37, No. 3, Staging Gender (Oct., 1985), pp. 317-327 Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3206851 . Accessed: 15/02/2014 08:28
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Sue-EllenCase is an Assistant She has published Seattle. Professor ofDrama at theUniversity of Washington, on and itsrelation anddramatic totheatre criticism. Case hasbeen selected as widely feminist theory history Professor thenext Coeditor ofTheatre Journal.
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1985 TI,October
and evenheroicand a surplus ofmisogynistic rolescommonly identified as theBitch, theWitch, theVamp,or theVirgin/Goddess. Theserolesreflect ofthe theperspective or of the theatrical on women. Originally, tradition feminist historians playwright used thesetheatrical imagesof womenas evidenceof thekindof livesactual women of have lived in theperiod. For example,what the characters and situations might tellus about thelivesofpowerful Medea or Phaedramight womenin Greece.Thisapsocio-economic histories tend to exhibitthe proach was usefulbecause traditional In theseventies, same absenceofwomenas does theliterature. work groundbreaking on womenin history was done in bothrealms:thesocio-historical evidence identified in theatrical of newly-collated on laws, social and thepublication documents texts, and economic on womenin history. Thisworkenabledfeminist restrictions practices, and historians to producea newkindofcultural whichis based on the critics analysis, of cultural and socio-economic suchas plays,theatre phenomena, practice, interplay evidence,to discoverthenatureof women'slivesin theclassicalperiods. ofthecomplicity ofartwithpolitical as wellas thecomYet thediscovery projects, whichreverse to new of traditional with the led discoveries patriarchy plicity history of thesedocuments. The feminist criticmay no longer the originalinterpretations to thelivesofacofwomenin classicalplaysby menrelates believethattheportrayal thefeminist critic that the of tualwomen.Instead, assume may images womenin these fiction of constructed This assumption a women the patriarchy. by plays represent in within classical the division a central cultures: betweenprivate originates practice in theclassicalplays and histories, and publiclife.The publiclifebecomesprivileged life invisible. The newfeminist whiletheprivate remains analyses provethat relatively of men and the life is the women thisdivisionis gender-specific, i.e., public property of the of to the invisible The result are relegated suppression actual privatesphere. of a representation of thegender womenin theclassicalworldcreatedtheinvention and theculture. This"Woman"appearedon thestage,in themyths, "Woman"within the patriarchal values attachedto the genderof in the plastic arts, representing of actual and fantasies theexperiences, "Woman"whilesuppressing stories, feelings, divides this "Woman" as to cultural fictions these women.' The newfeminist approach is little connection that there fiction from a male-produced historical women,insisting of this the clearest illustration Withintheatre betweenthe two categories. practice, of theall-malestage."Woman"was playedby male actors divisionis in thetradition thestage.The classicalacting in drag,whileactualwomenwerebannedfrom practice created The classical ofthefictional revealstheconstruction gender by thepatriarchy. can now be regarded as alliesin theprojectof supconventions plays and theatrical with of patriarchal them the masks women and actual production. replacing pressing is traditionally asknownas theatre and literature of the activity The beginning of Dionysos in sixthand festivals of theAthenian signedto theplays and practices fifth B.C. Our notionsof plays, acting,physicaltheatre space, costume, century In thesixth Athenian festivals. ofplay to audiencebeginwiththese mask,and relation cenin theseceremonies, but by thefifth bothwomenand menparticipated century,
Indiana UniverAlice Doesn't: Feminism, Semiotics,Cinema (Bloomington: 1See Teresa de Lauretis, of the conceptof "Woman." development sityPress,1984), fora thorough
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PARTS 319 / THE GREEKCREATIONOF FEMALE womendisapwhat is knownas theatre, were becoming when theceremonies tury, laws or peared fromthe practice.Scholarsdo not recordany evidenceforspecific womento appearin thesongsand dances,noris there codes forbidding any evidence of their omission. forthespecific date or occasionof thebeginning Bieber, Margarete notesthatitwas partof"Attic on this a recognized morality" history, merely authority This implies, thatthereasonforthis womenfrom which"banished then, publiclife."2 culturalcodes of Athens,ratherthan in practicemust be soughtin the emerging of Athenianculture Three elements help to practices. specific politicalor