FIERY DETERMINATION
Theater and Society I
Final Project
For this project I wanted to explore costumes as it relates to Aristophanes’, Lysistrata. I chose to do three costume renderings for this play because I was interested in all things ancient Greece and I hoped to explore what it meant to be a costume on stage. Some of the major topics I explored were the differences between female and male clothing and the reasoning for why they wore what they did. I learned that both sexes had very similar clothing, just subtle differences. I learned that the costumes for the actors were very similar to their everyday clothes, just added elements for the theater. The three renderings I am did are of Lysistrata, Lampito, and Cinesias. I chose these characters because Lysistrata can be considered the main character, Lampito is from a different region, and Cinesias is a male. This project further reveals the era through the idea of revolt because the women on stage was a revolt in and of it itself and considered a scandal even though they are technically male. Compton-Engle says John Winkler "suggested that the oversized comic phallus and grotesque body padding mark these characters as anticitizens." (Compton-Engle 26). The costumes of the comedies speak highly of revolt in Ancient Greece. Not only are costumes in general a form of revolt, but also within this play. The male character, Cinesias, shows revolt because he is on stage the whole time with an erect penis which is showing what can happen if a woman ends up in charge which would be absolute blasphemy in this era.
My process for this project has been to read and take as many notes as possible while formulating a costume for each character in my mind. While actually making the renderings I made distinct choices as to wear to draw the line between an actual costume of the time period and realistic clothing, while still maintaining some artistic freedom.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Castillo, Rose. “Ancient Greek Clothing.” Costume - Lysistrata, Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/ksulysistrata/home/costume.
Summary of Lysistrata
A contemporary viewing of Lysistrata could be seen as a feminist work of art; however, when it was first perform in 411 BCE, Aristophanes would have said his play was about what can go wrong when women are in charge. This play starts with a woman named Lysistrata bringing all of the women of Greece together to talk about their husbands. She says she’s tired of the men always being at war and has an idea to stop them. The other women of the time agree and decide to follow Lysistrata’s plan. Lysistrata’s plan is to have all of the women entice their husband with their bodies, but deny them sex until the men agree to stop fighting in all of the wars.
This leads to the women taking over the Acropolis (modern equivalent of a bank). The men try to stop the women but this leads to fighting with freezing cold water and common household objects as weapons. After dealing with lack-of-sex-crazed women, Lysistrata comes up with an idea when she meets a husband of one of the women in the Acropolis. Lysistrata has the woman go with her husband to tease him. This consists of a hilarious back and forth trip to the Acropolis of getting items that one or the other “needs” before they can have sex. A Spartan enters the cave while the wife is gone and two try to deny their very prominent erections. After agreeing it would be better to have sex with their wives than each other and talking to a few other men, the men of Greece decide to make peace so they can be with their wives again. The play ends with a celebration with both sexes.
Aristophanes. LYSISTRATA. Translated by Edward Einhorn, Edward Einhorn, 2015, www.lysistratascript.com/script/.
Abrahams, Ethel Beatrice. Greek Dress: a Study of the Costumes Worn in Ancient Greece, Pre-Hellenic Times to the Hellenistic Age. Murray, 1908. pp. Face page 45
Timeline of Ancient Greece
-Dorian (primary cities Sparta and Corinth)
-Ionian (represented by the Athenians and Asia Minor Cities)
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Tyrants won control of the city states between 650-500 BCE and ended up improving the arts and social conditions of the Greeks
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Greece's artistic center was Athens by 500 BCE while Sparta was a major power house and was head of the alliance that encompassed most of the city states.
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Athens held an empire from 477-404 BCE
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-Parthenon built under Pericles (c. 495-430 BCE)
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Defeated in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE
For this project I mainly focused on Ionian styles because two of my characters are from Athens. However, I did have one Spartan so I had to look into the old Dorian style of clothing.
“Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece.” History of the Theatre, by Oscar Gross. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy, Ninth Edition ed., Pearson Education Group, Inc., 2003, pp. 11–13.
Buttafuoco, Michael, and Anthony Augugliaro. About - Ancient Greece, Weebly, greekinnovation.weebly.com/chp-1-geography.html.
Body Suit
The somation is a type of body suit all actors would wear. The somation is often skin colored but tended to be more white for female characters. It would also have painted on nipples, navels, public hair, and sexual organs as seen in the photo on the right.
I was not able to find any sources that that the material of the somation but because the Ancient Greeks did not have any materials that stretched very well I speculate that it was made out of linen. I also think the bodysuit was made out of linen because the under clothes the Greeks wore were made out of linen and having a the whole body covered in wool (other common material at the time) would be quite warm.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
“The Masks of Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance.” The Masks of Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance, by David Wiles, Cambridge University Press, 1991, pp. 188–192.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Padding
Padding was used by every actor as well as the chorus members in Ancient Greek theater. Padding was used to accentuate the stomach, chest, and butt of the male character, less so in female characters, unless it says so in the text, like with Lysistrata's character, Lampito. Lampito is a Spartan woman and is described as having a very large chest. Male characters would pad their chests to give a sense of "flabby old age" (Compton-Engle 20). However, I personally think the chest padding was to give a sense of fullness and bulkier, strong man.
