ABSTRACT
In the culture of fifth-century Athens, Greek tragic theatre was one kind of performance among many, drawing its strength (and often its material) from the greater and lesser public occasions that surrounded it. The areas of politics, law, religion, athletics, festivals, music, and poetry shared with the theatre an essentially public and performative nature, so much so that one form of cultural expression merged easily with another. Important aspects of family lifeincluding various rites of passage, weddings, and funerals-also ‘went public’ in a theatrical fashion. Gatherings for wine, food, and entertainment called symposia developed into occasions for performance, especially music and solo poetry. Although barred from these drinking parties (unless present as musicians, dancers, or prostitutes), women sang and told stories when they worked at the loom, and their participation in various religious cults also included songs and dances of a more sober nature.
