costumes is so frustrating I have to find out what the gods usally were depicted as looking like which with the Greeks and their way of having ten million diffirent version of the gods life is not easy. Since color isn't really mentioned (if you know of any specific colors the any of gods wore please tell me) I'm using color as cues to their personality. Such as Hera is in a peacoock blue and green because green is the color of envy and thats what Hera is most of the time. Um I put Apollo in yellows and reds and Artemis in blue and silvery grays with touches of gold for Apollo and silver for Artemis. Well anyway yeah so that the fun thing I'm figuing out now well that and a list of minor gods and abstractions. FUN FUN FUN! ...um no
Colors are hard to relate to ancient Greece because the art of Ancient Greece has come to us in monotones. Yet there are suggestions. Purple was a royal color becasue of the nature of its production and cost. Bright red was less expensive and used for weddings. White was the color of death.
Question: What evidence can be provided that Greek women were in the audience for plays in the 5th century?
Answer: This is like asking if women were with the army that attacked Troy. Of course there were. But they were camp followers and prostitutes, not soldiers. The question is whether proper wives attended these functions. At some point wives probably got wind of the fact that the dramas were interesting and worth attending. Then the husbands could hardly keep them out. The fact is that a wife usually gets what she wants. Just the fact of the high quality of the Greek drama proves that wives would have attended eventually. See Kito in the Bibliography for a more detailed discussion of this subject.
Question: hOW SYMPATHETICALLY ARE WOMEN PORTRAYED IN ATHENIAN DRAMA
Answer: Very sympathetically. This seems to be one of the strangest aspects of Athenian drama.
Question: Are there any similarities between the works of Greek playwrights and Roman playwrights
Answer: Roman playwrights were strongly influenced by Greek playwrights.
Question: what was life like for young women servants?
Answer: Life was a lot of hard work. A pretty or telented girl might be sold to rich man to become a wife, or she might be donated to a temple as a temple slave or prostitute. A really talented girl could buy her own freedom and become a hetaera. But an incompetant servant might end up in the street and almost certain death. In Athens a good mistress would try to make her servants feel like one of the family, but a servant had no recourse to ureasonable demands, including the sexual advances of the master.
Question: what information can you give me about athens.
Answer: All the famous Greek dramas were written and performed in Athens.
Question: politicaly speaking, what role did women play in the orestia ?
Answer: Surprisingly they are both protagonists and antagonists. This is remarkable for a society that confined women to the home.
Question: What are the some of the most famous plays about woman in ancient greece ? Were women in plays if so who was the most famous ?
Answer: No proper women participated in plays either as actresses or spectators. Hetaerae and insistent wives probably were spectators. The most famous plays were Medea, Antigone, Lysistrata, The Trojan Women, and two called Electra.
Question: what kind of education did they recive
Answer: They had the finest education in the ancient world. Later, during the Roman period the Greeks were in demand as teachers. During the classical period only the boy citizens were required to go to school. Girl citizens were not required to go to school. Most girls were taught by their mothers and husbands. Mothers taught weaving and household arts. Husbands also taught household arts but also taught some of the subjects they learnied in school. Many girls were sent to schools of music and dance. Girls who were to become hetaerae went to special schools where they learned music, entertaining, and rhetoric. The Symposia that were held contributed to their education. Often there would be a speaker, such as Socrates, who would speak on philosophy or other intellectual topic. The famous philosophers and poets gathered students around them and they would move from place to place for public lectures. The students often took copius noted on what the teacher had to say.
Question: War for the Greeks was a male occuaption. Why, then were the women so prominent and powerful in their depictions of war?
Answer: Women were greatly affected by the results of war. Men were dependent on supportive women to wage war. War also brought destruction, rape, slavery, and deportation to women. One theory is that in the Archaic period and earlier, the women sang the dirges and lamentations to the dead warriors.
Question: How did the women of Ancient Greece raise their children?
Answer: Plato's Republic contains exhaustive detail on this subject and you should read this book if you have not. Plato does say that you should not teach the young children the myths by Homer and Hesiod, but the women probably did it anyway.
Question: How did the ancient spartans trade and what medals did they use?
Answer: The Spartantans held a number of ports including Pheroe and Glythium through which their products were shipped to other countries. The metals they traded for included Iron, Lead, Copper, Tin, Silver, Gold.
Question: I have to come up with a thesis involving women in Greek epics. Do you know of a common theme or some kind of idea I could use regarding?
Answer: A number of women are associated with bulls, especially Europa. It may be that the Europa story relates to a domination of the Minoan religion by some goddess from Phonecia, perhaps Aphrodite. The Greeks seem to have inverted the story by making Zeus the bull. Since the bull rapes Europa it suggests the domination of the Goddess, perhaps Aphrodite, by Zeus.
Question: "Do you have any pictures on the epic part of "The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam" from the Shaname?"
Answer: This is a Persian story. Here is a book about it: Click here
Question: What degree of control did women have over their own lives and why?
Answer: If women obeyed men and were passive, then it would seem that women would have no control over their own lives. But Oedipus seemed to be passive in the face of his fate. And most people are controlled by their resources and circumstances that suggests a fixed and unalterable fate. But this is just an excuse and an illusion. The challenge is to take advantage of the small choices that are available and make each one good. In the face of the inertia of most lives these small choices grow as time goes on. You have control is so far as you make the choices and you loose control when others make them for you.
