Women of Trachis

Tragedies in the fifth century BCE Athens were performed in competitive contests at festivals held to honor the gods of the city. Though hundreds of plays were performed, only 32 survive relatively complete, all by three playwrights: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Though few specifics are known, it is believed that Women of Trachis was performed in the theater of Dionysus at the City Dionysia. This festival was held annually in Athens in March over a six-day period to honor the god Dionysus. Attendance was open to citizens and visitors and drew attendees from across the Greek-speaking world. Scholars continue to debate whether women would have been in attendance.

To be considered for productions, playwrights were required to submit their work for review, and three would be selected to present their plays at the festival, where one winner would be selected. Funding for the productions was provided by both private and public funds. The city compensated the play’s composer and lead actors, and three wealthy citizens would be nominated to fund the chorus for the plays. Each playwright presented three tragedies and tragicomic satyr plays, and judges determined the winner.

All roles were played by men. Speaking roles were limited to three actors, who might play two or even three roles within a play. It is believed that the roles of Heracles and Deianeira were played by the same actor. In Sophocles’ time, the chorus was made up of 15 men, who sang and danced. The Chorus Leader might also converse with characters in the play. Actors wore elaborate masks which may have covered their entire heads, to enable them to be seen from a distance, as the seating areas could be quite large.