A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

SOPHOCLES. SOPHOCLES. 871
most essential qualities." (Hist. of Gr. Lit. pp. very considerably curtailed, and their burden was
304, 305.) By the addition of this third actor, less closely connected with the subject of the play;
the chief person of the drama was brought under while the number of the epeisodia, or acts, into
two conflicting influences, by the force of which which they divided the drama, was increased, and
both sides of his character are at once displayed; the continuity of the action was made closer by the
as in the scene where Antigone has to contend at rareness.of the absence of all the actors from the
the same time with the weakness of Ismene and stage, whereas in the earlier tragedies the stage
the tyranny of Creon. Even those scenes in which was often left vacant, while the Chorus was singing
only two actors appear are made more significant long lyric odes. The mode in which the Chorus
by their relation to the parts of the drama in which is connected with the general subject and progress
the action combines all three, and conversely; of the drama is also different. In Aeschylus the
thus, the scene of the Antigone just referred to de- Chorus is a deeply interested party, often taking a
rives its force in a great measure firom the preceding decided and even vehement share in the action,
separate conflicts between Antigone and Ismene, and generally involved in the catastrophe; but the
and Antigone and Creon; while the meaning of Chorus of Sophocles has more of the character of a
those two scenes is only brought out fully when they spectator, moderator, and judge, comparatively imare viewed in their relation to the third. Aeschy- partial, but sympathising generally with the chief
lus adopted the third actor in his later plays; and character of the play, while it explains and harmoindeed it may be laid down, as a general rule, and nizes, as far as possible, the feelings of all the
one which must have contributed greatly to the actors. It is less mixed up with the general acrapid progress of the art, that every improve- tion than in Aeschylus, but its connexion with
ment, made by either of the great rival dramatists each particular part is closer. The Chorus of Soof the age, was of necessity adopted by the others. phocles is cited by Aristotle as an example of his
In the time of Sophocles and Euripides, the num- definition of the part to be taken by the Chorus:ber of three actors was hardly ever exceeded. " It Kal'i V X opo' UE E'a &e? sroraCeaE Tiro3 irOeiKpvtCrc
was an object to turn the talents of the few emi- Kal /Aoprov sElat o6 h'Aov Kal avvayvcovW ~e-ai, Uf
nent actors to the greatest possible account, and to ci'iorep Ev'pr7rtls dhA' &ao-rEp.ocPOKAis (P'O't. 18);
prevent that injury to the general effect which the where, however, the value of the passage, as a deinterposition of inferior actors, even in subordinate scription of the choruses of Sophocles is somewhat
parts, must ever produce; and, in fact, so often diminished by the fact that he is comparing them,
nowadays does produce." (Miiller, Iist. Lit. p. not with those of Aeschylus, but with those of
304.) In only one play of Sophocles, and that not Euripides, whose choral odes have generally very
acted during his life, does the interposition of a little to do with the business of the play.
fourth actor appear necessary, namely, in the Oedi- By these changes Sophocles made the tragedy a
pus at Colonus; "unless we assume that the part drama in the proper sense of the word. The inteof Theseus in this play was partly acted by the rest and progress of the piece centred almost enperson who represented Antigone, and partly by tirely in the actions and speeches of the persons on
the person who represented Ismene: it is, how- the stage. A necessary consequence of this alterever, far more difficult for two actors to represent ation, combined with the addition of the third
one part in the same tone and spirit, than for one actor, was a much more careful elaboration of the
actor to represent several parts with the appropriate dialogue; and the care bestowed upon this part of
modifications." (Miiller, p. 305, note.) It would the composition is one of the most striking features
be travelling rather beyond the bounds of this arti- of the art of Sophocles, whether we regard the
cle to describe the manner in which the persons of energy and point of the conversations which take
a Greek drama were distributed among the three place upon the stage, or the vivid pictures of actions
actors, who, by changes of dresses and masks, sus- occurring elsewhere, which are drawn in the
tained all the speaking characters of the play. This speeches of the messengers.
subject, though essential to a full comprehension of It must not, however, be imagined for a moment
the works of Sophocles, belongs rather to the gene- that, in bestowing so much care upon the dialogue,
ral history of the Greek drama: it is discussed and confining the choral parts within their proper
very well by Miiller, who gives a scheme of the limits, Sophocles was careless as to the mode in
distribution of the parts in the Oresteian trilogy of which he executed the latter. On the contrary,
Aeschylus, and in the An2tigone and Oedipus Ty- he appears as if determined to use his utmost efforts
rannus of Sophocles (pp. 305-307). Mr. Donald- to compensate in the beauty of his odes for what
son also discusses at some length the distribution he had taken away from their length. His early
of the parts in the Antigone. (Introduction to the attainments in music, — the period in which his
Antigone, ~ 4.) lot was cast, when the great cycle of lyric poetry
Sophocles also introduced some very important had been completed, and he could take Simonides
modifications in the choral parts of the drama. and Pindar as the starting points of his efforts, -
According to Suidas (s. v.) he raised the number the majestic choral poetry of his great predecessor
of the choreutae from twelve to fifteen; and, al- and rival, Aeschylus, which he regarded rather as
though there are some difficulties in the matter, the a standard to be surpassed than as a pattern to be
general fact is undoubted, that Sophocles fixed the imitated, —combined with his own genius and
number of choredtae at fifteen, the establishment of exquisite taste to give birth to those brief but perwhich, as a rule, would necessarily be accompanied fect effusions of lyric poetry, the undisturbed enjoywith more definite arrangements than had previously ment of which was reckoned by Aristophanes as
been made respecting the evolutions of the Chorus. among the choicest fruits of peace (Pax, 523).
At the same time the choral odes, which in Aes- Another alteration of the greatest consequence,
chylus occupied a large space in the tragedy, and which, though it was perhaps not originated by
formed a sort of lyric exhibition of the subject in- Sophocles, he was the first to convert into a geterwoven with the dramatic representation, were neral practice, was the abandonment of the trilo3 K 4