Reviewed Work(s): ΔΡΑΜΑ: Vom Werden der griechischen Tragödie aus dem Tanz by Heinz
Schreckenberg
Review by: Anne Pippin Burnett
Source: Classical Philology, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Oct., 1962), pp. 259-261
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/267517
Accessed: 17-08-2017 03:39 UTC
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BOOK REVIEWS 259
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260 BOOK REVIEWS
physical 8piv is equivalent to not allowing forced, especially in the treatment of the
one's hand to sleep (pp. 22-23). Agathon scene from the Thesmophoria-
With action of hand or body fixed as zusae, where drama seems to be used to
the key to its meaning, S. offers his final mean the whole play and not simply role,
description of the verb: "8piv gehort in and where it is immediately associated
den Bereich des konkreten ergon, ist zu- with the process of writing. This identi-
nachst Ausdruck fur Handarbeit und fication of 8pav with the visual part of the
(medizinisch- )handwerkliches Tun, ein creation of a role is, however, an impor-
kraftiges, dinghaft-konkretes Wort" (p. tant step in S.'s backward reconstruction:
70). In concluding this first section, S. fifth-century drama was a complex of
proposes a provenience for the word; on roles; behind it lay the danced mimetic
the basis of the frequency of its appear- role of an earlier drama, and behind that
ances in the Hippocratic Corpus and of lay a pantomime performance which
certain proper names, he would assign it originated in the orgiastic Dionysiac
to a dialect of the Thracian coast. dance.
In his second section, on the origins of Since the word drama has, by his ear-
tragedy, S. begins with the assertion that lier demonstration, a Thracian origin, S.
the name drama can no longer be taken to looks for its characteristic dance form in
reflect action in the sense of plot or inner the Thracian cult of Dionysus. Panto-
decision; it is gesture, bodily movement, mime, he believes, is indicated by the
that is indicated. Drama is a performance Edonoi fragments because of the lack of
that is danced, and S. sets himself to any mention of song (a dangerous argu-
prove that it was a particular type of ment even if these celebrants were not
dance which conferred this name: a pan- said to move among bellowings and roar-
tomime dance from Thrace. Here his ings). He adds the ambiguous proverb oL
thesis will surely meet opposition. BolxzL aLywaLv and the description of the
Since xe'p is the proper agent for 8pav, Thracian cult dances in Lucian's essay on
S. attempts to show that the choice of the pantomime (where they are called satyric,
word drama meant that the bodily move- but where nothing indicates a lack of
ment of orchesis was being distinguished song), and concludes that in Thrace Dio-
from its vocal aspect. He makes good use nysus was celebrated by a form of panto-
of Plato Leg. 664E-65A, 672E-73A, and mime dance. This is what was introduced
802C3 to show that body and voice were at Athens by Pisistratus on his return
thought of as separately contributing from his second exile, which he had spent
dance and song to choreia. A number of in Thrace. The new dance drama was
miscellaneous passages are added in satyr-like in spirit but performed by the
which hand and voice, arm and voice, whole Bacchic thiasos, wearing goatskins
xLvsZaOoL and y06yyeaOou, are set up as as well as fawnskins. Once in Athens the
contrasting members of pairs. Next, by spectacle is presumed to have undergone
associating 8pav with orchesis (best seen rapid change as two foreign elements
in Plato Com. ap. Athen. 14 628D-E), were added, transforming Thracian pan-
S. would limit it to the part played by the tomime into Attic tragedy. First, the im-
hand, to movement without song. Then presario of the dance troupe decided to
to define the function of the bodily part offer a spoken explanatory introduction;
of orchesis in drama he collects a series of S. here follows Lesky's definition of the
passages which exhibit, so he believes, hypokrites as an "Erklarer" (Studi in
the word drama used to mean "role." The onore di Ugo Enrico Paoli [Florence,
controlling idea in role, he argues, is 1955], pp. 469-76), adding without dem-
characteristic movement, not the speeches onstration that the thing explained
assigned to the actor. Here (pp. 94ff.) one must be visual. This precurtain speech
has the sense that meanings are being was soon split and absorbed into the per-
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BOOK REVIEWS 261
formance proper, becoming prologue and of a Doric choral ode might have found
messenger speech as a costumed actor him most welcome.