Question: what is the role of a greek godess in comparison to a greek woman
Answer: In the Greek myths a goddess is hard to distinguish from a woman. The myths are not clear whether women like Medea, Helen, Pasiphae, or Ariadne are mortal or immortal. A goddess generally had a sphere of influence, but that sphere might be very small. Circe had only an island to rule but she had maids to serve her who were also goddesses. These were nymphs whose sphere of influence included only a stream or spring on the island. In this case there is a heirachy of goddesses, with the highest commanding and the lowest serving. An ordinary woman was not so different except that she was always subject to her husband. The role of a wife was to bear and raise children, but she also often commanded female servants. The sphere of influence was more domestic, confined to the house, but still a sphere of influence.
Question: What are some points I could discuss in an essay on that role of women in one of the Orestian Trilogy and The Theban Plays?
Answer: The hardest subject but historically the most important involves which characteristics of the women are Mycenaean and which are Athenian. You should also identify universal themes.
Question: Anything about Lysistrata
Answer: This is one of the most important plays by Aristophanes, one of the most influential playwrights of all time.
Question: I have to write a 2 to 3 page analyitical essay on the role of women through the hero, Theseus. Do you know anything about this?
Answer: Yes, and you will not do this in three pages. You need to focus on a women he was related to. In the Odyssey, Book XI, Homer makes this reference to Theseus: "And Phaedra and Procris I saw, and fair Ariadne, the daughter of wizard Minos, whom Theseus on a time was bearing from Crete to the hill of sacred Athens, yet had he no joy of her; for Artemis slew her ere that in sea-girt Dia, by reason of the witness of Dionysus."
In the Iliad, Book XVII, he makes this reference to Ariadne: "Furthermore he wrought a green, like that which Daedalus once made in Cnossus for lovely Ariadne. Hereon there danced youths and maidens whom all would woo, with their hands on one another's wrists. The maidens wore robes of light linen, and the youths well woven shirts that were slightly oiled. The girls were crowned with garlands, while the young men had daggers of gold that hung by silver baldrics; sometimes they would dance deftly in a ring with merry twinkling feet, as it were a potter sitting at his work and making trial of his wheel to see whether it will run, and sometimes they would go all in line with one another, and much people was gathered joyously about the green. There was a bard also to sing to them and play his lyre, while two tumblers went about performing in the midst of them when the man struck up with his tune."
Notice that there is no reference to the Minotaur here. You would do well to focus on these two passages. Notice my coments on Ariadne in the article on Hera: Click here
Question: If women were considered as inferior beings in ancient greece, why were so many used in pivotal roles in their tragedies?
Answer: Just because a few men say that they are inferior, this does not mean that they are inferior.
Question: Women of Troy?? Whats that play basically about?
Answer: The Trojan Women is about the suffering women must do as a result of war. Though it is not a happy story it is very important and valuable.
Question: What was the importance of women in ancient greece drama
Answer: Greek drama was part of a religious festival for men only. That women were included, and not only as sex-objects is amazing. No doubt they were included to please the gods who were fond of women.
Question: How does women's roles and participation progress from Athenian times to present times through Greek Theatre
Answer: Women of Athens have had little effect on the women of today because they wrote little. They served as models for the Greek playwrights, but only for details. The major themes come from the time before the Trojan war but not usually from Athens. The dramas had little effect too until women began being educated in the schools in the ninteenth century. At that time though the works of the ancient Greeks formed the major content of their education. The dramas have had a strong effect ever since.
Question: I'm doing a paper on Antigone specifically how she defies the typical role of Greek women in politics. Can you give me a little insight on this?
Answer: Women had no role in politics. Ismene states the position of women early in the play. The role of Antigone seems to be ant even a mere girl can bring down a king if she follows devine laws against arbitrary laws of man.
Question: what was life like for greek goddesses?
Answer: Goddesses led different lives according to the importance and nature of their realm. The higher level goddesses such as Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite lived in a palace on Mt. Olympus with lots of fine food(ambrosia) and servants. Some of the lower level goddesses, such as nymphs, had to be those servants. But they were not ladies of leisure because they had a realm that had to be attended to. Usually this meant that they had to do something like hold court. When they did this they had to listen to petitions and pas judgements. But there were lots of gifts and parties that had to be attended to as well.
Question: A tragedy about a woman who buries the bones of her father. The father has broken a law. The punishment of the community was that he would be put to death and his bones were not to be buried. The daughter doesn't want her father's spirit to be in limbo, so she risks her life to bury his bones. She is caught and she too is put to death. Who was she? I just can't remember. Thank you.
Answer: ? Antigone buries the bones of her brother and is killed because she broke the law forbidding this.
Question: What lessons can be learned from studying greek lit. and why bother studying something written 2500 years ago?
Answer: The ancient Greeks produced perhaps the most advanced culture ever which was rich in great art an literature. The Greek literature contains many secrets as to how this was done so that we, too, can taste of that high culture. The literature, and art, was of such high quality that it is still often imitated. Learning this literature makes many current tasks easier because one merely follows the recipe of the ancient Greeks. Life really has not changed that much from that time as far as basic needs and great truths so what can be found to be common to their culture and ours is indeed a universal truth. Hegel pointed out that the advantage of studying such a distant culture is that commonalities that are great truths are easier to identify. But in the case of the ancient Greeks their stories were a bit more compelling. When Freud looked into the subconscious what he found were the myths of ancient Greece.
Question: PLEASE ANSWER THIS!!! What comment does Oedipus Rex make about fate and how we should deal with it?
Answer: When we look at our past it seems like everything is determined by fate. But in fact, in site of what is fated, we are given choices, which though small, have a remarkable effect on what happens in the future.
Question: What is the role or women in Oedipus the King
Answer: Women are a comfort to Oedipus and their loss emphasizes his tragedy.