theatrical the new theatrical the emerging understand practice:the new economicpractices, of all of these cultural projectand thenew genealogyof thegods. The intersection in thetextof The Oresteia. will be theatrically elements legitimatized the unitradically altered theriseof thefamily Amongthenew economicpractices, role womenbegan to theimportant role of women in Greekpubliclife.Ironically, removalfrompubliclife.The unitwas the cause of their assume withinthe family of personal and transmission wealth. for the creation unit the new site became family in aristocracies inherent With the rise of the polis, the large network gave way to of cultivation of and the small-scale rise metals as commodities families. The single their own wealth.Yetwhileownership to control land made itpossibleforindividuals to themale thefamily and locatedwithin becamemoreindividual unit,itwas limited For of and to limited conditions Women were restricted ownership exchange. gender. of in the a into inheritance transactions absence women could enter only example, over one medimnos male and women were not allowed to barterfor property of exchange and marthisnew economy,womenbecamea medium (bushel).Within In of the word became an institution for fact, ekdosis, marriage, riage ownership.3 and in their the case of meant loan - womenwereloaned to their husbands fathers, by to their a divorce,theywere returned fathers. Withthischangein the organization of wealthcame a concomitant changein the of politicalunits.The oikos, or household,became thebasic unitfor organization was dependent lines- a son was granted citizenCitizenship upon family citizenship.* but without a son theparents could not retain werecitizens, ship onlyifhis parents definition for citizenship led to the strict and theircitizenship. This new condition of thesex lifeof thewoman. The mother/wife assumeda new moral/legal regulation dimensionfor the legitimacy and securityof heirs and, by extension,political in thepollis.Clear linesof reproduction werevital to thepolis, making membership a crimeagainstsociety, rather At the thana signof personaltransgression. adultery same timethatthehouseholdbecame controlled by needs of thestate,its activities became totally thebusinessof thestate, separatefromthosewhichwereconsidered
2MargareteBieber, The Historyof the Greek and Roman Theatre(Princeton:Princeton University Press, 1939), p. 9. in Women:Notes on the'PoliticalEconomy'ofSex,"in Towardan An"The Traffic 3 See Gayle Rubin, of of Women,ed. Rayna R. Reiter(New York: MonthlyReviewPress,1975) fora discussion thropology women as a mediumof exchangethrough of marriage the institution and kinshiplaws. "'Liberated'Women: The Classical Era,"in BecomingVisible:Womenin European 4MarilynArthur, and Claudia Koonz (Boston: HoughtonMifflin, 1977), pp. 67-68. History,eds. RenateBridenthal
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in herbook of publiclife.Nancy Hartsock, or theactivities themarkof thecitizen, it this Greeks defined the household as a and describes Sex the Power, way: Money, of the "The result was a from the public,political space polis. space private, apolitical in a masculine of politicsand politicalpoweras activities thatoccurred theorization ofintellect or soul," from arenacharacterized labor,dominance necessary by freedom labor as a where was defined and whilethedomestic bodily by necessary place space to thehouse (explicitly womenwereconfined SinceAthenian needsweredominant.from and the thepubliclifeof theintellect in thelaws of Solon), theywereremoved and sexconcomitant to theworldof domestic soul and confined labor,childbearing, fromthepubliclifeof thepolis, lost their Actual womendisappeared ual activities. economic and legal powers and became objects of exchange. Withinthe socioin theDionsyian thattheir economiclifeof thepolis,it is notsurprising participation in from was restricted to private their eventual exclusion festivals resulting practices, thestage. came new cultural institutions. Alongsidethesenew legal and economicpractices new religions, new myths,and the practiceof Athenscreatednew architecture, of womenby becameallied withthesuppression These cultural institutions theatre. themasculine role of "Woman"thatwould privilege thenew gender gender creating ofgender wereconone. At base, thenewcultural and oppressthefeminine categories and polarity.6 "Woman"appearedas theopposite of difference as categories structed of and architectural of man. This move can bestbe seenin thenew myths depictions withthe conflated to thefemale theamazons.The imageofamazonsis central gender fromthe Greek male citizen.The amazons, outsiderand with polar differences who the "natural" reverse genderroles. They are warriors dangerousbut defeated, whilethewomengo offto forcemen to do "women's" work,such as