The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-14

ueleat from the hnOTeSO OF bTeeCe, ne udu dl'HeN
the growth OF the Athenian Empire, and he
had lived to see Athens brought low by the
catastrophe Of the Sicilian expedition. Through
all these changes he had preserved a serenity
and "A cheerlulneSs which not only endeared
him 10 his country, but left him peculiarly
receptive to the influence Of art.
The other great tragic poet of the perlclean
period IA ruripides, about whose plays opinions
greatly differed in the poets lifetime, and have
din cred ever since He was, in truth, tncori-
sistent with himself. on the whole, he was
the poet of the now movement at Athens, dear
10 Socrates and his school, the prophet of eman-
cipation and enlightenment; but he was also
the author OF the BdcchT, in which he pleaded
for the ritual and worship Of Dionysus. lie
was capable of writing scenes Of touching SIM
plicty, such as the death of Arrests, yet at
other times he awaited himself Of the most
wretched resources TO excite compassion
In the Hcieua. her husband Menelaus i, brought
before us after his shipwrcck. clad in a piece
Of slilcloth, and the rags Of Telephus" have
been rendered notorious by Aristophahe'
often the poets language IS Of extraordinary
beauty, simple or splendid rs suits the con-
text, then, again, there are passages OF mis-
placed rhetoric, false antithcsis and mean
ingless repctitions Whether Wa like him
or dislike him. however. It Ia impossible to
deny that Euripidcs took the most important
step that had ever been taken in the history
of tragedy. II &, human nature as he saw II
around him. and human passion as he be
held il, which. under thin DISCUSSES, are
the motive, Of his plays. lie int"rprets
the old myths in the light OF his own
time, and it is true enough that the re-
suit is often sadly realistic, Tho Illusion
Is completely swept aside, Apollo is the meaneSt
Of men. Aphroditc the worst ~ women, AKA
memnon and Mpnclaus are Just such Kings
OF Sparta as We read Of in Herodoius
Compared with the HomertC conceptions OF
dcttieS and heroes, the new "preseutm"nt jars
upon the reader Yet it j. a step forward that
We witness. dramatic poetry has been brought
nearer 10 her great office Of holding tho mirror
M to nature By taking this ,teN Euripides
introduced u new life into tragedy, and through
his plays there hrcatheS the same spirit which
animated shakespeare
Mor' characteristic still NJ Periclenn Athens.
Of the cvpardcd city life and tho Increasingly
democratic feeling wn- the rise Of comedy
This va, said To be- of Dorian origin. hut the
series Of great comic poets AT Athens begins
with Cratinus only fragments Of his works
remain. but they suffice to prove that in his
time comedy had already established her claim
to deal with persons and questions Of the day.
He was ono of the ferocst Of the opponents
Of Peuclcs and A-pa-ia, and In his PanopiP
he rdiouled the sophi>ts He was followed
by Eupols. Crates. PhcreCrates. Hcrmippus,
AnstophancS and many more Tho plays Of
all these poets but A~ristophanes have per-
i-hed of hi comedies eleven have been pre-
served, some Of which deal with o%litico, Others
with moro general subjects II il we'll known
that in the Ci,uis the subject Of Carica'ure
is socrates Whether Ari-'ophaue- really mis-
Judged him 20 the extent which n" play i'm
plies may I've doubted. but to u comedian oil
was gri-t that cam to his mill. and Socrates
In hi, appearance and his life was too good
a subject to be- lost through any scruples about
Justice to the man. Tn" subject also allows
the poet to display his contempt for natural
science and matcriali~tic ontology After the
battle Of ArgiuusT and tho execution Of the
Athcnian Generals. polite, was no longer a
thrme for comedy The Frogs 'R G 45l
l. a criticism on the three great dramatic poets
Of the century Sophocles and EIr!pidcs being
both dead, pionysus is in want Of a poet, and
goes IN search Of one to the shades where he
finds a contest raging between FuripidCs and
I,chylus for the first place AristoIhaues Is
often too realistic. but, in spite Of much that
startles and shocks tho modern reader. the
uncomfortable grace Of perfect Attic art Is
spread over his compositions and among the
songs introduced into his rlavs are some which
are unsurpassed In Greek lyric verse.