, with translated text of Phrynichus
As many Figures, Dancing doth propose,As waves roll on the Sea, when tempest toss. (
Metropolitan Museum of Art) He gained his first victory in a
drama contest in 511 BC. His famous play, the
Capture of Miletus or the
Sack of Miletus, was probably composed shortly after the conquest of that city by the
Persians during the
Ionian Revolt.
Miletus was a
colony of Athens and therefore traditionally held especially dear to the mother city. The audience was moved to tears by Phrynichus's tragedy, with the poet being fined "", "for reminding familiar misfortunes". As a result, the play was banned from being performed again. In 476 BC, Phrynichus was successful with the
Phoenissae, called after the
Phoenician women who formed the chorus. This drama celebrated the defeat of
Xerxes I at the
Battle of Salamis four years earlier.
Themistocles provided the funds as
choregos (producer), and one of the objectives of the play was to remind the Athenians of his great deeds. The
Persians of
Aeschylus (472 BC) was modeled after the
Phoenissae. The titles of his other known plays (
Actaeon,
Alcestis,
Antaeus,
Daughters of Danaus,
Egyptians,
Pleuroniai, and
Tantalus) show that he dealt with mythological as well as contemporary subjects. He introduced a separate actor, as distinct from the leader of the chorus, and thus laid the foundation for theatrical dialogue. But in his plays, as in the early tragedies generally, the dramatic element was subordinate to the lyric element as represented by the chorus and the dance. According to the
Suda, Phrynichus first introduced female characters on the stage (played by men in masks), and made special use of the
trochaic tetrameter. ==Recognition==