childrearing, - theykeep female of genderreversal war.7The amazons also embodyothermyths babies and dispose of the male ones, while the customwas to dispose of female to a biological, babies.8Moreover,theword"amazon"(no breast)tiessuchpractices of the specificto the female. The new architecture secondarysex characteristic of theamazons and the of Athens,displaysthedownfall Acropolis,theciviccenter women is thedemiseof these riseofAthena.Centralto thenew political order,then, and theriseof a womanwho would enassociations who would defycorrect gender thenewimageof"Woman"in thepolis.Thisdemiseoftheold imagesofwomen force in The Oresteia. themes and theriseof Athenaare central of forthiscreation context themytho-historical ofthegodsprovides The genealogy locked are of thegods explains thenew"Woman."The history whygenders opposite, of female one. The myth theformer mustdefeat and whythemale gender in conflict, of her womb the of the is a thefirst Gaia, story dangers story earth-mother-goddess,
HistoricalMaterialism(New York: 5Nancy Hartsock,Money, Sex and Power: Toward a Feminist Longman,1983), p. 187. of MichiganPress,1982), p. 2. 6 Page duBois, Centaurs and Amazons (Ann Arbor: University The Johns (Baltimore: Hopkins 7WilliamBlake Tyrell,Amazons: A Study in AthenianMythmaking Press, 1984), p. 47. University sTyrell,p. 55.
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It concludes withthefinal is one ofmurders and castrations. of herchildren conquest in order to her who swallows his wife Metis and Zeus, gain by powerofreproduction ofthewomb,for theend ofthedangers thengivesbirth to Athena.Athenarepresents withmatriarchal and female-identification), has no sexshe has no mother (breaking the allies herself with the ofZeus remains a defeats amazons, reign uality(she virgin), and Apollo, and thereby order to About this same Athens. time,Dionysos,a brings whichthe new god, appears in Athensand usurpstherole of fertility and sexuality of femalefertility earlierfemalegoddesseshad retained.This male usurpation will of laterbe idealizedby Plato in hisfamousmidwife while the assimilation metaphor, of female will in social be the male homosexuality sexuality usurped by boys practice ofthegods thusdividesfemale (also lateridealizedby Plato). The genealogy sexuality frompower, assimilating in the figure of Dionysos and isolating femalesexuality Athena. powerin theimageof themotherless virgin, The riseofdrama,within to thecelebration of theAthenian statefestivals dedicated of gender institution Dionysos, places theatre securelywithinthisnew patriarchal wars. Theatremustbe gender-specific to themale and enactthesuppression of actual of thenew "Woman."The maenads(thefemale womenas well as therepresentation celebrants of theDionysianfestivals) mustdance intooblivion,whilethesatyrs (the male celebrants) mustbecome thefirst chorusesof thedrama. "The singer Arion is said to have givento thesingers of thedithyramb ofthesatyrs. . .. thecostume The ofrepresenting someoneother thanoneself and led to practice grewout of thisecstasy themimic art of theactors."9 was given In otherwords,thepowerof representation - theactor of actingwas gender-specific The invention only to themale celebrants. was the satyr.The gender-specific qualityof the actor in the satyrplay was even of theleather underscored thebattle by hiswearing phallus.Yet in orderto dramatize of thegenders, thefemale mustsomehowbe represented: themale actorwould need to perform thefemale role.Thoughscholars historians nevermention and theatre this in more than passingremarks, Bieberdoes note one specific strangephenomenon formale actorsin their ofwomen:on thevases, themaenads problem representation - to playmaenads,themaleactorsneededthecompreseemto be in a stateofecstasy hensionof thereligious emotionfeltby thesewomen.1'Yet a morecentral problem how does one depicta woman? How does themale actor signalto theauemerges: diencethathe is a woman7Alongwiththefemale costume of theshorter tunic and the femalemask withlongerhair,he might have indicated movement, through gesture, and vocal intonation thatthecharacter was female.In considering thisportrayal, it is to remember thatthenotionof thefemale derivedfromthemale pointof important alien to femaleexperience and reflected theperspective of her view, whichremained initiated theimageof"Woman"as she gendered opposite.This vocabularyofgestures is seen on thestage- institutionalized culture and represented patriarchal through by of male-originated signsof herappropriate genderbehavior.Moreover,thepractice male actorsplayingwomenprobablyencouraged of femaleroleswhich thecreation lentthemselves to generalization and stereotype. The depiction and development of in thewritten femalecharacters texts musthave accommodated of their thepractice
9Bieber,p. 1. 10Bieber,p. 9.