Question: in the play Abraham and Issac, Issac made the statement "im sad this day to die, but i will not cause my gods to grieve" could this line be greek or roman, and why???? i have an essay due tommorow on this topic please help
Answer: The Greek deities do not seem to grieve. Since they each had a total view of eternity and could forsee the future, they might grieve when a human did not really understand it. This seems to be the situation with Thetis. They were further frustrated by the fact that they could forsee an event without being able to change it. Thus, Thetis knew her son would die, but she could do nothing to prevent it. She tried to make him immortal but failed, thus proving that even the gods were restricted by fate.
Question: what can we gain from Lysistrata about the role of ancient greek women?
Answer: We learn a lot about love and sex in ancient Greece from Lysistrata. We also learn about human nature and life itself.
Question: I have to do a web pg. on How the staging of female characters differ between tragedy and comedy? I have to look into staging, costume, masks, voice, and movement. I was wondering if you have any information or know of any helpful websites?
Answer: This should be interesting. I just produced Medea in Kent and I will produce Lysistrata in the spring. Comparing these two plays could be useful.
Question: Was religion a huge part in their everyday life?
Answer: Religion was very important to the Classical Greeks but it was not so dominant as it was for the Minoans and Mycenaeans. It is important to realize that religion for the ancient Greeks was not a matter of belief. The deities were an accepted fact and represented a part of reality that must be dealt with. Though there is some emphasis on remembering this deity or that deity, still, what was most important was the deity related to the matter at hand. If you had to start a fire you needed to pray to Hestia. If you wanted crops to grow you might pray to Demeter. Each deity was identified with (ruled) a realm. To know the deity was to know the laws of the realm. With each project the laws of the realm must be considered and so the deities were a part of everything.
Question: contrasting powers between Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite
Answer: That is what the judgement of Paris is really about.
Question: Were there any famous actors or actress in Greek Drama?
Answer: There were no actresses in the drama as we know it. All the female roles were played by men wearing masks.
Question: Why are all the women in ancient Greek Mythology, when they speak out, or are arrogant, get really unfair punishments? and when the men do that, they do not get the same treatment"?
Answer: There are a number of reasons for this. The most important is that the Greek dramas were actually dealing with the subject of fairness and and your reaction is appropriate. Another is that in ancient Greece women and men were considered quite differently. But notice that your statement is not really true. Medea, for example, was never punished at all.
Question: Are there any literary criticisms on Women in Greek Drama, specifically Lysistrata and Medea?
Answer:
Question: WHAT WAS THE PIECE OF EURIPIDE'S MEDEA ABOUT
Answer: The play Medea was about the destruction of Medea's marriage with Jason.
Answer: The Ancient Greek men went to symposiums and festivals. The women just went to festivals except for hetaera and prostitutes who went to symposiums as entertainment.
Question: How do Greek Tragedies compare to Shakesspear Tragedies
Answer: They have similar quality and importance. But Shakespeare wrote his tragedies for entertainment that the audience paid for, while the ancient Greek dramas were written for a religious festival.
Question: ancient greek women's roles in philosophy, literature, and politics
Answer: They had little role in politics other that as an advisor to their husband or male partner. Some women were able to take advantage of those around them, educated themselves, and actively participated in philosophy and literature. They were somewhat overshadowed by the men in philosophy, but in poetry their contribution is recognized as some of the best.
Question: what is the difference between athenian women and spartan women in Aristophanes' Lysistrata
Answer: Athenian women are urban and culltured while spartan women are rural and un-cultured.
Question: What part is Ancient Greece located? Naorth South East or West
Answer: Greece is in the southeast part of Europe near the western edge of Asia. It is a little north of the Northeast corner of Africa. Greece is to the east across the Atlantic Ocean from North America. It has a climate similar to Central California.
Question: why are women in greek drama always either monsters or victims
Answer: This seems true only because of the exageration of the author to make a point. But in reality few women fit either category.
Question: How does the funtion of the chorus in oedipus Rex compare to Medea?
Answer: This is a good research paper topic.
Question: I need a translation of the Epithaphium on Adonis, written by Bion Smyrnaeus?
Answer:
Bion : Smyrnaeus (Bion Of Phlossa Near Smyrna) The *fragments and the Adonis / Bion of Smyrna ; edited with introduction and commentary by J. D. Reed. - Cambridge : Cambridge University press, 1997. - VIII, 271 p. ; 22 cm. (*Cambridge classical texts and commentaries ; 33) N.Id.: 494600 TO00564046 N.Inv.: 18211 F. Var. G. Bion. ISBN: 0521573165
Question: both euripides and aristophanes seemed to show a higher level of respect for women than did other writers of their time. Are there any sources, which might contain commentary on the subject?
Answer: The writings of Plato and Aristotle seem to over shadow the other writers and they are critical of the women of the day.
Question: I have to write an essay on what women really want using Antigone and Lysistrata...do you have any ideas??
Answer: Antigone seems to prefer her dead brother to her living lover, but she may also be overwhelmed by her role as a woman in the face of blatant injustice. In Lysistrata the women seem more concerned about compromise than justice, but they seem to get what they want.
Question: personalities
Answer: Extreme personalities make good drama.
Question: Why were women treated a little better in Sparta then in Athens and Olympia.
Answer: They were treated differently, but not better. In Sparta the women had the right to hold property. Eventually they were blamed for the downfall of Sparta because of this. The women of Sparta had more formal education too, but this turned out to be mainly physical education so they could bear babies better. The Athenian women were actually better educated because they could talk to the Athenian men, who were educated in other subjects besides physical education.
Question: I want to know why Euripedes was branded a woman hater by his contemporaries, and what evidence there was for this, thank you.
Answer: He wrote some tragedies in which women suffered a lot. I cannot substantiate the claim that he was a women hater though.
