THE PERFORMANCE OF TRAGEDIES IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE

Voula Lampropoulou
University of Athens

I think it will be difficult for anybody to understand the great musicality and poeticality of the Ancient Greek language who has not attended a dramatic peformance in Ancient Greek in an ancient theatre, a great amphitheatre or an open space. It is fascinating, it is magic. It is a majesty which opens the eyes of people's soul and mind. Especially, if the text (play) is a tragedy and is performed and sung by one or more tragic actors, then the performance ís beauty and majesty is unique.

When I first attended an ancient Greek tragedy, the Persae of Aeschylus, in a big thetare in Gavle in Sweden performed by Greek and Swedish actors and directed by a male Swedish diretor and a female German director, I was excited and thrilled. Until that day I considered it an utopia. I had the opportunity to ask the fascinated actors who told me that it was very easy for them to memorise, perform and sing the ancient text. Furthermore, the audience, which was conmposed of Swedish people from different professions and education levels, assured me that they had understood every detail of the drama and they had been delighted and thrilled. Of course they had read the translation of the ancient Greek text into their language, as was necessary for those who did not know the Ancient Greek language.

Perfomances of Ancient Greek Drama in ancient Greek should be established (instituted) everywhere not only for classicists and students of Classical Studies but also for all the people, but not in the Erasmic pronunciation.

Voula Lampropoulou
University of Athens