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wereformalized and masked,thecrossrepresentation onstage.Thoughall characters them in kind from the male distinguished gendercastingfor female characters ofthefemale characters. A subtextual was delivered aboutthenature message gender, of themale. fromtherepresentation distance itsbehavior,appearance,and formal createda politicaland aesthetic arena forritualized The Athenian theatre practice it to civic The elevaand codified and restrictions. behavior, linking gender privileges it to the term as a element tionofthis canonizes "classic" gender paradigmatic principle of canon and the of thehistory of theatre, the women from the connoting expulsion of "classic," this is also indicates ideal. The etymology that class, connoting expulsion of the "first relatedto the economicand legal privileges class"- a class to which witheconomic The consonanceof aesthetic criteria womenweredeniedadmittance. whichhas produced ones becomes clear in the termitself.In each of the cultures forthestage(not only theAthenian, but theRoman and theElizabethan) "classics" womenweredeniedaccess to thestageand to legal and economicenfranchisement. values are embeddedin the textsof theseperiods. Female These same production characters are derivedfromtheabsenceof actual womenon thestageand fromthe of those reasons for theirabsence. Each culturewhich valorizesthe reproduction which in created those the subtext same texts "classic" patriarchal participates actively of the we cannot examine a Greek as "Woman." female characters Though production texts fortheDionysianfestivals one of the"classic" we can examine classics, produced within in thehistory of theatrical and criticism and reproduced productions, history, of The Oresteiaexhibits all of thethemes culture. The trilogy our own contemporary in thecanon illustrates itselevatedposition above. Moreover, discussed and practices of Oresteia thedefeatof theold The illustrates its lasting value. A feminist reading of "Woman" as on the nature matriarchal portrayed thestage,theriseof genealogy, of women. of actual the and the Athena, suppression legacy The Oresteia central to critics and historians have analyzedThe Oresteiaas a text Many feminist itas the describe Simonede Beauvoirand Kate Millett ofmisogyny. theformalization ofa patriarchal takeover. NancyHartsock arguesthatitassociates rendering mythical thoseforces thatmustbe tamedin outwithsexuality and nature, thefemale gender and withinthe innerpersonforthe survivalof the polis. Hartsock side activities associated thatare themselves describesThe Oresteiawithinthe dramaticfestivals It chariot The drama,likethefour-horse withmalegender activities. race,is a contest. formalizes agons (contests)and the notion of winnersand losers. The festivals and ideal of rhetorical associatetheheroicideal of valor in battlewiththepeacetime ofwar- themalewarofthedramais thesubject The subject dramatic competition.'2 of gender, dice thedramatic withtheconflicts riorhero.When thisagon is inscribed of heroto win. The Oresteiaenactsthe"battle are loaded forthesamegender-specific thatwomenmust and politicalcodes to prescribe cultural thesexes," usingAthenian lose thebattle.
