Elizabeth C. Barrows, "The Greek Play at Hull House", Commons, v. IX (January 1904): pp. 6-10.

"It was only in Sophocles that the various elements of classical tragedy--religious inspiration, simplicity of structure and ideal beauty in form and subject were blended together into creations of consummate grace and harmony." --Haigh

A Greek play upon any stage in this country not so long ago was a rarity. Those of us who can recall the days of the giving of the OEdipus Tyrannus by Harvard students will remember standing in line long, weary hours for the chance to buy entrance tickets at fabulous prices, as though that were to be the one and only chance of a lifetime to hear classic Greek upon the stage. Now one must live very remote from the college centers not to have such a chance, now and then. The names of the old Greek tragedians are coming to have a familiar look in the modern newspaper. Harvard, Vassar, Beloit, the Universities of Toronto, Pennsylvania, California, Leland Stanford and others have given Greek plays, while several have produced "The Return of Odysseus," a series of studies and pictures arranged from the Odyssey by Miss Barrows. The last mentioned has been twice, given by the Greeks of Chicago, once at Hull House and once at the Studebaker Theater, seven performances in all. As "The Return of Odysseus" affords an opportunity to show the domestic life of Homeric times-the games, the dances, the religious processions-it is extremely popular, especially with those, who were born under the fair skies of Greece and, who love the atmosphere of that charmed land.

VALUE OF SETTLEMENT INITIATIVE

It was because Miss Jane Addams, always clear-sighted and sympathetic, foresaw the interest which this would create, an interest that would not only forge a connecting link between Hull House and the Greek population of Chicago, but that would give Americans a truer: knowledge of the intelligence and ability of the large Greek colony surging about the doors of Hull House, that she invited Miss Barrows to make the experiment four years ago, and as she had been so successful then she invited her to, come again and try a similar experiment.

During the time that has elapsed since the first Greek play was put on [end page 6] the Hull House stage, the helpful relations that were then stimulated have been continuous. The Greeks have learned to know and appreciate the activities and friendliness of Hull House and in a small measure to share in them, while the neighboring peoples, American as well as others, have learned to look with admiration on men willing to patiently submit to weeks, and months of hard study, and on the brilliant success they achieved. When, therefore, Miss Addams suggested that the time had come again for the Greeks to appear upon the stage, they enthusiastically responded. This in itself was a striking proof of the value of the sort of work accomplished by social settlements, the creation of honorable ambition, for it was for the honor of their nation, not for the love of gain--since they were not to play for money—that these young men were willing to give up seven nights a week for ten weeks to long and strict rehearsing of their parts. Each one felt in his soul that the legend on the Hull House curtain hanging between him and the audience was addressed to him personally: "Act well your part, there all the honor lies."

"THE AJAX OF SOPHOCLES"

The play selected was "The Ajax of Sophocles," which had never been put upon any English-speaking stage, save once in England, in 1882, by the students of Cambridge University. It is interesting to know that it is soon to be given in Athens by the university students. A noble drama, with unity of thought and action, rich in beautiful lines, simple in form, the great work of a great poet, there was reason enough for selecting it, and the glowing success of the English students augured equal success when it should be played by native Greeks, though they might be lacking in university training. What the actors lacked in this direction was more than matched by their familiarity with the language and by the patriotic fervor-almost a religious zeal-with which they threw themselves into the work. Indeed, a distinguished Greek scholar, who has lived for years in Greece, said, on seeing the Hull House presentation, that there was no other people in the world where comparatively unlettered men could have played a Greek tragedy with so much fire and spirit. Though the classic original was used, the men, of course, pronounced the lines according to modern Greek rules. For some months the leading men in the Greek colony, read and studied the Ajax before the serious work of rehearsals began. Unhampered by modern tradition, which drops the curtain on the death of the hero; they were not troubled by the doubts of some critics as to whether the interest of the spectators could be maintained during the long discussion following the death of Ajax, as to his funeral rites. To them the proper disposition of the dead is of so much moment that they not only felt the unity of the tragedy but made the audience feel it.

THE STORY OF THE PLAY.

Briefly, it is the madness and death of Ajax-and the discussion as to whether his body may be dealt with according to sacred usage, or whether he shall be punished for traitorous designs, and cruel purposes by leaving it to be the prey of carrion birds. The [end page 7] action takes place at early dawn, following supposedly, the day after his bitter disappointment when the arms of Achilles were awarded to Odysseus instead of to himself. Mad with frustrated ambition, Ajax plots to slay the Greek leaders, but his frenzy is turned, by Athena, against the cattle. Awaking to reason, he thinks to atone for his dastardly designs and bloody deeds by taking his own life, believing, evidently, that by thus yielding to the powers above he may show that he has seen the folly of his pride in defying them before. He seeks a lonely place by the seaside, where, unseen by human eye, he commends himself to the gods, calls down woes on his enemies, in a manner worthy of the imprecatory Psalms, bids farewell to earth and falls upon the point of his sword. Then comes the wordy contest, full of dramatic power, between Teucer and Agamemnon, and Menelaus, and the solution of the difficulty through the interposition of Odysseus.

As Ajax is sure to be played in other places-it is to be hoped wherever there is a Greek colony-there will as surely arise the question whether the interest is sustained throughout the play. One may with confidence say that it rises at every step, reaching its culmination only when the body of the dead hero is carried forth to burial, the little child leading the sad procession, his hands on the spears on which his father's form rests, while the sad notes of the dirge die away in the distance.

CONCERNING THE UNITY OF THE DRAMA.

