Appendix A: Trials, Law Courts, and Theatres
| Author | Roger S. Fisher |
| Pages | 279-286 |
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APPENDIX
A
Trials,
Law
Courts,
and
Theatres
THE
ANTICONE
WAS
first
performed
in
Athens
around
440
B.C.
in
the
Theatre
of
Dionysus
on
the
southern
slope
of
the
Acropolis.
1
The
overlap
between
the
theatre
and
the
courtroom
in
ancient
Athens
is
evident
in
the
place
where
plays
and
trials
were
performed,
in
the
audience
that
at
tended
both,
and
in
the
social
practices
that
were
associated
with
the
the
atre
and
the
courts.
The
theatre
(which
literally
means
“
a
viewing
place
”
)
was
in
form
and
function
more
than
just
a
place
for
dramatic
perform
ances.
Because
the
Theatre
of
Dionysus
was
too
valuable
and
useful
as
a
place
of
public
assembly
to
be
left
unused
for
the
remainder
of
the
year,
political
assemblies
and
trials
were
sometimes
held
there.
The
theatre
was
therefore
an
ambiguous
space
for
performance,
serving
as
both
a
venue
for
plays
in
the
festival
of
Dionysus
and
also
as
a
place
for
legal
and
pol
itical
discourse.
This
intriguing
overlap
between
the
space
and
place
of
religion
and
law
was
occasionally
exploited
by
the
tragedians.
The
seats
of
the
Theatre
of
Dionysus
were
built
into
the
southern
side
of
the
hill
of
the
Acropolis
so
that
when
members
of
the
audience
took
their
seats
in
the
early
morning
on
that
day
when
the
Antigone
was
first
performed,
they
would
have
seen,
towering
over
the
theatre,
the
Parthe
non,
the
classical
temple
to
the
goddess
Athena
that
was
still
under
con
struction
at
the
time
of
the
play
’
s
first
performance.
The
temple,
paid
for
in
part
with
tribute
extorted
from
Athens
’
allies,
would
have
reminded
the
members
of
the
audience
of
their
city
’
s
patron
goddess,
Athena
Parthenos,
[
2-79
]
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