11Hartsock, p. 192. 12Hartsock, p. 198.
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role in of Atheniancultureand condemnswomen to theirsubservient judgments It of new the rests a civilization. The Western gods. openswith genealogy upon play an create the old order,the vile goddesses,the Eumenides. ugly,frightening They The maskscreatedforthem of theearlierCthonicfemalereligions. characterization statesthat remark aboutthem fortheir werefamous disgusting appearance.An extant anecdote into women an Eumenides horrified interesting miscarriages" 4 "Aeschylus' in Athens, while have arrived The Eumenides foritsgender and sexualconnotations. their role as the his of mother. describe his murder Orestes to They revenge pursuing for and Athena to Orestes of matricide (line210). aphelp appeals Apollo punishment Athenianmethodsof a trial,exhibiting pears to solve the problem.She institutes The decisionis to setOrestesfree.This concluto tryOrestesforhis murder. justice, of misogyny, forit rests for evidence the sion is damning upon publicrationalization not but mother is the the line as male. The parent, thenurseof establishing parental the child. The parentis definedas he who mounts(lines 658-661). Athena is the and was begatby themale god supreme proofof thisfactbecauseshe had no mother is no to a cave and their function are confined Zeus (lines734-738). The Eumenides which the over to to but Thus, matricide, marriages. trilogy longer revenge preside thehouse of Agamembeganwiththeend of theTrojan war and proceededthrough theroleofgender and thedefininon endswiththeinstitution of democracy deciding of future tionofprocreation. This ending can be seenas paradigmatic plot structures will A of conclude variouskinds in theWestern tradition. majority plays playwriting of The with the institution of civic,historical, and psychological marriage. problems in conclusion. this is inscribed for women role propergender thatshe mustread againstthetext, The feminist readerof The Oresteiadiscovers but also thehistorical of and internal its sense not conclusion, pathos only resisting within theatre its treatment codes whichsurround and cultural it, including history. rather readerfeelsmay be forIphigeniaand Clytemnestra The pathos thefeminist woman in than for Agamemnon.She may perceiveAthena as a male-identified of powerrather thanas a hero of Athens.She defialliancewiththemale network of thestage,bewildered from theconventions feels excluded by theconvention nitely Mimesis in terms offemale characters. whichis onlypracticed ofcross-gender casting readerwill decide thatthefemaleroles is not possibleforher. Perhapsthefeminist rolesshouldbe playedby men,as fantasies to do withwomen,thatthese havenothing whichillustrates ofa patriarchal of"Woman"as "Other" thanmen,disruptions society becomeperthefeminist reader ofthefemale itsfearand loathing might parts.In fact, Cassandraor Phaedra are roles of Medea, Clytemnestra, suaded thattheAthenian concludethatwomenneed readermight properly playedas dragroles.The feminist thefeminist withthem. to identify notrelateto these rolesor evenattempt Moreover, about theexperience concludethattheserolescontainno information historian might mustrecognize scholar thefeminist ofrealwomenin theclassicalworld.Nevertheless, and thattheAthenian climate in this kindofcultural thattheatre experience originated will continueto provide a certainparadigmof theatrical practicefor the rest of
