1. Thespis: Of the city of Ikarios
in Attica, the sixteenth tragic poet after the first tragic poet, Epigenes
of Sikyon, but according to some second after Epigenes. Others
say he was the first tragic poet. In his first tragedies he anointed his
face with white lead, then he shaded his face with purslane in his
performance, and after that introduced the use of masks, making them in
linen alone. He produced in the 61st Olympiad (536/5-533/2 BC). Mention
is made of the following plays: Games of Pelias or Phorbas, Priests,
Youths, Pentheus. (The Suda lexicon)
2. "Nothing to do with Dionysos".
When Epigenes the Sikyonian made a tragedy in honor of Dionysos, they
made this comment; hence the proverb. A better explanation: Originally
when writing in honor of Dionysos they competed with pieces which were
called satiric. Later they changed to the writing of tragedy and
gradually turned to plots and stories in which they had no thought for
Dionysos. Hence this comment. Chamaeleon writes similarly in his book on
Thespis. (The Suda lexicon)
3. "Nothing to do with Dionysos".
When, the choruses being accustomed from the beginning to sing the
dithyramb to Dionysos, later poets abandoned this custom and began to
write "Ajaxes" and "Centaurs". Therefore the
spectators said in joke, "Nothing to do with Dionysos." For
this reason they decided later to introduce satyr-plays as a prelude, in
order that they might not seem to be forgetting the god. (Zenobius V.40)
4. When Phrynichus and Aeschylus developed tragedy to include
mythological plots and disasters, it was said, "What
has this to do with Dionysos?" (Plutarch, Symp.
Quaest.)
