Satyr play

The satyr play is a special kind of Attic theatre performance that shares features with both comedy and tragedy. Like tragedies, satyr plays used dialogue, actors speaking verse, a chorus that danced and sang, masks, and costumes. They were often written by the same people who wrote tragedies and were performed at the Dionysian festival right after a group of three tragedies were shown. The stories in satyr plays were about myths and heroes, told in a similar style to tragedies.

Satyr plays also had things in common with comedies. They had similar plots, titles, themes, characters, and usually ended happily. What made satyr plays special was their chorus of satyrs. These satyrs wore costumes that highlighted certain body parts and used language filled with playful jokes and fun references.

The satyric drama likely began with Pratinas from Phlius around 500 BC. After moving to Athens, he probably changed the dithyramb, a style from his home that used a chorus of satyrs, to go along with the new form of tragedy invented in Athens. His idea was liked and was later developed by his son Aristias, Choerilus, Aeschylus, and others.

Origins

The satyr play began in ancient celebrations for the god Dionysus. These celebrations were part of the rural festivals that honored Dionysus, who represented both life and change in nature. During the big festival called the City Dionysia in Athens, writers of serious plays, known as tragedies, were required to also create a satyr play. This lighter play would close the festival.

Although it was not as important as the tragedies, the satyr play still played a big role in the history of theater. Some believe the writer Pratinas created the satyr play before 501 BC. Satyrs, the playful characters in these plays, were followers of Dionysus. They were known for their love of music, dance, and fun. Over time, satyr plays changed and were performed outside of the big Dionysus festival. They influenced other types of plays, especially a form called Middle Comedy, which made gods and heroes more like everyday people.

Extant examples

The only full satyr play we still have is by Euripides called Cyclops. It tells the story of Odysseus meeting a giant named Polyphemus from the Odyssey. We also have pieces of other satyr plays. For example, Aeschylus wrote many, and one of the bigger pieces left is from his play called Dictyulci ('The Net Fishers'). In this story, the baby Perseus and his mother Danae are found by a character named Silenus and some satyrs. There are also pieces from a play by Sophocles named Ichneutae ('The Trackers'), where satyrs help Apollo find his missing cattle and meet the baby Hermes. Though many satyr plays were written and performed until around the 2nd century AD, most of them are lost today. Surprisingly, we even have a small piece of music from one of these plays.

Costumes

The actors in satyr plays wore special masks as part of their costumes. One old piece of art, called the Pandora Vase, shows the actors dressed like half men and half goats, with goat horns on their heads.

Another piece of art, the Pronomos Vase, shows the actors looking different. They wore horse tails and short pants. These costumes were used to show respect to the god Dionysus.