14 Sir Arthur The DramaticFestivalsofAthens(Oxford:ClarendonPress,1968), Pickard-Cambridge, p. 265.
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and cultural Western theatrical/cultural in text, history. practice By linking practice, ofhow thehegemonic structure of thisnew way, she mayenhanceherunderstanding was instituted in Athens. patriarchal practice Aristotle does not end withthetheatre The legacyof theGreeksto theatre history practice of Athens.The processknownas theatre was first and lastingly articulated and texts in theatre in his Poetics.This textis stilltaught classesas thedefinitive by Aristotle of classicaltragedy. as we have consourceof thenature Based on theGreekpractice it and on thekindoftexts sidered producedforit, ThePoeticsexpandsthepatriarchal womento thenature and to theroleofthe ofthedramatic against experience prejudice audience. on womencan be deducedfrom severalofhiscriteria Aristotle's regardperspective in The of dramatic character 15. Golden translation reads:"First the nature chapter ing and foremost, character shouldbe good . . . goodnessis possibleforeach class ofindividuals.For,botha womanand a slavehave their virtues eventhough the particular to a man, and thelatter former is completely of theseis inferior (lines2-8).1ignoble" "In connection withthecharacters and ... first Or, as it readsin theElse translation, most important, thattheybe good . . . but goodnessexistsin each class of people: thereis in factsuch a thingas a good woman and such a thingas a good slave, no doubtone ofthese classesis inferior and theother, as a class,is worthless" although for his with a (lines 54a16-24).16Aristotle begins prescription the tragiccharacter In orderto be tragic, moralimperative. one mustbe good. The absenceof themale in his discussionillustrates thatthe male citizenis the standardof good, but thatthis Aristotle relates goodnessto class,butmoreimqualitymay evenbe foundin others. class he relates to gender.Slaves, as a class, are comparableto women,a portantly, as he suggests it, puts themale citizenon top, women gender.The class hierarchy, on next inferior level and slaves on the bottom.Althoughslaves are (citizens) the of tragedy are notthesubjects becausethey are "ignoble" or capable ofgoodness,they of Fromthepractice Greektragedy, we knowthatitis theprovince of the "worthless." royal houses. Women seem to inhabitan ambiguousstation.Though theymay be Aristotle to a potentialsubjectsof the tragedy, impliesthattheywould be inferior male subject. Goodness is only thefirst character withinThe Poetics.Apqualityof a dramatic action is the second the character must actionsappropriate propriate tragic perform to his character. As Else notes in his commentary, is not reallya "Appropriateness but a corollaryto Aristotle's hierarchical view of goodness"(line separateprinciple of action is a quality of the noble character,as is 458). Thus, appropriateness to the actionsof braveryand the makes thispoint in reference goodness. Aristotle - actionsappropriate functions ofintelligence to thetragic character. The Elsetranslationreads:"for it is possibleforthecharacter to be brave (manly)but not fitting to a
15
fromLeon Golden, Aristotle's Poetics (EnglewoodCliffs: All Golden citations Prentice-Hall, 1968).
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woman (not by virtueof being brave or clever) (lines 54a24-26). In the Golden it is possiblefora personto be manlyin terms of character, "for translation: but it is fora womanto exhibit notappropriate either thisqualityor theintellectual cleverness "brave"and "manly" thatis associatedwithmen."Else translates as interchangeable and bravery are one and thesame. Thattranslathatthemalegender terms, indicating is determined tion also indicatesthat a character by gender,and that the tragic It is not appropriate is suitedto themale gender, whichconnotes character bravery. does not fora woman to be manly:to be brave and clever.The Golden translation "intellectual cleverness." is a mention but does mention bravery, Clearly,cleverness for the but unavailable to women. character, necessary tragic gender-specific quality Manliness,whichconnotesbraveryto some, is anotherappropriate qualitywhich rest does not residein theclass of women.Aristotle's assumptions upon theintersecIn bothrealms, and aesthetic womenare theouttionof social reality prescriptions. limits of whichhelp to to the male the siders.They function subject, only provide or differences from which his illustrate his him, outline, highlight they complete there no to invisible are ascribed Once women are them, more, qualities qualities. thefocuson themale and their providestheempty space whichorganizes invisibility action In of insofar as theymight this are only help way, they subjects tragic subject. themale character. to define from intellecof character, however,women'sexclusion Beyondtherequirements of thedrama,art,or from theentire tualcleverness experience mayalso excludethem to thepleasureoflearnlinkstheact ofrepresentation In chapter mimesis. 