Copy 1, Volume 1

The history of the manners and customs of ancient Greece / By J.A. St. John.

  • James Augustus St. John
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of the manners and customs of ancient Greece / By J.A. St. John. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    451/464 (page 415)
    This, therefore, were there no other proof, would, to me, appear convincing; but a still stronger remains. It is well known that the theatre was, am on 2' the t O ancients, parcelled, out into several divisions, some more, some less honourable; and of these one whole division, by the decree of Sphyromachos, was appropri¬ ated to the female citizens, who would appear pre¬ viously to have sat indiscriminately among the men and female strangers. To the latter the upper ranges of seats would appear to have been appropriated.1 On this point, therefore, the opinion received among the generality of writers is erroneous. Women were not debarred the amusement or instruction of the theatre,2 which, for good or for evil, influenced their education, and rendered their minds subservient or otherwise to the designs of the legislator and the welfare of the state. 1 Aristoph. Eccles. 22. et Schol. ’E)'rai/0a Trepl tj]V i(rya.Tr\v cel Keptdca 'Y/xac Kadii^ovacic SewpeTv ibg Zevciq. Alexis, ap. Poll. ix. 44. 2 An anecdote related by Plu¬ tarch, would of itself, in my opi¬ nion, suffice to prove the presence of women at the theatre, as well as that Athenian ladies habitually went abroad attended by a single maid-servant. For on one occa¬ sion, when an actor who played the part of a queen would have refused to appear upon the stage unless furnished with a splendid costume and a large suite of at¬ tendants, Melanthios, the man¬ ager, pushed him on the boards, saying, “ Don’t you see the wife of Phocion constantly going abroad attended by but one maid ? And wouldst thou affect superior pomp and corrupt our wives ? ” It is evident that the pride of this actor could not have exercised any evil influence on the women had they not been present to witness his ostentation. We must neces¬ sarily infer, therefore, that they were, and that they joined the theatre in the thunders of ap¬ plause with which it received the observation of Melanthios, who had spoken so loud as to be heard by the whole audience. — Plut. Phoc. § 19. The passage of Alexis had not escaped Casaubon, who, in his notes on Theophrastus’ Characters, p. 165, has discussed the point with his usual learning and ability. A passage in the Thc- smophoriazusce of Aristophanes, seems however, but only seems, to make against this opinion. There a woman says that when men re¬ turned from seeing a play of Euri¬ pides, a “ Woman-hater,” they used to search the house in quest of lovers; but when Euripides’ plays were acted they might be supposed to remain at home from pique.