THE CHORUS

The Pronomos vase

The complete personnel of an Athenian theatre performance at the end of the classical period are depicted on a pot used for mixing wine. The pot commemorated a victory in the competition, as we see from a monument on the right. The actors and chorus are dressed for the satyr play, and not for one of the tragedies that preceded it in the contest, because it was here that drama made explicit its links with the god of wine. The chorus at the end of the satyr play emerged from their long period of training and testing day of performance, drank their fill of wine to celebrate, and returned to everyday life.

In addition to the chorus, the pot depicts three trios. At the centre of the upper level is the divine group: Dionysos, his spouse Ariadne, and an enigmatic figure who might be the Muse of tragedy or the heroine of the play transformed by the spectator's erotic desire into a real woman. On the lower level we see the playwright with his scroll, the chorus trainer with his lyre and the piper dressed in the costume he wore in the theatre. Pronomos, the player of the pipe or ‘aulos’ depicted here, was the most famous of all Greek aulos-players, and his central position in the vase emphasizes the role of music in creating a Dionysiac experience.