4, Aristotle lessonsthrough and thosewho view theart:"helearnshisfirst ing,bothfortheartist because in their and "peopleenjoyseeingthereproductions: imitation" viewingthey what class each objectbelongsto" (lines48b15-17). findtheyare learning, inferring is linkedto theenjoyment/reception is didacticand learning The pleasureofmimesis of art to themale, the enjoyment is gender-specific of its product.Since cleverness are uncertain about thecomposition Historians within hisprovince. maybe restricted to citizens, itis audience.Some reasonthatsinceitwas restricted of theGreektheatre jests quitepossiblethatno womenwereincluded.OthersreasonthatsinceEuripides evidenceof about womenin theaudiencein some of his plays, thesejestsconstitute in all thathe wrote toneof irony reasonthatEuripides' Yet others women'spresence. fromthe genderas admissibleevidence.Judging rules out any of his statements it would on tragedy, thoughts qualityof Athenianpracticeand Aristotle's specific of chapter thatwomenwerenotin theaudience.Or, in thecontext seemappropriate oftheaudience.In other members wouldbe inferior words,notonlyis the 4, thatthey be he may theexclusive and tragic oftheatre malethesubject character, recippractice ientof thetheatrical experience. choices in Aristotle's is to enablecorrect ofthought, thefunction Moreover, system, about is to teachaudiences ofpity, and recognition fear, (lines50b5-13). The function Not only are theirpleasurefromthe recognition. choicesand to stimulate correct to perceivethesechoices,but theyare thecleverness womenexcludedfrom required in Aristotle's articulated This idea is clearly thepowersofdeliberation. from excluded at all; thewomanhas, but it is without Politics:"theslave has no deliberative faculty
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17 It is possibleto conclude, thatwomenhave no needto learnabout then, authority." theauthority of choice; therefore, thedramahas no choices,sincetheyare without thepleasureof watching forthemand theyare excludedfrom it. Moreover, function without be outside their realm for also seem to would authority, dialogue speaking is inappropriate, as we see in thepassage whichfollowstheabove quotationin the but of a woman in Politics: "the courage of a man is shown in commanding, this is but is not equally the the a woman's . . . as 'Silence glory', poet says obeying 18 of from of Excluded from the a man." cleverness, character, categories tragic glory of deliberation, fromtheauthority and fromdialogue,womenseem to be excluded to theclass of thegender from thedramatic The dramais notappropriate experience. women."
withtheclass called"women" finds herself The feminist reader, reading identifying to be a readerof thatshe is not even intended againstthistext.In fact,she discovers or whatever insults thistext.Whatever feelin reading Aristotle's angershe might pity withtheexcluded womenin thisclassicalera seemsinapfeelin identifying she might finds within of thistextual world.At thispoint,thefeminist theexclusivity propriate to be defined as one without thenecessary herself criteria forthestudyor thepractice of the drama. The prominence of The Poeticswithinthe history of thedrama and withinthe studyof the history of the drama, makes the exclusionof the feminist readereven morecomprehensive. The feminist readercan, however,discoverthemethodology of and assumptions to the alliance of theatre with She can patriarchal begin comprehend production. thefeminist patriarchal prejudice.The studyof itsdevelopment may inform analysis of contemporary it with choices for future action which might theatre, providing of "Woman"appear in thesetexts. make thefiction The feminist theatre practitioner how come to a new of to classic the Greekplays. For may understanding reproduce thanconsidering a textsuchas Lysistrata as a good play forwomen, example,rather she mightview it as a male drag show, with burlesquejokes about breastsand wellwithin thedragtradition. director The feminist phallusesplaying maycasta man in therole of Medea, underscoring of thepatriarchal prejudices ownership/jealousy and children as male-identified concerns.The feminist actor may no longerregard theserolesas desirable forhercareer.Overall,thefeminist and scholars practitioners to may decide thatsuchplays do not belongin thecanon- thattheyare not central thestudyand practice of theatre.
and Maureen B. Fant, Women'sLife in Greece and Rome (Baltimore:The Johns 17MaryLefkowitz Press, 1982), p. 64. Hopkins University Lefkowitz and Fant,p. 64. 18
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