I have not been able to find any source that talks about what the padding was made out of, but I speculate it was made out of wool. I think this because the main fabrics the Greeks had at this time were linen, wool, and leather, and out of those three, wool has the potential for the greatest amount of volume for an equal amount of material. I also think the padding was made out of wool because the comedy festival was held in January and the extra bit of wool could keep the actors warm without being too warm.
Aristophanes. LYSISTRATA. Translated by Edward Einhorn, Edward Einhorn, 2015, www.lysistratascript.com/script/.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
“Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece.” History of the Theatre, by Oscar Gross. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy, Ninth Edition ed., Pearson Education Group, Inc., 2003, pp. 11–13.
Konnakis Group. “Terracotta Calyx-Krater (Mixing Bowl) | Attributed to the Konnakis Group | 51.11.2 | Work of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/51.11.2/.
Spartan's Backlash
While reading Lysistrata I instantly knew the Spartans were viewed as barbaric in the eyes of the Athenians. What the Spartans wore were usually shorter in general than the Athenians which gave some backlash, but they were also more south than the Athenians which probably meant they had a darker skin color. In Kemper's book, Costume, she said that Athenians considered Spartans who exposed their thighs to be nymphomaniacs. The Spartans however were used to being naked, they grew up playing that way; they ignored people who made fun of them.
Athens became the powerhouse of Greece after the Spartans retreated from the war in 477 BCE. This most likely resulted in the Athenians were weaker. Also, Aristophanes was Athenian himself and most likely felt these things directly towards Sparta thus giving his Spartan characters a more barbaric atmosphere.
Aristophanes. LYSISTRATA. Translated by Edward Einhorn, Edward Einhorn, 2015, www.lysistratascript.com/script/.
Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
“Sparta Pictures.” Sparta Pictures - Ancient Greece - History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-greece/pictures/sparta/archaeological-site-of-sparta.
Chiton and Himation
A chiton is considered an undergarment for the Ancient Greeks. The chiton is a large piece of fabric made out of linen or silk for the wealthy. This garment would usually be white and more muted colors because this was seen as an under garment. The piece of fabric would then be folded vertically and sewn or pinned down the sides, the Dorians often did not sew or pin the side. The men often would only be pinned on the left shoulder leaving the right arm and side of chest free. The women's chitons were usually were sewn or pinned down the sides. As time went on, chitons developed into having sleeves by either sewing additional fabric to the chiton or having an extra long piece and cutting some away. However, Dorians would usually leave the sides unpinned or un-sewn and did not develop sleeves.
A himation is an outer garment made from wool. Just like the, chiton it is a rectangular piece of fabric, but tends to be dyed more frequently than the chiton. There are many variations of the himation including a phoinikis (military cloak), a chlamydon (a short wrap), and peplos (a robe/shawl).
Barton, Lucy, and David Sarvis. Historic Costume for The Stage. Walter H. Baker Company, 1935, pp 49-69.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
“GREEK GODDESS DRESS & TYPES OF GREEK DRESSES.” Greek Goddess Dress & Types of Greek Dresses, Nymphashion, nymphashion.com/greek-goddess-dress-types-of-greek-dresses/.
Girdles
A girdle, also known as a cord or belt, is what the Ancient Greeks used to keep their chitons in place. The lowest the girdle was ever worn was in 450 BCE (Kemper 36) which was about hip level. Men usually wore the girdle at their natural waste. Women's girdles were worn at varying positions on her body, but time got closer to 1 AD women's girdles got closer to her underbust. Some Dorians would wear two girdles, one would be hid by the kolpos (the part that blouses out by pulling the material out) and the other at the hip or waist. I chose not to give Lampito two girdles because she is an athlete (athletes mostly went naked, even female ones) and of her mindset, I think she would not care what others think of her outfit, she's would just be wearing what is more comfortable to her. The lack of the second girdle would give her more room to move.
Abrahams, Ethel Beatrice. Greek Dress: a Study of the Costumes Worn in Ancient Greece, Pre-Hellenic Times to the Hellenistic Age. Murray, 1908.
Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
Sayed, Abu. “Fashion History of Ancient Greek.” Fashion History of Ancient Greek ~, Textile Apex, textileapex.blogspot.com/2014/11/fashion-history-of-ancient-greek.html.
Women's vs Men's Clothing
Women's clothing tended to be longer than men's. They had all of the same clothing as men did but usually had paler colors like like blue whereas men had bolder colors such as red. Women would normally only wear a chiton around the house and usually would wear a himation if they were going for an outing.
Men often would wear no chiton and just a himation. Regardless of the type of garment the men would wear them mid-thigh length.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
“Headcovering Customs of the Ancient World An Illustrated Survey, by Michael Marlowe.”Headcovering Customs of the Ancient World, www.bible-researcher.com/headcoverings3.html.
