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continues, the satyr plays precipitated a "spirit of celebration" into the dramatic festival which also caused a "release into the worship of
Dionysus". According to the same book, with his Trackers, Harrison wants to criticise the tendency of the elitists and right-wing politicians to divide art and society along refined and popular lines, represented by separate Apollonian and Dionysiac camps.
378:. Apollo is happy now that his cattle have been found and keeps his end of the bargain by granting the satyrs the riches and freedom he had promised them. However the satyrs also want to keep the newly discovered lyre but Apollo rejects that idea telling them that satyrs do not deserve such a highly artistic instrument and advises them that they should instead concentrate on low-level art.
333:
526:, as a "homecoming" for his play. Harrison said that he chose Salt's Mill as a venue because the "ghosts of the past were strong" in that place and it was part of his "slow burning revenge" against his teacher who "denied him the opportunity to recite poetry or take part in plays because of his accent". He also mentioned that
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it is mentioned that
Harrison's play with its chaotic, lively, dynamic and sometimes fragmented verses, to match the condition of the papyri, contrasts with the stilted coverage of classics during the Edwardian era. In that sense Harrison may be pointing toward a neoclassicism which could indicate to
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remarks that
Harrison has "opened up the possibilities" of an ancient Greek play which was until recently the exclusive domain of scholars specialising in the classics. According to Wiseman, Harrison's achievement is mirrored by the scene in his play when a chorus of satyrs jumps out of the papyrus
510:
quotes
Harrison as saying that without the satyr plays we are missing the whole picture of the Greek imagination as applied to ancient Greek tragedy and its ability to use the satyr plays as a vehicle to absorb the impact of the tragic events and to not be defeated by them. In that sense, Harrison
541:, in that the ancient play influenced Harrison's work and in turn Harrison's play is shown to have influenced the modern perception of Sophocles and his works. According to the book, the papyrus is used as the stage background of Harrison's play both at the Delphi performance and in London at the
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fragments of ancient poetry. According to Beard, Harrison uses this dichotomy to pose a question as to the value and purpose the study of classics has for the modern world; it can be used as a source of information regarding the power politics of the ancient world with its social deprivations,
558:
writes that
Harrison through his play focuses on the reasons for searching and studying the classics. Hunt is depicted as "down-to-earth", searching for real-life records registering problems such as the desperate pleas of the homeless of that era. But Grenfell is shown as keenly searching for
545:. Its physical presence as a stage backdrop was used as a constant reference to the origin of the characters. It also functions as a visual device and a highly visible reminder of the barrier between the world of high art and that of the hooligans and the homeless.
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367:, the leader of the satyrs. The characters then start following Sophocles' play and begin looking for Apollo's missing cattle. Apollo strikes a bargain with the satyrs according to which the satyrs will become rich and free if they find his cattle.
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papyrus. In the
National Theatre performance Silenus is shown destroying the physical papyrus screen which functions as the backdrop of the theatrical play and commenting that the papyrus "could be put to better use as
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a complacent and ignorant modern society that there are things which cannot be "assimilated". Harrison uses one of the satyrs in his work to hint that the classical world may be neglected in the modern era:
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The two dons are shown in the play to feverishly search for the fragments and they finally find them. Grenfell, in particular, is shown as possessed by Apollo. After their excavations, the
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Grenfell and Hunt. Harrison then takes some of the events surrounding their discovery and weaves a play involving the two
British archaeologists in a modern version of the classic play.
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436:, famous designer of the British theatrical scene, comments that Harrison is aware of the dramatic visual impact of his ideas: "The idea of satyrs jumping out of boxes in
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The play starts with the two archaeologists shown doing excavations in situ at
Oxyrhynchus in 1907. While both are depicted in the play deeply involved with their work,
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Harrison made a point against this artificial segregation by choosing a third venue for the performance of his play between Delphi and London; he chose an abandoned
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Here on 12 July 1988 the World
Premiere of Tony Harrison's play The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus was mounted, a single performance at which all filming was forbidden...
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city where an archaeological site was discovered considered one of the most important ever found. The papyrus fragments containing the ancient play were found by
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In the Delphi performance the satyrs destroy the backdrop papyrus screens of the play and are depicted playing a soccer match with a ball fashioned out of the
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Having been brought back to life through the rediscovered papyri the characters voice their grief at their neglected condition. Apollo laments through verse:
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is a very merry and mischievous play, which turns serious and even harrowing, not through any visual violence but in the unnerving poetry of Tony
Harrison".
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222:
Kyllene. No filming was allowed during the 1988 performance. Before appearing on the stage in London the play also had a "homecoming" performance at
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blaring a music they cannot even dance to. Having lost their chance to get involved in "High Art" the satyrs rebel and 2500 years later they become
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is wonderful for the stage. Some writers just write and have little idea what it will look like, but Tony always knows exactly what he wants."
