life in the dithyrambic chorus
Upon the setting sun I, Hecubus, fondly recall the days of pride and honor I felt in my tribe, as a member of a dramatic, dithyrambic chorus. Acting was not simply my occupation, but a lifestyle highly revered and respected by my fellow Athenian citizens. We entertained, taught moral lessons of the past, illustrated human flaw, but most importantly, we gave the audience a release. During the time I preformed with my chorus, drama was closely tied to the polis, joining the people, the government, and the Gods through public festivals. I felt immense pride to have played and active role in the community bond that was created. The most important of these festivals was, and remains, the City Dionysia. The exhausting four-day competition was held every spring, in honor of the god Dionysos (Amos and Lang 129). The festival opened with a formal and elaborate processional, where I and my chorus of fifty men would perform ceremonial dances at numerous alters, and ended with sacrifices of wine and sweet meat at the sacred precinct of Dionysus. This was a most glorious event surrounded in the beauty and rebirth of the land! A statue of Dionysos, guided by the
We were fifty men strong and competed specifically for the dithyrambic chorus. For all performers, not just chorus members, costume limited our tools of expression to voice and gesture. Pennsylvania: Dufour Editions, Inc, 1979. The financial burden on these men was high, for they supplied the means for our training, costumes, and or pay. The intent was to articulate and pronounce everything perfectly, be it in song or slow verse. These primitive religious choruses resembled the organization of the tragic chorus found in the festival. The origin of theatre dates back to religious choral dances that were preformed in simple grain threshing circles. Many times I found myself trying to sing passages over the liveliness of the audience, but it was because of this festival that I became commonly known in Athens. My son, Parlius, also has learned the importance of our interaction with the Gods. This attire was a great change from my everyday simple tunic, and sandals. It was his duty to appoint the financial supporters, or the choregoi. It is so the gods look upon us; we must honor their significance.
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Acceptance Essays
