Actors and Icons of the Ancient Theater (eBook)

Eric Csapo is Professor of Classics at the University of Sydney, Australia. An expert in ancient drama and in the material, social and economic history of the ancient theatre, Csapo is the author of Theories of Mythology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005) and co-editor of Context of Ancient Drama (with W. J. Slater, 1995) and The Origins of Theater in Ancient Greece and Elsewhere: From Ritual to Drama (with M. Miller, 2006).

List of illustrations vi

Preface viii

List of abbreviations xiii

1 A Portrait of the Artist I: Theater-Realistic Art in Athens,
500-330 BC 1

2 A Portrait of the Artist II: Theater-Realistic Art in the
Greek West, 400-300 BC 38

3 The Spread of Theater and the Rise of the Actor 83

4 Kallippides on the Floor Sweepings: The Limits of Realism in
Classical Acting 117

5 Cooking with Menander: Slices from the Ancient Home
Entertainment Industry? 140

6 The Politics of Privatization: A Short History of the
Privatization of Drama from Classical Athens to Early Imperial Rome
168

Bibliography 205

Index 227

"Csapo's book covers an impressive range of different topics and
periods in ancient theatrical history." (The Times Literary
Supplement, 8 July 2011)

"No scholar of the ancient theater can afford to ignore the
arguments put forward in this stimulating and exciting book."
(Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 1 April 2011)

"Csapo provides an excellent collection of Oxford lectures (all
revised) that rehearse and challenge old evidence and preconceived
theories on the history and image of actors from classical Greece
to early imperial Rome...What sets this book apart from similar
work is its superb collection and socioeconomic study of extant
ancient artifacts. This is a fascinating read of the ancient world
and the dynamic relationships between its theatre, politics, and
popular culture." (Choice, January 2011)

"Actors and Icons is a compelling account of the development of
acting in antiquity, taking actors all the way from adjuncts
(hypokritai who 'answer' the chorus), to famous, favoured
members of the imperial circle." (Scholia Reviews, 1 October
2010)

"Eric Csapo has ferreted out an extraordinary quantity of
underappreciated evidence, which he pulls together to produce a
highly original and convincing history of actors and acting in the
ancient world. Essential reading for understanding the whole
context of the great achievements of ancient Greek tragedy and
comedy."

Oliver Taplin, Oxford University

"With an excellent command of the many kinds of evidence, E.
Csapo focuses on the actor's image. He gives us a fascinating
new history of the ancient theater."

Brigitte Le Guen, Paris 8 University

"An enthralling read. Nobody brings the world of the ancient
theatre alive like Eric Csapo. From the ways Greek actors reduced
their audiences to tears or helpless laughter to the economic and
political importance of the Roman entertainment industry, he sees
vivid details that pass other scholars by. The range of new
evidence and insights is breathtaking. Compulsory reading for all
historians of ancient theatre, society or culture."

Edith Hall, Royal Holloway University of London