Question: How does Antigone and/or Oedipus show women's roles in Ancient Greece?
Answer: Though the plot is Mycenaean, the behavior of the characters is modeled after the women of ancient Greece.
Question: what were the cutmues and tradition of greek theather?
Answer: The ancient Greek dramas were religious pagents performed once a year at a festival of Dionysus for men only. The actors wore their street clothes with masks over their faces.
Question: what did greek drama do for greek culture?
Answer: Within the Greek culture drama enlivened only one festival for a few days. It probably stimulated many moral discussions during that festival, but the impact of the culture was not that great. But with each successive generation the impact grew, until today it is a major force on our culture. The main impact of Greek culture is its legacy. Greek artists did include characters from drama in their images, but many of these characters were known from other sources as well.
Question: When did women become a big part of the theater
Answer: The first noted actress I find ChampmeslÅ, Marie Desmares (1642 - 1698) French actress. Click Here
Question: What are some feminist views of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles?
Answer: How do you identify a feminist view?
Question: Did women star in any plays ?
Answer: Not in ancient Greece.
Question: I am writing a university paper on the use of drama for religion in Ancient greece or greek mythology and can't find anything straight forward. Can you help me please?
Answer: In Archaic and Classical Greece all drama was used for religious purposes and this accounts for its moral content. Drama was presented as a part of a festival for Dionysos.
Question: What About Greek Dancing?
Answer: Dancing was very important to the ancient Greeks. Many of the images relate to dancing. Dancing was part of the festivals, entertainments, and religious ceremonies. Some of the choruses may have danced.
Question: archiochus
Answer: Archilochus was a poet contemporary of Homer. Of his life in the mid-7th century little is known. He came fro Paros and colonized Thasos where he apparently was killed in battle. He wrote short poems that survive in quotations in later authors.
Question: where can i find information on Trojan Women?
Answer: Some sites to check:
Question: What are some conflicts in Euripedes, "Iphigenia in Aulis"?
Answer: Read the piece to obtain the answer.
Question: what did the costumes look like which they wore in the theatre are there any links availible???
Answer:
Question: what were the roles of women in greek plays?
Answer: Since the greek dramas were performed at a religious festival for men the roles of the women characters are quite surprising. Many of the women are dynamic characters that would be unusual in any culture. One would expect compliant but sexy women that one sees in showgirl routines and beauty pageants, or strippers that you see a bachelor parties. Instead you see quite a range of women with independent thoughts and feminine concerns.
Question: were women able to become citizens
Answer: No.
Question: What was the typical size of a greek chorus?
Answer: Comedy had 24 members as opposed to 12 or 15 in tragedy.
Question: what was the structure called that actors performed in?
Answer: The general structure was called a theater. This was divided into five parts:
Question: yes, hello i need some answers about the roles of women in greek theaters. here they are: why don't women act in plays?? Can women go to the theater and how do they get there??? (this is al about ancient greek women in society not modern day greek)
Answer: Ancient Greek theater was part of a festival for men only. Women did not act in plays and they were not in the audience. They did have their own festivals though which could have involved similar events but they left no record of what they did. They could not go to the theater but they walked to their own festivals. Women were not involved in drama but they were very likely involved in their own dramatizations and imitations of goddesses.
Question: are you a virgin?
Answer: Artemis preferred women to stay virgin until they married, however there was no test of virginity in ancient Greece. A man went on a womans word and reputation.
Question: Why weren't they allowed to act in theatre?
Answer: In ancient Greece drama was a part of a religious festival for men.
Question: what influenced the playwrights?
Answer: Greek religion, politics, poetry, and their surroundings.
Question: I am writing a dissertation on the early forerunners of the "trouser" role in opera (women appearing as men). I am looking specifically for documentation regarding women appearing in religious festivals in ancient Greece and "illegal" appearances of women actresses in Roman theater. If you have any suggestions for where to look, I would appreciate these as well, as pictures of women on vases or other artwork, etc.
Answer: No women appeared in Greek theater because drama was a religious festival for men only. The Amazons were women who performed men's roles in life. Callipateira disguised herself as a man to be a trainer to her son at the Olympics. Agnodice disguised herself as a man to become a gynecologist. Though women did not appear in dramas they probably appeared in dramatizations in their own religious festivals. They could have portrayed a god or a goddess. Athena was a shape shifter and often appeared as a wise old man, and sometimes a young man. Dionysus could also appear as a man, a woman or a boy. A woman could easily have portrayed the god Dionysus a a religious festival for women.
Question: Was there nudity in Greek plays?
Answer: Comedy had nudity, but it was always male nudity. But usually a performer wore a costume with a fake giant phallus when nudity was called for. In Lysatrata the role of the nude Peace was played by a male with a sign that said 'Peace, a nude girl'
Question: how did the role of women change through out the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes?
Answer: This question deserves careful study in detail but the most sweeping generality relates to the depth and breadth of the role of women in these plays. This is quite remarkable compared to the general belief as to the limited role of women in the contemporary Greek society.
Question: what is the copyright of this page?
Answer: All material on this page is copyright Feb. 18, 2001 by Frederick John Kluth. The material may be copied by permission only. Only short passages may be copied for educational purposes. The copied material is to be in quotes and the author and web site listed. The site may be freely linked to other sites without permission.
Question: example of woman who cannot find happiness
Answer: These are monsters such as Scylla.
Question: what views did cassandra have on greek society?
Answer: In the Agamemnon she says: Yet once more I would like to speak, but not a dirge. I pray to the sun, in presence of his latest light, that my enemies may at the same time pay to my avengers a bloody penalty for slaughtering a slave, an easy prey. Alas for human fortune! When prosperous, a mere shadow can overturn it; if misfortune strikes, the dash of a wet sponge blots out the drawing. And this last I deem far more pitiable than that."