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Harrison's play is partially based on the events surrounding the discovery of the ancient papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus containing fragments of
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The satyrs are very unhappy and they become even more so since the gold bars that they received from Apollo have turned into
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intervenes and commands Grenfell, in rhyming verses, to find an ancient play where the God plays a prominent part:
530:"geared the satyrs into action", because that dance is "one of the principal expressions of the rhythm of life".
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coming out of the crates and destroying the very papyrus to which they owe their existence in modern times.
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In addition to its classical content, Harrison's play is also a dramatised account of the discovery of the
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Grenfell and Hunt on the site of the excavations. Harrison's play features them as central characters.
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The satyrs finally find the cattle only to discover that the cows are also keeping amongst them baby
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or it can be studied for the value of the classical literature that can "still engage and inspire".
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in 1998. In January 2017 after nearly 30 years since first opening in London it returned to the
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234:. Additional performances were held at the Wharf Theatre, in Sydney, Australia in 1992 and the
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in January 2017. It was directed by Jimmy Walters in a joint venture with his company
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is Harrison's "most brilliant artwork, with the possible exception of his stage play
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at the Finborough Theatre. The production received excellent reviews with
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for further study. Upon arrival at Oxford, the crates open up and a satyr
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two years later on 27 March 1990. The 1988 premiere at Delphi starred
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Culture in Pieces: Essays on Ancient Texts in Honour of Peter Parsons
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writing "there is nothing limp about Jimmy Walters' production".
187:. The play had a one-performance première on 12 July 1988 in the
432:, "among the five most imaginative pieces of drama in the 90s".
375:
1234:"The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus review – sing-along-a Sophocles"
1145:
Ormand (2013). "Tony Harrison'sThe Trackers of Oxyrhynchus".
359:
A metamorphosis then happens. Grenfell becomes the Greek god
1181:
Classics in Progress: Essays on Ancient Greece and Rome
1044:
Classics in Progress: Essays on Ancient Greece and Rome
708:"The" Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation
446:
has written that she is convinced that Harrison's 1998
776:
774:
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646:"The Guardian Profile: Tony Harrison Man of mysteries"
616:
The Complete Euripides:Volume V: Medea and Other Plays
326:
Night and day the voice went: "Grenfell, Bernard Pyne,
1028:"The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus, the Delphi text (1990)"
467:
magazine writes that "Despite its jawbreaking title,
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was performed for the first time in 30 years at the
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35:
25:
20:
1113:"Tony Harrison's Prometheus: A View from the Left"
1069:
705:
889:The Routledge Companion to Directors' Shakespeare
781:Sarah Annes Brown; Catherine Silverstone (2008).
508:The Routledge Companion to Directors' Shakespeare
314:He heard Apollo yammering for scraps and tatters
495:
484:riddled lines with just a ghost of their metre.
480:being resurrected with scarcely half my verses.
476:
312:
640:
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140:is a 1990 play by English poet and playwright
753:. Oxford University Press. pp. 299–300.
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374:who although an infant has just invented the
324:"Prevent Apollo's play becoming mere manure."
8:
1303:Plays based on ancient Greek and Roman plays
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699:
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478:Covered in rubbish! But what's much worse is
322:"Grenfell, Hunt!" he heard the voice abjure.
1184:. Oxford University Press. pp. 10–12.
919:. Oxford University Press. pp. 29–30.
881:
879:
877:
875:
858:. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 557–569.
787:. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 136–137.
503:where nowt about satyrs'll ever get written
328:hunt for my papyrus. This order is divine!"
972:Performance Database and Archive Catalogue
680:. Cambridge University Press. p. 19.
537:Harrison's work is cited as an example of
17:
1211:. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 31–34.
968:"Venue Ancient Stadium of Delphi, Greece"
814:. Indiana University Press. p. 282.
501:got us stuck here in Great bloody Britain
262:papyrus on which Harrison's play is based
1323:Modern adaptations of works by Sophocles
1134:. Vol. 298. April 1990. p. 39.
940:Dirk Obbink; Richard Rutherford (2011).
669:
667:
619:. Oxford University Press. p. 395.
482:Converted into dust and bookworm excreta
179:fragments containing Sophocles' play by
1076:. Cambridge University Press. pp.
1047:. Oxford University Press. p. 11.
946:. Oxford University Press. p. 10.
750:The Oxford dictionary of literary terms
605:
1232:Billington, Michael (6 January 2017).
405:material for the homeless of London's
164:, which was found in fragments at the
892:. Taylor & Francis. p. 390.
7:
712:. Oxford University Press. pp.
499:being so servile to that sodding god
488:In a critique contained in the book
199:with a follow-up performance at the
1068:Martin Banham (21 September 1995).
1208:The Public Value of the Humanities
974:. National Theatre. Archived from
286:, which was found in fragments at
14:
1308:Plays based on works by Sophocles
1147:A Companion to Sophocles: Summary
811:English Filming, English Writing
1072:The Cambridge Guide to Theatre
677:A History of Theatre in Africa
1:
674:Martin Banham (13 May 2004).
