Satyr play


Satyr plays were an ancient Greek form of tragicomedy, similar to the modern-day burlesque style. They always featured a chorus of satyrs and were based in Greek mythology and contained themes of, among other things, drinking, overt sexuality (often including large phallic props), pranks and general merriment. At the Athenian Dionysia, playwrights usually submitted four plays to the competition: three tragedies and one satyr play. The satyr plays were preformed at the end of the festival as spirited entertainment to lighten the atmosphere after many hours of Tragedy. They were also generally much shorter, around half the length of an average Tragedy.