Decorative Edges
The Ancient Greeks were very fond of ornamental patterns. Athenians spent a lot of time embroidering and prefered "geometric patterns, the favorite design being a checkerboard with rosettes, crosses, firewheels, palmettes, or stylized animals in alternate squares" (Kemper 37). The meander, a geometric swirl, seen to the right, was used along all borders.
Kemper says in her book that the Spartans most likely wore plain peplos that possibly had a narrow border. Because of what I learned about the Spartans, I chose to keep my character, Lampito, not having any any sort of pattern on her clothing. I made this decision because in the play she is very much and outsider and I wanted her to be as different as possible.
Abrahams, Ethel Beatrice. Greek Dress: a Study of the Costumes Worn in Ancient Greece, Pre-Hellenic Times to the Hellenistic Age. Murray, 1908.
Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
Gerlinsky, Anita. “Ancient Greece Camp Ideas.” Pinterest, 15 Nov. 2013, www.pinterest.com/pin/83035186853616556/.
Hanging Phallus
The hanging phallus is a staple in the world of Ancient Greek comedy. All male characters besides the chorus wore the phallus. The penis was either seen hanging down or rolled up, however, whichever method could be seen protruding out from the actor's costume. The only source I was able to find that spoke of the material of the penis was Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes; it said that the phallus was made out of leather and was red (2015). However, it did not say whether red came from dyed red leather or whether it was painted on. I speculate that the penis was painted red even though it would make more sense to dye it red. It would make more sense to dye the leather because the color would last longer and would mean it would be able to be reused. However, the Ancient Greeks most likely painted the phallus because the plays were only meant to be performed once and therefore they most likely didn't have a concept of reusing props and costumes over more than one day.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Shoes
A study Compton-Engle found said that 92% of comic characters in surviving visual media before 375 BCE are shown as being barefoot (2015). This information would imply that most comic actors go barefoot but this interesting because Compton-Engle says that there are many mentions of shoes in Aristophanes plays. Granted Aristophanes is the only playwright with multiple finished plays that survived, so it's possible his actors were the only ones that wore shoes.
The types of shoes the Ancient Greeks had were slippers, sandals, and boots. Embades are the leather boots that are most mentioned in Aristophanes plays and there have been disputes on how high the boot went up on the legs.
Lavar talks of a boot called cothurnus, which is a thick soled boot that gave more height to the actor. I image male characters of high importance would use this type of shoe a lot.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Laver, James. Costume in the Theatre. Hill and Wang, 1964, pp 18.
ritaroberts. “Greek-Cothurnus.” Ritaroberts's Blog, Wordpress, 21 Dec. 2016, ritaroberts.wordpress.com/2016/12/22/ancient-and-early-footwear/greek-cothurnus/.
Soldier Gear
Soldiers often faught naked however as time went on they accumulated a short cloak (phoinikis) and a helmot. Compton-Engle says that the phoinikis was of a crimson color. Later the soldiers had chitons, cuirass' (breastplate and backing), and greaves (iron shin guards). Their helmets varied in two different styles, both are shown to the right. The helmets were made out of leather or other metals, and the top could be decorated with numerous types of things such as a rooster's feathers. They also had shields that were round and decorated front and back. Athenian swords were often short and thick while Spartans swords were shorter with a curve seen in figure 9 to the right. I left Cinesias without all of his military gear except for his phoinikis because he was at war, but he did have time to stop by his house to get his baby and his slave. I imagine he was in a hurry and dropped off his armor, but left his sword on him because he wouldn't want to deal with that hassle.
Barton, Lucy, and David Sarvis. Historic Costume for The Stage. Walter H. Baker Company, 1935, pp 49-69.
Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
Barton, Lucy, and David Sarvis. Historic Costume for The Stage. Walter H. Baker Company, 1935, pp 57.
Lysistrata
Lampito
Cinesias
Work Cited
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Aristophanes. LYSISTRATA. Translated by Edward Einhorn, Edward Einhorn, 2015, www.lysistratascript.com/script/.
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Abrahams, Ethel Beatrice. Greek Dress: a Study of the Costumes Worn in Ancient Greece, Pre-Hellenic Times to the Hellenistic Age. Murray, 1908.
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Barton, Lucy, and David Sarvis. Historic Costume for The Stage. Walter H. Baker Company, 1935, pp 49-69.
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Compton-Engle, Gwendolyn. Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
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Davenport, Millia. The Book of Costume. Crown Publishers, 1948.
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Kemper, Rachel H. Costume. Newsweek Books, 1979, pp 35-43.
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Laver, James. Costume in the Theatre. Hill and Wang, 1964, pp 18.
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“Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece.” History of the Theatre, by Oscar Gross. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy, Ninth Edition ed., Pearson Education Group, Inc., 2003, pp. 11–13.
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“The Masks of Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance.” The Masks of Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance, by David Wiles, Cambridge University Press, 1991, pp. 188–192.