TY - JOUR
T1 - Satyric nostalgia in the Aeschylean tetralogy
AU - Coo, Lyndsay
PY - 2019/12/29
Y1 - 2019/12/29
N2 - This article examines the role of the satyr play in what appears to have been the distinctly Aeschylean form of the thematically connected tetralogy. In all known cases, Aeschylus’ satyr plays move backwards in time, dramatizing episodes that occur either before or within the time frame of their accompanying tragedies. I argue that this chronological dislocation means that the ‘happy endings’ of satyr play must be understood in the light of the events of the preceding trilogy, and can usually be seen as brief interludes of joy within a wider tragic arc. As a result, the satyr play, instead of erasing the effect of its accompanying tragedies, is capable of generating a nostalgic response that intensifies the emotional effect of both genres.
AB - This article examines the role of the satyr play in what appears to have been the distinctly Aeschylean form of the thematically connected tetralogy. In all known cases, Aeschylus’ satyr plays move backwards in time, dramatizing episodes that occur either before or within the time frame of their accompanying tragedies. I argue that this chronological dislocation means that the ‘happy endings’ of satyr play must be understood in the light of the events of the preceding trilogy, and can usually be seen as brief interludes of joy within a wider tragic arc. As a result, the satyr play, instead of erasing the effect of its accompanying tragedies, is capable of generating a nostalgic response that intensifies the emotional effect of both genres.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077357625&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/2041-5370.12104
DO - 10.1111/2041-5370.12104
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
SP - 11
EP - 28
JO - Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies
JF - Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies
SN - 0076-0730
ER -