In Greek plays, the setting or backdrop of the play was very important. The backdrop was more than just a place, it was a symbol for real life.
The stage was the world, and the characters were people. The conflicts and struggles of the characters were reflections of real-life conflicts and struggles.
The ancient Greeks had a very deity-centered worldview. They believed that every element of life had a deity that governed it. This included things like love, sex, marriage, children, homes, towns, cities, countries, war, peace, prosperity, poverty—everything!
All of these things were controlled by deities. These gods and goddesses were sometimes portrayed in Greek plays as characters who could influence human lives. This added another layer to the stories being told on stage.
Tilson noted that one thing that has changed since ancient times is our understanding of gender and sexuality. Many of the gods and goddesses in ancient Greece were portrayed as non-binary or gender non-conforming; however, this was not understood at the time as being true about human beings.
Sparta
The state of Sparta was a major influence on the world of Ancient Greece. According to Professor Tilson, the ultimate backdrop of any Greek play was Sparta.
Many of the plays that are studied and performed today were first performed at festivals in honor of the city-state of Sparta. Many times, these plays had a very strong anti-Spartan tone due to political tensions between cities and states.
These plays that are studied and performed today are sometimes called “Old Comedy” due to their old origin as comedy plays. Since many of these plays had anti-Spartan tones, many modern performances do not include any references to Sparta.
However, despite the lack of acknowledgement, there is still plenty of evidence left behind that shows how much Sparta influenced society at the time. According to Professor Tilson, even though thousands of years have passed since then, we still recognize some aspects of society as being “too Spartan”.
Oedipus the King
In Oedipus the King, the ultimate backdrop is a struggle between prosperity and disaster. The main character, Oedipus, is prophesied to cause the ruin of his own city and motherland.
This prophecy comes from the Oracle at Delphi, who also tells him that he will kill his father and marry his mother. This causes great distress in Oedipus, who then attempts to avoid this by leaving Corinth and going to Thebes.
There, he unknowingly marries his own mother, Jocasta, who was previously married to his father. When he discovers this truth, he pins her death on himself out of guilt for what he has done. He then goes on to rescue Thebes from the monster known as the Sphinx. After doing so, he reveals that he is indeed Oedipus and that Jocasta was his mother.
Antigone
In the Antigone, the protagonist and title character, Antigone, defies the law to bury her brother. This action symbolizes her devotion to family and moral obligation.
Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, has just committed suicide after unsuccessfully attacking Thebes, where Antigone and Polyneices live. He is buried in a place called a “common sepulcher” where unknown people are buried.
However, it is against the law for someone like Polyneices to be buried in a “noble sepulcher” which is reserved only for certain people. Only someone of noble blood can be buried there- something that cannot be proven when a body is unidentified.
When Antigone buries her brother in the noble sepulcher instead of leaving him in the common one, she breaks this law and faces consequences for it.
Euripides
While Sophocles is considered the greatest of the three ancient Greek tragedians, Euripides is regarded as the most innovative. He was known for his unique storylines and characters, as well as his use of natural disasters to heighten tension and fear.
Many of his plays feature female protagonists, a rarity during his time. He also was one of the first playwrights to introduce romance into his works.
His plays often feature common people as main characters, rather than mythological figures or royalty. This adds a layer of realism to his stories, making them more relatable.
His play The Bacchae is a great example of this element in his work. The Bacchae follows the journey of a young woman named Dionysus who tries to restore her dead mother to life using divine intervention. The play addresses issues such as gender identity and sexual orientation, issues that are more relevant today than they were over two millennia ago.
Aristophanes
Another significant playwright of ancient Greece was Aristophanes. He wrote several plays, most of which were satyrs and contained political and social satire.
Aristophanes wrote his plays during the fifth century BC, which was a period of unrest for Athens. His works were typically set in contemporary Athens and involved prominent citizens and events.
His plays were performed at the festival of Lenaia, where comedy competitions were held. Due to the political nature of his work, Aristophanes often hid his identity by using pseudonyms.
His plays were so popular that people still read them today! Scholars also study them to gain a better understanding of ancient Athens.
The Bacchae
In the play The Bacchae, by Greek playwright Euripides, the main character, Dionysus, is very similar to Jesus Christ. Both are divine figures who claim to be the son of a higher power and have a large following.
Many of Dionysus’s followers were women and those who were lower class. Like Jesus’s disciples, his followers believed he was the son of a higher power and he helped them to understand their place in society and how to live better lives.
The main difference between Dionysus and Jesus is that Dionysus was more openly gay. He had many lovers throughout his life and used this as an instrument to spread his cult following. Jesus was straight and only had one spouse during his ministry.
This play also shows how powerful women were in this era. The main character is a strong woman who defies traditional gender norms in order to help her husband save souls for God.
Homer’s epics
Professor Tilson mentioned in his lecture that the ultimate backdrop of any Greek play was the works of Homer.
Many of the plays that we know and love today were based on stories from Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These stories were so important to ancient Greeks that every educated person knew them by heart.
The Iliad tells the story of a Trojan War and features many famous characters, including Achilles and Hector. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’s 10-year journey home after the war and includes encounters with gods and monsters along the way.
Both are very detailed stories that take a while to read or hear, so they make for great background material.
Macedonians take over Athens
Although this was not a direct cause of the Peloponnesian War, the rise of Macedon and Alexander the Great would have significant repercussions for Greece.
The kingdom of Macedon was a rising power in the south of Greece. Alexander the Great was born there, and he would eventually conquer much of western Asia.
In 338 BC, his father Philip II established control over Greece by defeating Greek city-states in wars called the Wars of the Corupedion. This secured Macedonian control over southern Greece.
By 337 BC, Philip had also defeated northern Greek city-states and Thebes, making him master of all mainland Greek territory except for Sparta. This ended centuries of Spartan dominance and put them under Macedonian control as well.
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