Question: Is medea an iconoclastic image?
Answer: No. Medea builds sacredness rather than destroying it.
Question: WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT WOMAN WROTE IN THEIR DIARY'S
Answer: Though ancient Greek women could write, they did not write any history of women. Ancient Greek men wrote profusely on many important subjects, including women, but women wrote much less, and most of that has been lost. What remains is mainly poetry and philosophy.
Question: Can you give me a picture of the Theater of Dionysis
Answer: Click here
Question: why were the furies in the oresteia trilogy women
Answer: click on the Menu directory below and click on Furies.
Question: Did women write plays?
Answer: No!
Question: Who was the Greek woman famous for her lyric poetry?
Answer: Sappho
Question: I am doing a paper on how the role of women in the greek trageties (jocasta, phaedra, antigone...) reflects the male attitudes toward women in fifth century athens. I wanted to show how they are the cause of tragety...showing that men perceives women as the root of all problems...do you have any suggestions or other correlation between their roles and male attitudes?
Answer: The myth of Pandora blames the women but the tragedies of Medea and Antigone both blame the men.
Question:What was Euripides view of women in reek society and how did it manifest in his plays.
Answer: There is no statement by Euripides about women other than his plays. You would have to read the plays to develop a hypothetical view of women. This has been the subject of debate even in ancient times. Aristophanes commented on this. The following article may be useful: Click here
Question: did women(mothers) often hear omens or voices?
Answer: No. A goddess like Thetis, the mother of Achilles, could do this easily. Only special mortals, like Cassandra, had this ability, even though it was a highly valued skill in those days.
Question: where did beauty pagents come from?
Answer: Women were not allowed to perform on the stage until the 16th century. But there is in the judgement of Paris the idea of a beauty pagent. This is probably a development of early fertility festivals. For these festivals a contest was held to determine who would be best qualified for this role. Most commonly a race was held but sometimes participants were judged1 to determine who was the most beautiful. The ancient Greeks seemed to like contests. Talent contests were also held. Some marriages were arranged with a contest.
Question: How do you see Clytemnestra in Aechylus' Orestia? are you sympathetic or do you see her as an evil woman? Also can you recommend any books/sites for this topic as I am studying this as a part of my degree. Thank you.
Answer: Click on the menu below then click on Clytemnestra.
Question: We have to have a Greek assembly and I need detailve information on Womens rights?
Answer: Click on the menu directory below and click on politics.
Question: What was the role that women played in Greek Tradegy?
Answer: The specific roles are not so important as the range of roles, which was huge. Though there were many women characters, women did not participate otherwise. There may have been women in the audience, but it was not proper for them to be there and the dramas were for men only.
Question: ý have an assýgnment about oedýpus at colonus and oedýpus the king! amd my problem ýs that what ýs the relation between free will and fate and god's oracle! pls help me
Answer: From the point of view of these plays it seems that fate rules the world when in reality it rules the drama only. You have to look at the plays carefully to realize that Oedipus makes bad choices. The point is that every person has to deal with the fact that there are many things in life that just happen and cannot be changed. The trick is to see these things as opportunities and not bad fate. The choices that can be made in the face of these things are small, but sometimes even small choices have big results.
Question: what was Euripides attitudes towards greek treatment of woman?
Answer: Because Aristophanes accused Euripides of being a misogynist much has been written on this topic. But Aristophanes got a lot of comedy out of his accusation, and Euripides wrote great tragedies, not comments on the human condition. The result is that any conclusion must be debatable, second-hand information. Euripides did write a fair number of tragedies with women suffering a lot.
Question: compare Alcestis and Medea
Answer: Alcestis was the picture of devotion, while Medea had limits to her devotion. Euripides wrote a play Alcestis which can be compared to Medea
Question: Is Clytemnestra torn between responsability (the law of men) and necessity the uritten laws of gods critise or defend her behaivor
Answer: Click on the menu directory below and click on her name.
Question: which godesses were of significance in greek drama?
Answer: All goddesses were significant. Anger only one to do yourself in.
Question: I have a university paper to do, which is about roles of women in ancient geek drama, the problem is, I have to ARGUE something. Can you help me with some ideas please?
Answer: Women portrayed in the dramas seem more important than women in the Greek society that viewed the dramas. This seems to be a reflection of the importance of women in the earlier time when the myths were formed. Inheritance seems matrilinial, for example. A queen inherited her realm and the man she married became king. There are many subtle references in drama to this type of situation which are especially confusing because the Classic writers were living in a patrilineal society. These references may make women seem more powerful than they were intended to be. This power may also have played on the fear men have of a powerful woman.
Question: Dionysian women
Answer: Euripides The Bacchae deals with this. But the festival of Dionysus separated men from women. These are also called Maenads and were a popular art subject. These women could be nymphs or mortals. The orgies were much more demanding for the mortals. They had to discipline themselves or they would miss the prophesy that they seeked. And of couse they could be drawn into sexual activity which could result in disaster. They were not able to take examples from the nymphs who had no such worries.
Question: which Minoan theater festivals did women participate in?
Answer: There was no Minoan theater. But at the Minoan festivals there seemed to be impersonations where a woman played the role of a goddess. Only at the festival of Dionysus was there drama. The Minoan art suggests fertility festival with impersonations of a god and a goddess. There were also initiations possible related to puberty and maturity. There were processions and dances, especially line dances. In many of these religios objest may have been transported. There seemed to be a tree shaking ceremony. There may have been ritual bathing. If there were sacrifices they were provbably associated with banquets. But they also had human sacrifice which may havew been related to the fertility festivals.
