Hermes' Historia: Evolution of the Theatron

[@Hellenicshome]

AW HELL YEAH!!!

[@DarkLord-iz7vk]

Thanks for this interesting podcast. Nice to hear Michaela speak, as although Liv has acknowledged Michaela's contribution behind the scenes in previous episodes, I don't know if she has ever spoken before. However, I hope Liv will remain the main presenter as, while there is nothing wrong with Michaela, I think Liv happens to have a better, more distinctive voice for broadcasting.

[@DarkLord-iz7vk]

So our words 'orchestra' and 'chorus' are both derived from Greek words for dance. So presumably dancing, as well as music, were both important parts of Ancient drama that we have lost, as only the words were recorded. So I wonder if it is fair to compare the effect of reading or watching a performance of an Ancient Greek play today with taking a modern singing, dancing musical and just saying the words of the songs out loud without the tunes? As for Greek 'New Comedy', I think we only have one surviving complete play, but we have quite a few surviving Roman comedies by Plautus and Terence that are supposed to be a continuation of the style and themes of New Comedy, and sometimes copied the plots. They tend to be centred on the 'Upstairs, Downstairs' world of masters and slaves and, often feature clever slaves manipulating their masters. I don't think the Roman authors or their audiences ever followed this to what might seem to us the logical conclusion that, if some slaves' abilities exceeded their masters', whether it was right that they were slaves at all. Plays in which the relationships between masters and slaves within a household were central to the plot meant more to readers in the 19th and earlier Centuries, when great households with a staff of servants were more common. Probably because of this, interest in the plays of Plautus and Terence among those who study Ancient literature declined in the 20th Century. I have read translations of one play each by Plautus and Terence. They had some interest and I am glad to have discovered what they are like, but I don't feel much need to read more.