Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-13

feSyns occurring Annualy ana lAstng severn
days The time the spring when the city crowded
with vsters from the allied and tributary States and from
other parts of the world The Donysac Theatre was Of
immense sze open at the top built into the side Of the
Acrspos for security and economy. 1t sometimes
used for other purposes and large enough TO hold
nearly the whole free population Of Athens The lecturer
described its structure The stage machinery and the
atrica properties very various personages were in
roduced from above and from below Scenes changed
readily the modern stage The representation
under the charge of the magistrate to whom the pieces
submitted for his appreciation. The pieces were
performed in the day time the spectators hurng early
in the morning to secure their places.
The drama grew of older species of lyrical
teranmen and consisted Of dialogue superadded to the
chorus The structure of tragedy simple but the
parts required be arfuy adjusted to each other The
required to present the personages Of the
drama Intellectually, but to the eye. Their persons
enlarged by hghsoed buskins by padding by costumes
and by masks that the ncongruty that is sometimes
observed the modern stage between the parsonage and
his dramatic representative, did not occur.
Having briefly pointed out the particulars which dis
tinguished an ancient representation from modern the
lecturer proceeded to sketch the characters Of the three
great tragedans, Eschylus, Sophocles and Eurpides
Next to illustrate the average character of Greek
tragedy the Ajax of Sophocles selected. No doubt
Of the house of Gdpus-he Edpus Tyrennus the Edpus
Coloneus and the Antgone But these closely
neced that analysis of would be defective without
the other two.
The subject of the Alas or Ajax is drawn from the
legends of the Trojan The story of the hero was
connected with the early traditions of Atca In bravery
he stood next to Achilles himself But he had fatal de-
feet of character oyerbearing sefconfdence which
drew down upon him the heavy wrath of the heavenly
powers. Herein lay the motve-power that slowly but
surely brought the tragic catastrophe He has cap
tured Phrygan princess Tekmessa, who becomes his
wife and bears him After the death Of Achilles
they adjudged to his rival Odysseus Indignant
this he resolves to say his rival and the Of Atreus
but Athena whom he has offended smites him with mad
ness and turns his phrenzy upon the hocks and herds
and their keepers. Waking from the delusion under
which he has acted his naughty spirit is stung by the
consciousness Of disgrace, that he uesoyes suicide
These the outlines of the story, handed dewn by
the old epic poets and dramatically handled by Sophocles
The in which Sophoces employed these materials
was next discussed and the distribution Of the parts
among the actors described Some of the resembance$
in manner sentiment imagery, and condensed force of
expression between Shakespeare and the Greek ragedan
were alluded to- He declared to be the most classic
of dramast the highest in genius and the trues
be read together, each others complement. ~
The lecturer concluded the analysis by reading two pas
sages First the speech of Tekmessa to Alas, in whicl
she endeavors dssuade him from his purposed sucid
And second the sooquy of Alas just before he says him
self by falling upon his sword The former il remarked
shows the poets intimate knowledge of Homer, beng
partly initiated from the tender and pathetic address Of
Andromache to Hector. The latter nearly cslc-
brated the Athcnan stage the soOquy of Hame
the English though differing in Tone These passages
were translated into twelve syllable iambc lines in oder
to represent closely the ambic tmetcrs Of the
original.
The lecturer next proceeded to comedy. Having dis
cussed the general laws Of the comic stage and the
Of human which its representations
the lecturer proceeded to give sketch of the orgn
and progress of Attic comedy, and the principal Subjects
handled by its writer's The philosophical specuaons of
the times tending to Atheism; the qups and qars of
the sophsts, and their dangerous immoraites carried
into the affairs Of the State witty travesty Of the
gedans with short alusions constantly occurring to par
ticua persons and characters political ond popu
lar phrenzes like the madness which led to the Sician
expedition; schemes Of revolution and reform wild and
extrayagant speculatons of every kind prvcts Of n
versa annexation, and Intervention In other peoples AZ
fairs. were Samatizcd with infinite wit and unsparine
ridcue. Public brought upon the stage by
nae and by the aid Of custume and porraitmasks dra
maticay represented These the principal features
of the old comedy In the Of time the restraints
Of law were laid upon its license and in the middle comedy
public character ceased be brought by name The
new comedy dealt only general characters representing
classes and gathered its materials from careful obserya
ton Of contemporary life and manners.
The lecturer here delincaed the poetcal character Of
Arstophanes and briefly skeched the subjects of his
naming plays To illustrate closely his style Of
handling the projects Of the speculang rcformers
tended analysis given Of the piece entitled the Ecce
sazonsai or Women in Congress assembled shown
that questions Of political change reform had been dis
cussed from Proagoras to Pato and that probably the
question Of womans rights freely treated in the po
cal circles Of the Saloons after Aspasia had introduced
into Ahenan society greater license of intercourse and
more liberty Of conduct among the women The justice
Of excluding women from political influence was ques
toned schemes put forth from time to time for
setting this matter right When the play in question was
reprcsented-n the midst Of the harassing in Asia
Minor, about b. c. 394Ahens appears to have been the
headquarters Of the female philosophers and politicians
and their discussions form the subject Of the play which
comprehends all the schemes Of communism and socialism
that had suggested themselves to the eemng brains
Of ancient the very teemng brains Of the modern
reformers The pIsy represents conspiracy formed By