1 The Living Art of Greek Tragedy Marianne McDonald, Ph.D., MRIA ...

his life because he challenged the geocentric explanation which most of the theologians
accepted. Challenging theologians when he lived (1564-1642) could be dangerous for your
health because this was the time of the inquisition.
I owe special thanks to my painstaking readers: James Diggle, Thomas MacCary, and
Michael Walton, besides helpful suggestions from Michael W. Lundell, and readers chosen by
Indiana University Press (2003, rpt. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2004).
Background
We can say that dramatic story telling in Greece began with the Homeric bard who told
stories to nobles while they ate and drank. In the Odyssey, Demodocus also sings before the
public at the games (8. 266 ff). Aristotle says that the particular form that Greek tragedy took
was derived from the singing and dancing of the dithyrambic chorus in honor of Dionysus, the
god of theatre and wine. It developed when the chorus leader separated himself from the rest and
created the possibility of a dialogue. The first performance of a tragedy is attributed to Thespis,
ca. 534 BC in Athens.
6