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{{Short description|Lyrical song of lamentation in an Athenian tragedy}} |
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A '''''kommos''''' (from [[Greek language|Greek]] κομμός, ''kommós'', literally "striking", especially "beating of the head and breast in [[mourning]]"<ref name=LSJ>{{LSJ|kommo/s1|κομμός|ref}}</ref>) is a [[Lyric poetry|lyrical song]] of [[lament]]ation in an [[Classical Athens|Athenian]] [[tragedy]] that the [[Greek chorus|chorus]] and a [[drama]]tic [[Character (arts)|character]] sing together.<ref name="r57">Rehm (1992, 57).</ref> It is also found in comedies with certain peculiarities.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adrados |first=Francisco Rodríguez |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AtcUAAAAIAAJ&dq=Kommos+in+theatre&pg=PP12 |title=Festival, Comedy and Tragedy: The Greek Origins of Theatre |date=1975 |publisher=Brill Archive |isbn=978-90-04-04313-8 |language=en}}</ref> A kommos occurs "when the tension of the play rises to a [[Climax (narrative)|climax]] of grief or horror or joy".<ref>Baldry (1971, 64).</ref> Examples include the final section (lines 908–1077) of [[Aeschylus]]' ''[[The Persians]]'' (472 BCE) in which [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes]] laments the defeat of his [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian]] army, the final appearance of [[Antigone]] in [[Sophocles]]' ''[[Antigone (Sophocles)|Antigone]]'' (c.442 BCE), the interaction between the chorus and [[Oedipus]] when he returns having blinded himself in Sophocles' ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' (c.429 BCE), and the exchange between [[Orestes]], [[Electra]] and the chorus immediately after [[Clytemnestra]]'s murder in [[Euripides]]' ''[[Electra (Euripides)|Electra]]'' (c.410 BCE).<ref>Rehm (1992, 57) and Baldry (1971, 64).</ref> |
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'''Kommos''' is a set of lines that alternate between an actor (or actors) and the [[Greek chorus|chorus]]. It is used in [[Ancient Greek theatre]] |
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==See also== |
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{{theat-stub}} |
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* [[Theatre of ancient Greece]] |
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* [[Monody]] - a "solo song" sung by a dramatic character without the chorus |
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* [[Lament]] |
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* [[Elegy]] |
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==References== |
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[[nl:Kommos]] |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[pl:Kommos]] |
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==Sources== |
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* Baldry, Harold Caparne. 1971. ''The Greek Tragic Theatre.'' Ancient Culture and Society ser. London: Chatto & Windus. {{ISBN|0-7011-1629-3}}. |
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* [[Rush Rehm|Rehm, Rush]]. 1992. ''Greek Tragic Theatre.'' Theatre Production Studies ser. London and New York: Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-11894-8}}. |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek theatre]] |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek laments]] |
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Latest revision as of 06:25, 4 February 2024
A kommos (from Greek κομμός, kommós, literally "striking", especially "beating of the head and breast in mourning"[1]) is a lyrical song of lamentation in an Athenian tragedy that the chorus and a dramatic character sing together.[2] It is also found in comedies with certain peculiarities.[3] A kommos occurs "when the tension of the play rises to a climax of grief or horror or joy".[4] Examples include the final section (lines 908–1077) of Aeschylus' The Persians (472 BCE) in which Xerxes laments the defeat of his Persian army, the final appearance of Antigone in Sophocles' Antigone (c.442 BCE), the interaction between the chorus and Oedipus when he returns having blinded himself in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (c.429 BCE), and the exchange between Orestes, Electra and the chorus immediately after Clytemnestra's murder in Euripides' Electra (c.410 BCE).[5]
See also
[edit]
Look up kommos in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- Theatre of ancient Greece
- Monody - a "solo song" sung by a dramatic character without the chorus
- Lament
- Elegy
References
[edit]- ^ κομμός. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
- ^ Rehm (1992, 57).
- ^ Adrados, Francisco Rodríguez (1975). Festival, Comedy and Tragedy: The Greek Origins of Theatre. Brill Archive. ISBN 978-90-04-04313-8.
- ^ Baldry (1971, 64).
- ^ Rehm (1992, 57) and Baldry (1971, 64).
Sources
[edit]- Baldry, Harold Caparne. 1971. The Greek Tragic Theatre. Ancient Culture and Society ser. London: Chatto & Windus. ISBN 0-7011-1629-3.
- Rehm, Rush. 1992. Greek Tragic Theatre. Theatre Production Studies ser. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-11894-8.
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