brought news which the chorus then in-
ANNE PIPPIN BURNETT
terpreted in its silent dance. Some time
later the Doric choral ode was mingled in
University of Chicago
this Thracian production (why? by
whom? shades of Strauss and Hofmanns- Studi Luciliani. By ITALO MARIOTTI.
thal ?), providing the chorus only now ("Studi di lettere, storia, e filosofia
with song and an exarch. Tragedy pubblicati dalla Scuola Normale Su-
then, according to S., equals Thracian periore di Pisa," XXV.) Florence: "La
pantomime plus Attic exegete plus Doric Nuova Italia," 1960. Pp. vi + 132.
song. L. 1500 (paper).
In a final section, S. explains that Mariotti has set out to re-examine cer-
Aristotle emphasized the dithyrambic tain phases of Lucilius' grammar, vocab-
choruses and their leaders without men- ulary, and diction, in accordance with
tion of the, Thracian dance because of his the theories and techniques of Meillet and
prejudice against the scenic and his tend- his followers. That this is necessary, few
ency to think of tragedy exclusively as scholars would deny; and M. has succeed-
the part of the work apprehended by the ed, in a small area, in defining more exact-
ear. S. shows that the three external ele- ly some of Lucilius' practices.
ments that Aristotle does describe, xiLq, In his first chapter, M. reaffirms the
,us?eo7rou', and O65L, reflect the XeL5, '8, views of ancient critics (other than Hor-
opXza65' of Plato (Leg. 653D-E; 664E- ace), who regarded Lucilius as a doctus
665A; 672-673; 816A), and are represent- poeta. Arguing from the much-quoted
ed in his own scheme by 1rnOXpL-F, 4q, virtus fragment and the orthographical
and 8pa,uo. doctrines of Book 9, as well as from Lu-
S. has succeeded in showing that the cilius' probably intimate contact with
word drama points to mimetic dance; Athens, M. describes the poet as one who
however, its Thracian origin may still be was thoroughly imbued with Hellenistic
doubted, and its roots in pantomime have theories of poetry and rhetoric. This
not been proved. Though Weinreich may might seem to parallel the bold ideas of
have found evidence of Greek pantomime Piwonka's Lucilius und Kallimachos.
performances at the end of the fifth cen- However, M. places Lucilius clearly in
tury B.C. (Sitz. Heidelb. Akad. Wiss., the context of his times and so recognizes
ph.-h. Kl. [1944/48], I), this in no way that Lucilius was not the first to be inspired
suggests that pantomime was primitive. by the Alexandrians, but one of many,
It is hard to believe that the Dionysiac indeed one of the later ones.
katharsis was ever sought through a form It is in the next two chapters that M.
so sophisticated and unnatural as voice- makes his most concrete contributions.
less mimetic dance. Only pantomime, S. In chapter ii he analyzes a problem that
argues, would have called the hypokrites has long disturbed scholars, namely, how
into being, and on this point he is critical Lucilius' own poetic practices are to be
of Lesky (p. 114). On the contrary, since reconciled with his openly proclaimed
the special charm of pantomime is its rhetorical theories and with his sharp
silence, the special pleasure it produces criticisms of other writers. By exhaustive-
that of recognition, the introduction of a ly studying all compounds, Grecisms
speaker would seem a violation of the (this portion is republished from Studi
form itself. Whereas the dithyramb would Urbinati), and the cases of alliteration in
not have been thus distorted by an ex- the Satires, M. produces a coherent pic-
planatory figure, a popular Athenian au- ture of Lucilius as a colloquial poet whose
dience listening to the tangential allusions audience was aristocrats, not the masses.
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