Professor Jebb says: "The grounds on which the dramatic unity of the Ajax rests are, first, the veto upon the burial of Ajax as an inevitable consequence of his action, for which, the spectator has been prepared, so that the latter part of the play is not an arbitrary addition to the former, but a natural and necessary development of it. Secondly, on this veto rests an issue still more momentous for Athenians than the question whether Ajax is to live or die-namely, the issue whether he is or is not to attain the sanctity of a hero. Hence the true climax of the play is not his death, but the decision that he shall be buried." By this burial the ambition of Ajax was to be gratified; he was to be held forever as a consecrated hero by a people ready to forget his weaknesses as they recalled his glorious deeds.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The play selected, came the task of selecting the actors-no easy task, though Chicago has a Greek population of 7,000 souls. Happily Miss Barrows could reap the fruits of her earlier, labors in Hull House. Two of the men who had acted in "The Return of Odysseus" consented to take speaking parts in "The Ajax," and with their help candidates were brought in, scores of them, and from this multitude of workingmen, clerks, bookkeepers, fruiterers, flower sellers (not a college graduate [end page 8] among them was by degrees evolved the final cast. The loyalty of the young who had been unflagging in their sympathy with Hull House and who so greatly helped to bring "The Ajax" to a triumphant conclusion, atoned for a thousand trying experiences, inevitable in handling so large a body of untrained men. The throwing up of parts for trivial reasons, the dropping out of members of the chorus after they had been trained to sing the difficult music, the drilling of men to sing who knew nothing of musical notation and with no conception of time, these were some of the things that called for infinite tact, and good temper. Added to this was the fact that with few, exceptions, none of the twenty-five in the Hull House cast had command of English. The difficulties, at times seemed insuperable. That they were, conquered the generous appreciation of delighted audiences amply testified.

There may have been better material in Chicago for, some of the parts, but there was no better man for Ajax. The combination of splendid form and feature, of virile strength and, native tenderness, would, surely have been a delight to Sophocles himself. Mr. Metalas was by turns the wrathful madman, the boastful warrior, the disgraced chieftain, the misanthrope, the affectionate husband, the tender father and the determined suicide. It was simply a marvel that this young man after but two months of training, could in one moment stir the heart of the on-lookers, with excitement as he rushed from his tent cracking his bloody scourge and a moment later dim their eyes with moisture at the pathos in his voice as he bids farewell to wife and child, to earth and sky, before falling upon the fatal sword, Hector's ill-omened gift. "Rugged, imperious and, resolute, but not hard of heart," Ajax has been described. Such, was the Ajax of Hull House.

"The part of Teucer," says Jebb, "has a singular pathos. He is altogether devoted to his brother, Ajax, and is strenuously loyal to the trust reposed in him. Had the words been written of the personal character of, the man who took the part of Teucer in the presentation in Chicago they could not have been truer. The universities of the land will 1ook long among their students to find one whose depth of feeling and absolute self-forgetfulness will equal that of the Teucer of Hull House.

Indeed, as a rule, so well-chosen were the actors that one has, but to quote the great English scholar to describe them. "In Odyssey we see the victory of prudence, and magnanimity." "If Agamemnon is not gracious or generous, he at least is capable of yielding to counsel." Tecamessa, (the wife of Ajax) "loves with a submissive devotion and has won from him (Ajax) a constant affection. He stands to her in the place of country, parents and everything-her only stay and hope on earth." "Menelaus has these traits of harshness and arrogance which Athenian audiences would expect" in the king of Sparta. The chorus was made up of sailors and soldiers, comrades of Ajax who looked and acted their parts well, as did the messenger. Of all it may be said that the Greek syllables fell confidently from their lips and the blood of their ancestors beat in their hearts and spurred them to win credit for themselves and their land. The names of the entire cast, as given below; are extremely interesting as suggestive of an unforgotten past. It is a great pity that many of them have fallen victims to the modern habit of exchanging these sonorous, and dignified, names for, "Jim" and "Bill" and "Pete." [end page 9]

CHARACTERS OF THE DRAMA

Athena Liverios Manussopoulous

Odysseus Panagiotes Lambros

Aias (Ajax) Georgios Metalas

Tecmessa Michael Loris

Eurysakes Demetrios Mazarakos

Messenger Spiros Manussopoulos

Teucer Demetrios Manussopoulos

Menelaos Iason Korologos

Agamemnon Konstantinos Boukydis

Chorus of Salaminian Sailors, Comrades of Ajax

Paraskevas Eliopoulos, Leader

THE MUSIC AND SCENERY

The music for "The Ajax" was composed by Willys Peck Kent of New York. It is closely wedded to the words and so akin to the musical ideas of the Greeks that they learned it by rote without difficulty, all singing in unison, accompanied only by a clarinet, though the music is also arranged for the oboe, clarinet and flute. The sad and tender strains are like the poetry, full of sombre beauty.

The scenery was painted especially for this play by Chicago scene painters, touched up and. vastly improved by artists among the Hull House residents. "It made a beautiful picture-the low-lying sea, blue in the distance, the ships from Salamis and the harmonious, coloring of the varied costumes of' the stalwart men, some of whom had much of the traditional beauty of the Greek face.

There were six performance of the play, each better than its predecessor, with larger and larger audiences and warmer enthusiasm on their part.

The editor takes the liberty to add this word of simple justice: The dramatic feeling, the sympathetic voice, the power to act, were all there, but it was only through diligent and patient training that they were evoked, a training that developed sensitiveness to better things in many ways. The power to evoke the best in another is a great gift. It is the noble endowment of Miss Barrows.

"There is no other enthusiasm of humanity than the one which has traveled the common highway of reason--the life of the good neighbor and honest citizen." --From Thomas Hill Green, at the entrance of Mansfield House. [end page 10]