The Attic dialect was a modification of the Ionic, but was not so effeminate as the parent speech, nor yet so harsh as the Doric; it was rather a golden mean between the two, as the Athenian himself was not so crude, rough and rigid as the Dorian, and, on the other hand, not so flexible and pliant as the soft and effeminate Ionian. The Attic dialect, as developed in tragedy, became the standard Greek language, though Doric (which was the dialect employed in the original choral hymn) was still used in the lyrical parts of tragedy, and Ionic and Epic forms were introduced into the dialogue for the purpose of heightening the color and marking the language more distinctly from prose.
There was one district in Attica especially in which the worship of Dionysus had a strong hold on the people. This was the canton Iona, on the slope of Mount Pentelicus about 12 miles north of Athens. A native of this dis trict, Thespis by name, who lived in the middle of the 6th century, made an important innova tion in the presentation of these embryonic tragedies : he had certain individual satyrs step out of the chorus at some point of the perform ance and recite verses addressed to other satyrs. This is no longer mere impersonation, but the introduction of a new element — real acting. Dialogue is thus added to epic narration and choral singing. But the performances were obviously still very crude. It was not till the seat and centre of tragedy was transferred to Athens that real progress was made. Tlus.oc curred in 534 B.C. The first performance was given under the patronage of Pisistratus. From this time the development was rapid.
The drama of Thespis was neither tragedy nor satyric drama, but the common ancestor from which both these forms were evolved. To Pratinas of Phlius (500 B.c.) is ascribed the in vention of satyric drama, as a writer of which he was very famous. The subjects of tins drama, which later was enacted regularly as an 'afterpiece to the trilogy, were of a lighter kind. The chorus was the centre of Greek drama, and as the satyrs were traditionally an idle, rollicking, mischievous race, serious reflec tions were out of place. With its playful cho rus and its comic Silenus the satyr drama was unlike tragedy; but it was also unlike comedy.
The incidents were often grave, and it contained nothing which approached the parody of com edy. The only extant play of this kind is the 'Cyclops) of Euripides, the humor of which is quiet and somewhat suppressed. We have little information about those of lEschylus and Soph odes, but that little leads us to believe that they contained more horse-play and were rather coarse. Another famous writer of satyr plays
was Choerilus, who competed with iEschylus in 500 B.C.
Innovationa.—About this time Phrynichus of Miletus began his innovations. We know little about his life and activity, but he was un doubtedly a man of great boldness and orig inality. To him Greek tragedy owed much of the progress it made before the time of dEschy lus. He made the bold venture of abandoning not only the myths connected with Dionysus, but of abandoning myths altogether, and of taking for his themes historical events. The names of two of these have come down to us. In his 'Capture of Miletus' he so affected his audience that the Athenians fined him for re minding them so vividly of their misfortunes. Later he produced the 'Phoenician Women.) This was probably in 476 a.c. His treatment of the subject shows great artistic power. But even in Phrynichus we have as yet no real drama. His tragedies must have been little more than lyric cantatas. Nevertheless, Phry nichus was an innovator and made many im provements. For example, he not only devel oped the music and the dances, but also intro duced for the first time female characters.
These were modest beginnings; but in art nothing is small The next great name is 1Eschylus, who may be called the real founder of tragedy. (See 2Escimus). Aristotle says in his 'Poetics' (4, 11-14) : ((The number of actors .Eschylus first advanced from one to two; he abridged the chorus and gave the dia logue the principal role. Sophocles introduced three actors and stage decorations. Further, the originally short fables acquired a proper magnitude, and the number of episodes was in creased. As tragedy developed from the satyric drama, it was late before it threw off comic language and assumed its proper dignity. Iambics displaced trochaic tetrameters; for originally trochaics were used because tragedy, like the satyric drama, was composed for danc ing. But when dialogue was introduced, nature pointed out the appropriate metre; for of all metres the iambic is the most colloquial?) A third actor was introduced by Sophocles, about 468 B.C. He also increased the number of the chorus from 12 to 15, although in the earlier plays of 2Eschylus there was a much larger number, as, for example, in his earliest extant tragedy, 'The 2Esohylus also wrote his plays in trilogies, that is to say, three plays acted in succession, the second being a sequel to the first, and the third a sequel to the second. With the satyric drama full of burlesque and ribaldry, which regularly fol lowed the trilogy to relieve the tension of the audience, the combination was called a tetralogy.