Tragedy of Greece

Known as the home of democracy, Greece is also the nation where Western drama originated. Talking about Greek drama, tragedy comes first that makes viewers cry for tragic destiny of a leading character. Ancient Greece used to hold an annual contest of tragic drama in March, through which the three playwriters of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were produced. Of the three, Sophocles boasts 23 times winning the contest. They were all from the fifth and sixth century B.C.

Almost all the characters of Greek tragedy were those with power, who were eventually destroyed by jealousy, grudge, self-indulgence and greed. Back then, the drama was so popular that it made the city itself bustling. The country provided all the expense for the play and rich sponsors called “choragus” offered additional financial support. The fact that the drama depicted the fall of the power even when the performance itself was hosted by those people with vested interests shows high standard of Greek democracy. Having grabbed the victory in Greco-Persian Wars after fifth century B.C., Greece was enjoying its prime time and that’s when the Greek tragedy was popular. The tragedy was the product of abundance, which reflects people who want catharsis out of prosperity.

Being left insolvent, Greece is pitifully reeling from its shock. Daily necessities almost ran out as foreign trade stopped and public transportation became less frequent than before. At night, some are witnessed to rummage trash cans searching for something to eat. While the society seems to have no clues up for a national referendum, the affluent who have siphoned off their fortune overseas seems indifferent. Where are those wise people who were the first to create the democracy and undying culture?

Having adopted direct democracy, ancient Greece used a different way to select a winning play in drama contest. The winning piece was selected not by the applause of spectators but by a small number of experts who were selected through a lottery system. The Greek believed that calm judgment rather than loud popularity can pick a good piece. The Greek crisis was caused as the nation’s politics have pandered to the popularity of its people without calmly judging dos and don’ts. The holy land of democracy today clearly shows where the democracy is headed when it lost its original intention.