Phrynicus
Encyclopedia
Phrynichus, son of Polyphradmon and pupil of Thespis
, was one of the earliest of the Greek
tragedians
. Some of the ancients regarded him as the real founder of tragedy. Phrynichus is said to have died in Sicily
.
or the Sack of Miletus, was probably composed shortly after the conquest of that city by the Persians during the Ionian Revolt
. Miletus was a colony
of Athens and therefore traditionally held especially dear to the mother city. The audience was moved to tears by Phrynichus' tragedy, with the poet being fined "", "for reminding familiar misfortunes". As a result, it was decreed that no play on the subject should be produced again.
In 476 BC Phrynichus was successful with the Phoenissae, called after the Phoenicia
n women who formed the chorus. This drama celebrated the defeat of Xerxes I at the Battle of Salamis
four years earlier. Themistocles
provided the funds as Choregos
(producer), and one of the objectives of the play was to remind the Athenians of his great deeds. The Persians
of Aeschylus
(472 BC) was an imitation of the Phoenissae.
The titles of his other known plays (Actaeon, Alcestis, Antaeus, Daughters of Danaus, Egyptians, Pleuroniai, and Tantalus) show that he dealt with mythological as well as contemporary subjects. He introduced a separate actor, as distinct from the leader of the chorus, and thus laid the foundation for theatrical dialogue. But in his plays, as in the early tragedies generally, the dramatic element was subordinate to the lyric element as represented by the chorus and the dance. According to the Suda
, Phrynichus first introduced female characters on the stage (played by men in masks), and made special use of the trochaic tetrameter
.
), in his Varia Historia (3,5), says that Phrynichus' martial verses so stirred the people of Sparta
, they made him a general, which may reflect some conferred on the poet.
Fragments of his work exist in Johann August Nauck
's Tragicorum graecorum fragmenta (1887), pp 720–725.
Thespis
Thespis of Icaria , according to certain Ancient Greek sources and especially Aristotle, was the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a play...
, was one of the earliest of the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
tragedians
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
. Some of the ancients regarded him as the real founder of tragedy. Phrynichus is said to have died in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Works
He gained his first victory in a drama contest in 511 BC. His famous play, the Capture of MiletusMiletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
or the Sack of Miletus, was probably composed shortly after the conquest of that city by the Persians during the Ionian Revolt
Ionian Revolt
The Ionian Revolt, and associated revolts in Aeolis, Doris, Cyprus and Caria, were military rebellions by several regions of Asia Minor against Persian rule, lasting from 499 BC to 493 BC...
. Miletus was a colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Athens and therefore traditionally held especially dear to the mother city. The audience was moved to tears by Phrynichus' tragedy, with the poet being fined "", "for reminding familiar misfortunes". As a result, it was decreed that no play on the subject should be produced again.
In 476 BC Phrynichus was successful with the Phoenissae, called after the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n women who formed the chorus. This drama celebrated the defeat of Xerxes I at the Battle of Salamis
Battle of Salamis
The Battle of Salamis was fought between an Alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire in September 480 BCE, in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens...
four years earlier. Themistocles
Themistocles
Themistocles ; c. 524–459 BC, was an Athenian politician and a general. He was one of a new breed of politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy, along with his great rival Aristides...
provided the funds as Choregos
Choregos (ancient Greece)
In the theatre of ancient Greece, chorêgos was an honorary title for a wealthy Athenian citizen who assumed the public duty of financing and paying the expenses of the preparation of the chorus and other aspects of dramatic production that were not covered by the state...
(producer), and one of the objectives of the play was to remind the Athenians of his great deeds. The Persians
The Persians
The Persians is an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. First produced in 472 BCE, it is the oldest surviving play in the history of theatre...
of Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
(472 BC) was an imitation of the Phoenissae.
The titles of his other known plays (Actaeon, Alcestis, Antaeus, Daughters of Danaus, Egyptians, Pleuroniai, and Tantalus) show that he dealt with mythological as well as contemporary subjects. He introduced a separate actor, as distinct from the leader of the chorus, and thus laid the foundation for theatrical dialogue. But in his plays, as in the early tragedies generally, the dramatic element was subordinate to the lyric element as represented by the chorus and the dance. According to the Suda
Suda
The Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...
, Phrynichus first introduced female characters on the stage (played by men in masks), and made special use of the trochaic tetrameter
Trochaic tetrameter
Trochaic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. It refers to a line of four trochaic feet. The word "tetrameter" simply means that the poem has four trochees...
.
Recognition
Aelian (Claudius AelianusClaudius Aelianus
Claudius Aelianus , often seen as just Aelian, born at Praeneste, was a Roman author and teacher of rhetoric who flourished under Septimius Severus and probably outlived Elagabalus, who died in 222...
), in his Varia Historia (3,5), says that Phrynichus' martial verses so stirred the people of Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
, they made him a general, which may reflect some conferred on the poet.
Fragments of his work exist in Johann August Nauck
Johann August Nauck
Johann August Nauck was a German classical scholar and critic.Nauck was born at Auerstedt in Thuringia...
's Tragicorum graecorum fragmenta (1887), pp 720–725.