316:of a lost play of Sophocles:
497:You, gormless grovelling sod
226:, a former textile mill, at
144:. It is partially based on
886:John Russell Brown (2010).
576:The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus
469:The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus
457:The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus
422:The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus
137:The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus
21:The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus
1354:
1155:10.1002/9781118350508.ch37
428:jumping out of box crates
808:Jefferson Hunter (2010).
916:Heracles and Other Plays
855:A Companion to Sophocles
535:A Companion to Sophocles
236:West Yorkshire Playhouse
154:by the fifth-century BC
539:bidirectional influence
1313:Plays set in the 1900s
1205:Jonathan Bate (2011).
1178:T. P. Wiseman (2006).
1041:T. P. Wiseman (2006).
997:Oliver Taplin (1990).
747:Chris Baldick (2008).
505:
486:
413:Reception and analysis
363:while Hunt turns into
337:
330:
263:
201:Royal National Theatre
784:Tragedy in Transition
704:Peter France (2000).
613:Peter Burian (2010).
490:Tragedy in Transition
352:springs from inside,
335:
276:by the fifth-century
257:
250:Historical background
1149:. pp. 557–571.
1003:. Cape. p. 26.
852:Kirk Ormand (2012).
1288:Fiction set in 1907
318:The Tracking Satyrs
215:in the role of the
1318:Plays set in Egypt
913:Eurípides (2003).
580:Finborough Theatre
571:Recent adaptations
342:Oxyrhynchus papyri
338:
264:
244:Finborough Theatre
1218:978-1-84966-063-1
1191:978-0-19-726323-5
1087:978-0-521-43437-9
1054:978-0-19-726323-5
1010:978-0-224-02683-3
953:978-0-19-929201-1
926:978-0-19-283259-7
899:978-0-203-93252-0
865:978-1-4051-8726-8
821:978-0-253-00414-7
794:978-0-470-69130-4
760:978-0-19-920827-2
723:978-0-19-818359-4
687:978-1-139-45149-9
626:978-0-19-983092-3
424:, which features
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978:on 7 July 2013
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652:. 1 April 2000
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1249:. Retrieved
1238:The Guardian
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1091:. Retrieved
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980:. Retrieved
976:the original
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727:. Retrieved
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654:. Retrieved
650:The Guardian
649:
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593:The Guardian
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538:
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516:textile mill
513:
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430:clog dancing
421:
418:Richard Eyre
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211:as Hunt and
174:
145:
136:
135:
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97:
70:12 July 1988
15:
1293:Satyr plays
520:Salt's Mill
296:Oxford dons
288:Oxyrhynchus
224:Salt's Mill
185:Arthur Hunt
170:Oxyrhynchus
120:Oxyrhynchus
56:Arthur Hunt
1283:1988 plays
1278:1990 plays
1267:Categories
1251:10 January
1109:Edith Hall
1000:Greek fire
600:References
556:Mary Beard
452:Prometheus
444:Edith Hall
407:South Bank
274:satyr play
152:satyr play
110:Satyr play
36:Characters
26:Written by
1246:0261-3077
448:film-poem
398:Ichneutae
391:hooligans
387:boomboxes
385:-covered
383:gold leaf
284:Sophocles
281:dramatist
269:Ichneutae
260:Ichneutae
162:Sophocles
159:dramatist
147:Ichneutae
99:Ichneutae
1030:. APGRD.
565:misogyny
552:crates.
528:clogging
524:Bradford
438:Trackers
354:clogging
292:Egyptian
278:Athenian
232:Bradford
228:Saltaire
217:mountain
168:city of
166:Egyptian
156:Athenian
81:, Greece
62:, Satyrs
1328:Silenus
561:slavery
403:bedding
365:Silenus
177:papyrus
116:Setting
94:Subject
89:English
60:Kyllene
44:Silenus
1338:Hermes
1333:Apollo
1298:Delphi
1244:
1215:
1188:
1161:
1093:18 May
1084:
1051:
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982:26 May
950:
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791:
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729:18 May
720:
684:
656:17 May
623:
426:satyrs
420:calls
372:Hermes
361:Apollo
350:chorus
346:Oxford
308:Apollo
197:Greece
193:Delphi
124:Oxford
79:Delphi
48:Hermes
40:Apollo
1131:Punch
1116:(PDF)
464:Punch
290:, an
240:Leeds
220:nymph
106:Genre
1253:2017
1242:ISSN
1213:ISBN
1186:ISBN
1159:ISBN
1095:2013
1082:ISBN
1049:ISBN
1005:ISBN
984:2013
948:ISBN
921:ISBN
894:ISBN
860:ISBN
816:ISBN
789:ISBN
755:ISBN
731:2013
718:ISBN
682:ISBN
658:2013
621:ISBN
586:and
563:and
376:lyre
302:Plot
272:, a
183:and
150:, a
1151:doi
1080:–.
1078:474
716:–.
714:363
533:In
518:in
459:".
409:".
238:in
191:of
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