Question: can you tall me more about the courtesans in plays of menander and terence
Answer: Sorry, I have no information on this subject. These are Roman rather than Greek playwrights.
Question: what were the main themes in Greek drama and are there any good modern themes that would make a good greek play today?
Answer: Greek dramas were illustrations of Greek morality. There are many Greek myths that have very dramatic content that are not present in any extent Greek Drama. One reason is that many of the Greek dramas from ancient times are lost yet the stories they followed have been recorder elsewhere. Also the Greeks were good at dealing with life essentials in their myths. Though the trapings of life have changed the basic nature of man has not. As an example I have been thinking that a play about Pero cold make a good drama. You would have to study her myths to see why I think this at the present.
Question: Do you have any pictures of women's costume in plays?
Answer: Women were not allowed to perform in dramas until the 16th century. There are no theater costumes for women until after that time. But in ancient Crete, and perhaps in Greece, women performed in impersonations of a goddess. The costumes of the ancient Minoans were used for this purpose: dancing goddesses
Click hereto see costumes we developed for our play Medea in Kent, OH.
Question: Whyweren'twomenallowtoactin
Answer: In ancient Greece women were not allowed to act in dramas because dramas were a part of a festival for men only. Women participated in festivals for women and may have been involved in impersonizations that were a part of festivals for women. Women were often entertainers at symposia which were social meetings for men only. They certainly told stories and they may have acted out these stories. These women were a special class of women called hetaerae.
Question: Tell me what you know about Iphigenia at Aulis
Answer: The play of this title by Euripides is at Click here. Agamemnon was gathering an army at Aulis for the attack on Troy when he angered Artemis by killing an animal at her temple. Artemis caused the winds to become calm so the ships could not sail to Troy. The seer Calchas determined that Iphigenia must be sacrificed to appease Artemis. To get Iphigenia to come to Aulis she and her mother were deceived by telling them that she was to marry Achilles. When she arrived in Aulis she was quickly led to the altar and sacrificed. But as the knife was about to enter her throat Artemis substituted a deer for her and took her to Tauris. But as far as her parents knew she was killed.
Question: what role that lysistrata play
Answer: Lysistrata is one of the most popular of the existing Greek comedies and therfore has been of tremendous influence. The play provides insights into politics, sexual values, and family values of the time it was written. The play is not feminist but displays the sexual hypocracy of the times and has given feminists some encouragement.
Question: What role does Meg play.
Answer: I cannot find any reference to Meg in ancient Greece.
Question: how did politics effect the womans role within greek drama.
Answer: The roles of women in drama may have been a reaction to current politics. Women were expected to be obedient and domestic. Greek drama may have demonstrated what happened when they were not.
Question: When theater became prominent in Greek society, how did that alter the statis of women?
Answer: It would seem that Greek drama should improve the status of women but the evidence is lacking. There is more evidence that Greek drama improved the status of women in the 19th and later.
Question: I'M DOING A PAPER ON GREEK DRAMA. I'M TO COMPARE LYSISTRATA TO (ELECTRA, ANTIGONE, AND OEDIPUS REX) HOW WOULD I GO ABOUT DOING SO. AND HOW WOULD COMPARE THAT TO THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN AT THAT TIME IN GREECE?
Answer: First read the plays. Then focus on some common aspects that you can compare and contrast. The role of Fate might be an example. Actions the women take might be another. A description of the society of women at the time the plays were written is more difficult. The ancient Greeks liked to write about events during the Heroic period, about 800 years before their time. But society changed dramatically in that 800 years. Some aspects of the Heroic period are never mentioned, while others are merely fill-ins obtained by observing contemporary society. Unfortunately most of our knowlege of contemporary society comes from a study of such fill-ins. There is additional material in an historian such as Herodotus.
Question: why did pandora recive a box from the gods
Answer: To tempt her curiosity and to punish man for stealing fire.
Question: CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME??? I'M DONING AN ASSIGNMENT ON GREEK DRAMA. I'M TO COMPARE THE ROLES THAT WOMEN HAD IN THE THEATRE TO THE ROLE THEY HAD AT HOME.PLEASE SHOW ME EXAMLPES OF THIS IN ELECTRA, ANTIGONE, AND LYSISTRATA. THANK YOU?
Answer: Your request is harder than you might think. There were no women actresses and all roles were played by men. The question should be how do the roles of women characters compare with women in real life? The problem is that you need a source of the roles of women in real life. The best source is probably dramas like the ones you just mentioned. But this is problematic too because the convention was to write about the heroic era not classical Greece. But in order to bring these old stories to life the dramatists included details from their own observation. It is these details that tell you about women in real life. But you must distinguish details from the heroic age from details from the classical age.
Question: when did greek woman prominted in greek sociaty how did that effect them
Answer: When a women became prominent in ancient Greece it meant she had others to do her work, had more expensive clothes, and fine jewelry. Such women usually stayed home in the shade and socialized with her friends. Many did weaving. The poetry of Sappho contains allusions to how they might have behaved. Some prominent women became priesteses and performed religious ceremonies.
Question: How do you think a modern audience seeing a moder production of the play interpret the representation of women?
Answer: For Lysistrata A lot will depend upon how the production is staged. Using women, some of them naked, will get the play condemned as pornographic. Clothed women will give it a pallid look. Men dressed as women will be hillarious with nothing accepted. Dressing a man as a naked woman will be especially humorous. Most modern productions use women and naked statues of women. This seems to give the women the most credibility. But of course the play is an inversion of sex roles and credibility is not what Aristophanes was after.
Question: when theater became prominent in Greek society, how did that alter the status of women?
Answer: Greek playwrights thought women were important and included them in their plays. Since they modeled their characters on women they knew much can be concluded about the women of the time.
