The core difficulty of using history as a topic in Greek theatre, specifically tragedy, was its raw, painful immediacy to the audience, which overwhelmed the art form's intended function of catharsis through the contemplation of distant fate.
The Case of Phrynicus's The Capture of Miletus (494 BC)
The Context: In 494 BC, the city of Miletus, a prominent Ionian Greek city and an ally of Athens, was brutally sacked by the Persians following its rebellion. This was a recent and deeply painful military and political defeat for the Athenians.
The Play: The Athenian tragedian Phrynicus staged the event in his play The Capture of Miletus.
The Reaction: The play was too much for the Athenian audience. Instead of experiencing the measured emotional release (catharsis) typical of tragedy, the audience was overcome by acute, personal grief over a fresh disaster. As the text states, the audience "broke down and cried."
The Consequence: The Athenians effectively treated the play as a crime against the public morale. Phrynicus was condemned and forced to pay a heavy fine of 1,000 drachmas, and the play was banned forever from performance. The penalty was imposed because he "reminded them of their own misfortunes," not for any dramatic or theological fault.
Tragedy's Essential Focus: Myth and Distance
The episode with Phrynicus solidified the Athenian preference for mythological subjects in tragedy, establishing a dramatic convention that lasted for centuries.
Philosophical Distance: The core purpose of tragedy was to explore universal moral, ethical, and religious themes (like fate, justice, and the consequences of hubris). The mythic distance allowed the audience to contemplate these grand themes without their judgment being clouded by raw, personal trauma.
A Single Exception: The only major, surviving example of a historical tragedy is Aeschylus's The Persians (472 BC).
Reason for Success: The play focused on the Athenian victory at the Battle of Salamis, which was a source of great patriotic pride and celebration, making it emotionally palatable and politically affirming. Even so, it remains the last known successful example of the genre, confirming that historical drama was generally abandoned because of its volatile nature.
In summary, history proved a difficult topic because its immediacy turned catharsis into trauma, threatening to undermine the ritualistic and philosophical functions of the tragic festival.
