Greek and Roman Actors - Aspects of an Ancient Profession

Oct 12, 2026

A collection of twenty interdisciplinary essays examines Greek and Roman actors as both professionals and cultural ideas. The volume spans from the sixth century BC through Byzantium, also tracing later Renaissance to twentieth-century influence. Essays address diverse geographies and topics, including evidence for women actors, acting’s role in literary portrayals of suicide, new material such as Asia Minor graffiti, and reconstructed subjective experience. All Greek and Latin passages are translated, supported by numerous illustrations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages545

Reading Time3 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Part One The Art of the Actor

Part Two The Professional World

Part Three The Idea of the Actor

Illustrations

GREEK AND ROMAN ACTORS This collection of twenty essays examines the art,the professionand the idea of the actor in Greek and Roman antiquity,and hasbeen commissioned and arranged to cast as much interdisciplinaryand transhistorical light as possible on these elusive but fascinatingancient professionals.It covers a chronological span from the sixthcentury BC to Byzantium(and even beyond to the way that ancientactors have influenced the arts from the Renaissance tothe twentiethcentury)and stresses the enormous geographical range of ancientactors.Some essays focus on particular themes,such as the evidencefor women actors or the impact of acting on the presentation ofsuicide in literature;others offer completely new evidence,such asgraffiti relating to actors in Asia Minor;others ask new questions,such as what subjective experience can be reconstructed for theancient actor.There are numerous illustrations and all Greek andLatin passages are translated. PAT EASTERLING is an Honorary Fellow of Newnham Collegeand a Fellow of the British Academy.She was Regius Professorof Greek at Cambridge from 1994 to 200t,and Professor of Greekat University College London from 1987 to 1994.She has beena General Editor of Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics sinceits foundation over thirty years ago,and has published an editionwithin this series of Sophocles'Trachiniae(1982),co-edited,with B.M.W.Knox,Volume t of the Cambnidge History of Classical Litera-ture(1985)and edited The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy(1997).She is currently writing a commentary on Sophocles'Oedipus atColonus. EDITH HALL is Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural Historyat the University of Durham and has previously taught at theUniversities of Cambridge,Reading and Oxford,where she wasFellow ofSomerville College from 1995 to 2001.She is Co-Directorof the Archive ofPerformances of Greek and Roman Drama at theUniversity of Oxford and author of Imenting the Barbarian(198g),ed-itor of Aeschylus'Persians(1996)and co-editor of Medea in Performanc(20oo).She is currently working,with Fiona Macintosh,onahistoryof Greck tragedy on the British Stage for Oxford University Press. GREEK ANDROMAN ACTORS Aspects of an Ancient Profession EDITED BYPAT EASTERLING Regius Pofssor ofGrwk Enrriu,Uniresity efCambridy AND EDITH HALL Lzrerhulne Poflsor of Grek Cnhrel Hison.Lnirejaly qf Drhanv CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESSCambridge,New York,Melbourne,Madrid,Cape Town,Singapore.Såo Paulo Cambridge University PressThe Edinburgh Building,Cambridge CB28RU,UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press,New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title:www.cambridge.org/9780521651400 ◎ Cambridge University Press 2002 This publication is in copyright.Subject to statutory exceptionand to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,no reproduction of any part may take place without the writtenpermission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2002This digitally printed version 2007 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library ISBN 978-0-521-65140-0 hardback ISBN 978-0-521-04550-6 paperback Contents List ofillustrationspage viiList of contributorsxiiPrefacexviiAcknowledgementsxxiiiList of abbreviationsxxivMapsxxviii PART ONE THE ART OF THE ACTOR 1 The singing actors of antiquity3Edith Hall 2 The musicians among the actors39Peter Wilson 3 The use of the body by actors in tragedy and satyr-play69Kostas Talakas 4 Towards a reconstruction of performance style93Richard Green 5 Kallippides on the floor-sweepings:the limits of realismin classical acting and performance styles127Erie Csapo 6 Looking for the actor's art in Aristotle148 G.M.Sjfakis 7 Acting,action and words in New Comedy165Eric Handley 8 Acting down':the ideology of Hellenistic performance189Richard Hanter Contents PART Two THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD 9 Nothing to do with the technitai of Dionysus?209J

FAQs

What time period does the collection cover?

It covers a chronological span from the sixth century BC through Byzantium, and extends beyond to Renaissance and twentieth-century influences.

What kinds of topics do the essays address?

The essays explore themes such as evidence for women actors and how acting shapes the presentation of suicide in literature, as well as new evidence like graffiti related to actors in Asia Minor.

Are ancient-language sources included in the book?

Yes. The volume includes numerous illustrations and translates all Greek and Latin passages.

Oct 12, 2026

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