Drama was a part of religious festivals in Greece and did not affect the status of women until drama was taken out of the realm of religion during the Roman period. The status of women improved in Hellenistic and Roman times and the theater may have been a factor. There were many women characters in Greek drama and the behaviors of these women allowed the men to play out the consequences of greek morality for the men.
Question: Who attended ancient greek plays other than women?
Answer: The ancient Greek dramas were performed at a festival for men. Men performed and men were in the audience. For them it was a religious observance. Wherever the men gathered the hetaerae also gathered, so these women were there. If the dramas presented were particularly entertaining then a wife might want to attend, and wives usually got what they wanted. But in general wives and women slaves attended their own religious observances.
Question: What kind of props did Greek actresses use?
Answer: No women performed in the Greek drama that has come down to us. But women hetaerae were entertainers and perhaps actresses. Their major props were provocative dresses, lyres, and flutes. Women priestesses also participated in religious services where they might act the role of a goddess. They might use special clothing. Masks were a common feture of ancient Greek drama but it is not clear whether women ever used them.
Question: I have a research paper discussing three women in Greek Literature, Jocasta, Antigone, and Medea... I need help on relating them to a similar topic... can you help?? Thanks!
Answer: All three are characters in drama and princesses, but only Joscasta became a queen.
Question: I was just wondering how their roles affected them in society of that time
Answer: In ancient Greece there were few means of public communication. As a result the drama events seem to have been extraordinaily popular and effective. They seem to have gone a long way toward shaping public opinion in their time.
Question: im studying the trojan women by euripides for my final year and i was wondering what he felt about women in his play.
Answer: The most significant statement is that he felt women were important enough to make a significant comment about war. That comment is not that war should not be fought, but that when fought the laws of the gods are to be respected. The rape of Cassandra is an impiety that costs many lives and has serious consequences for many years.
Question: who is the goddess of theatre?
Answer: Originally there was only one Muse and she was goddess of the arts. Music, the most important of the arts was named after her. Then the single muse divided into three, with one division being Melete, Mneme, and Aoede (Meditation, Memory, and song). During the classical period each was divided into three again and nine Muses were settled on: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Polymymnia, Calliope, Urania, and Terpsichore. The names mean the teller, well pleasing, the blooming one, the singing one, the loving one, abounding in songs, beautiful voice, the heavenly one, the delightful dancing one. Later the Romans assigned each of these Muses to only one art, but the Greeks did not do this. As it is they seem to possess many of the qualities of art without the specifics. Also there was no theater in ancient Greece as we know it. The drama were part of a religious celebration that were performed for their moral value and not their entertainment. The correct statement would then be that the Muses, collectively were the goddesses of what would become the theater.
Question: how in these days is medea staged set wise?
Answer: Medea requires no set.
Question: were they allowed to act
Answer: Everyone was allowed to act but few knew what was involved. The only acting took place during a religious festival for men. No one knows if the women had a similar festival. Only the plays written for the men are preserved.
Question: what does greek drama have to do with our society today
Answer: Greek drama is still very entertaining, and that drama is so well written that it is still a good subject for study. Greek drama forms a solid foundation upon which all other drama is built. But Greek drama was written for edification and education and not for entertainment. There are a lot of moral situations dealt with in greek drama. People have not changed that much since then so much of the plays is still applicable.
Question: Fhaedra
Answer: Phaedra was the daughter of Minos and the younger sister of Ariadne. She was a later wife of Theseus and fell in love with his son by the earlier Amazon wife. This forbidden love caused the death of both of them. Shis ia a main character in the drama Hyppolytus by Euripides.
Question: in greek clothing, did colors mean anything ?
Answer: Since some colors were more expensive than others, color could indicate wealth. The finest purple dye, murex, was the most expensive. Cochineal is a bright red that is second most expensive. White was the color of death and most brides were dressed in red.
Question: I am writing a paper on medea and Odyseus-the women in these dramas. Do you think the audience, especially the women were sympathetic or appalled by the behavior of Jason(marrying someone else) in Medea or Odyseuss' extra marital affairs?
Answer: Everyone is apalled by the behavior of both Medea and Jason. The relation of Odysseus to Circe and Calypso is not well understood, nor does it appear to be indicative of relations generally. These were goddesses after all.
Question: why masks were so importantin ancient greek drama ?
Answer: The mask was the character; it allowed easy identification; and it contained what amounted to a megaphone so the dialogue could be heard.
Question: who were the first female actresses in ancient time?
Answer: Drama was a part of a festival for men to which women were not allowed. As a result there were no women actresses. But there were festivals for women during which the women priestesses dramatized the roles of the Goddesses. Thus, though there were no actresses, the women acted in dramatizations.
Question: do woman and men sit together during plays?
Answer: If women get in at all they stay with the man they came with.
Question: What is the name of the Greek Godess of Good Fortune?
Answer: Any god or goddess could provide good fortune, but the ancient Greeks prayed to Hecate to change their fortune.
Question: where women mistreded in ancient time and how?
Answer: Both men and women have always been mistreated. The real issue is what system was in place to a;llow justice to be served. In ancient Greece men were better protected by the systems of laws. In general women were left to the justice of their families. Women were better treated in ancient Greece than in the vast majority of other societies. They were isolated but this gave them advantages. They had their own tasks and they were protected from crimes especially against their body. Some women were slaves and overworked and humiliated. A few women were abused by their husbands against who they had no legal standing. During wars women were often enslaved.
Question: How do you see the division of roles between the actors in Euripedes' "Trojan Women"? I would be most grateful for your thoughts.
Answer: You have to read the play for this.
