satyr play

satyr play, genre of ancient Greek drama that preserves the structure and characters of tragedy while adopting a happy atmosphere and a rural background.

The satyr play can be considered the reversal of Attic tragedy, a kind of “joking tragedy.” The actors play mythical heroes engaged in action drawn from traditional mythical tales, but the chorus members are satyrs, guided by old Silenus. Satyrs are nature spirits who combine male human traits (beards, hairy bodies, flat noses, and an erect phallus) with the ears and tails of horses. (See also satyr and silenus.) The satyrs are contrasted with the main characters—who are more or less serious—by their dancing, their love of wine, and their diverting banter, often expressed in low language. This contrast, which is the special trait of satyric drama, served to alleviate the emotional tension of the tragic trilogy.

The usual interpretation is that the satyr plays were presented directly after the tragic trilogy, as the fourth play in competitions; they are regularly listed fourth in lists of plays put on at the Great (or City) Dionysia in Athens. Some satyr plays by Aeschylus seem to make more sense as the second play of the group, however, such as the Sphinx in his Theban trilogy and Proteus in his Oresteia. According to tradition, Pratinas of Phlius was the first to produce a satyr play, at Athens in the 70th Olympiad (499–496 bc).

Under the influence of comedy, the growing sophistication of Athenian audiences reduced the need for satyr plays to produce comic relief, as is seen in Alcestis (438 bc), the fourth drama produced by Euripides, which is almost completely lacking in the genre’s traditional characteristics. Only one traditional satyr play, Euripides’ Cyclops, survives. However, papyrus discoveries have revealed significant fragments of others, especially the Dictyulci (“Net Fishers”) of Aeschylus and the Ichneutae (“Trackers”) of Sophocles.