Question: why is the relationship between men and women an important theme for greek dramatists? with reference to Antigone
Answer: The amount of material spent by ancient Greek dramatists is amazing considering what is often reported on what the ancient Greeks thought of women. The most obvious conclusion is that this relationship was important. One reason why Greek drama is still important is that this relationship is important today.
Question: What do they wear for the drama
Answer: Street clothes plus masks.
Question: what is the significance women being the chorus in the second story of the orestia by aeschylus?
Answer: Women are often passive spectators to events which they often comment upon.
Question: lebos
Answer: No information. Lesbos? Lebes?
Question: Did real Women ever act in greek plays?
Answer: Plays were part of a men's festival and they did not act in these. They had their own festivals with dramatizations, but no plays.
Question: How has the role of women changed between the time of Homer and that of Aristophanes?
Answer: Unfortunately we have no information about women at the time of Homer. Thw authors at that time were more interested in writing about the gods and goddesses during the heroic times.
Question: did the women cook the food and serve it
Answer: Not exactly. Food is served by servants if they are available. Servants may cook the food as well. But it was an honor to bake bread and the ladies of the house did that. At the festivals it seems as though the men cooked the meat.
Question: How has Acient Greek theatre influence modern theatre
Answer: Ancient Greek drama was the first theater and the beginning of modern theater.
Question: to what extent has aristophanes reflected the role of women in greek society
Answer: It is hard for a comedian to be taken seriously about anything, but Aristophanes is easier than most.
Question: What are the types of costumes that were worn by the women in the play?
Answer: Women never appeared in plays or dramas in ancient Greece. These were a part of a festival for men only. Women did participate in festivals for women only and for men and women. Some of these festivals included dramatizations that involved women impersonating goddesses. These women wore a peplos or chiton.
Question: what was Euripedes trying to say about the women of Troy?
Answer: Click here
Question: What makes Greek Drama so different from other drama?
Answer: The quality is high. Greek drama was done for spiritual reasons and not for financial benefit.
Question: were the women conveyed correctly?
Answer: We have no way of knowing, since we have no other evidence.
Question: why did women not take part in ancient greek plays?
Answer: Drama was a part of a festival for men. Women had their own festivals, but no dramas survive that they may have done. We do know that they did impersonizations though.
Question: In what way were the Spartan women not tyrannical?
Answer: Women of Sparta were free and independent, but they exerted little to no control over their husbands and fathers.
Question: Who wrote "Ariadne"?
Answer: Richard Strauss wrote "Ariadne auf Naxos"
Question: why weren't greek woman and slaves allowed to attend theatre performances?
Answer: In Greece there was no theater as we know it. What became theater was part of a religious festival for men only. Women had festivals for women only but there was no drama, just dramatizations. There were also festivals for everyone with dancing, parades, and feasting, but no drama.
Question: Who is the "Goddess Of Serpents"?
Answer: Artemis, as goddess of wild nature, is the goddess of serpents. But Athena used serpents in her worship, and probably was the successor to the Minoan snake goddess.
Question: what kind of costumes did they wear?
Answer: They wore masks over street clothes.
Question: how do Hecuba and Oedipus compare and contrast in character and action in the stories of THe Trojan Women And Oedipus Rex?
Answer: The best way to do this is read these work.
Question: What were the names of the women who acted in the plays?
Answer: No ancient Greek women acted in dramas, nor do we have any that they may have written. There is some question as to whether they even watched them. The hetaerae probably watched while the wives probably did not. Women participated in their own festivals where there were impersonizations, but no dramas.
Question: did theatre come from religious ceremonies which women portrayed in
Answer: No! Theater came from religious ceremonies that were for men only.
Question: were women part of greek plays?
Answer: Women were important characters, but they were neither performers nor playwrights. Some women may have watched the plays.
Question: how doe the roles of medea and clytemnestra give insight into the themes and concerns of the dramas in which they appear?
Answer Read the dramas to determine this.
Question: When were women able to appear in theater?
Answer: During the Roman period women attended theaters. But Actresses were not common until the 16th century. Even Shakespeare used actors for women's roles.
Question: In what ways did women exert influence in the home? In war? In public affairs? What are characteristics of the honorable woman? Of the dishonorable woman? Why were certain characteristics valued (or not valued)?
Answer: Women and men had separate tasks. Women had to do their tasks so men could do theirs. The honorable woman tended to the affairs of the house and wore her veil in public. The dishonorable woman attended to other affairs. Custom established values which were hard to change.
Question: What were the effects on women in ancient Greece due to drama and theater
Answer: The Greek dram had to affect men primarily. Due to the powerful nature of the drama we can assume some effect which was hopefully positive. Men must have understood women better, and therfore treated them better. But much of the other literature fails to substantiate this. We do not know if we are to believe much of the patriarchal literature as to the inferiority of women or their honored depiction in visual art.
Question: According to the real greek women in ancient history, Do they play the same role in the greek drama? Where they so brave, so strong so powerful? Did they kill so much?
Answer: Probably not. The Classical Greeks were interpreting stories that came down to them from 500 or more years before, all told by word of mouth. Archeology tells us that the people of those times were quite different from the way they were described by the classical Greeks. But we do know that the women of those times were highly active and highly respected. My guess is that while the men manned the ships at sea the women took care of things at home. Archeology indicates that women were worshipped and may have even ruled at home. But they did not have to fight. The men kept the foreign armys away. The women were administrators, farmers, manufacturers, as well as mothers. They also danced and sang. The stories that the women fought probably came from the fact that some women went with the men to battle. These women were priestesses who may have demonstratrated what the men were to do to stir the men on to victory. It seems right to attribute great talent to these women but not wise to make them better than men.
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