While often associated with the credibility of a speaker in rhetoric, the concept of ethos, or character, extends significantly into the realms of ancient Greek tragedy and pictorial narrative. In these artistic forms, ethos plays a crucial role in shaping audience perception, conveying moral choices, and influencing the overall theme of a work. The depiction of character in these contexts, though constrained by the artistic conventions of the time,
aimed to represent individuals in ways that reflected societal values and moral principles, much like how a speaker's character influences their persuasive power.
In Greek tragedy, the construction of characters was deeply influenced by the performance conditions. Factors such as a single unchanging scene, the necessary use of a chorus, a limited number of characters, large outdoor theaters, and the use of masks all contributed to characters being portrayed in a more formal and simplified manner. These constraints meant that characters were often defined by a single, overriding motivation towards a specific objective from the play's beginning, making their ethos clear and direct.
Characterization in Greek Tragedy: Constraints and Interpretations
Augustus Taber Murray highlights that tragic characters were almost always mythical figures, which inherently limited their character and plot to already well-known myths. The relatively short length of most Greek plays further restricted the scope of characterization. Despite these limitations, strict constancy in character was not always the rule; for instance, Antigone, initially defiant, shows doubt and pleads for mercy as she faces execution, demonstrating a nuanced portrayal of ethos.
C. Garton observes that due to contradictory actions or incomplete descriptions, characters in Greek tragedy might not be viewed as individuals in a modern sense, sometimes leaving the reader confused. One way to reconcile this is to consider these characters as "flat" or "type-cast," where most information revolves around a central quality or viewpoint. Alternatively, characters can be seen as symbols, such as the Eumenides representing vengeance or Clytemnestra symbolizing an ancestral curse. Some scholars, like Tycho von Wilamowitz and Howald, even argue that characterization itself was not paramount, suggesting that the play's impact was scene-by-scene, with figures characterized only enough to make their actions understandable.
Ethos in Pictorial Narrative: Visualizing Moral Choices
Ethos also found expression in the visual arts of ancient Greece, particularly in murals, pottery, and sculpture that depicted famous or mythological events. This form, known as pictorial narrative, often focused on conveying the ethical character of its subjects. Aristotle himself commended the painter Polygnotos for his ability to include characterization in his paintings, suggesting that visual art could communicate a subject's ethical nature and the work's theme as effectively as poetry or drama.
Mark D. Stansbury-O'Donnell notes that pictorial narratives frequently centered on ethos, emphasizing the moral choices of characters. David Castriota concurs, stating that Aristotle considered poetry and visual arts equal in their representation of character and its effect on action. Castriota further explains that, for Aristotle, the value of such ethical representation in art lay in its beneficial influence on the public, or *polis*. To effectively portray a character's choice, pictorial narratives often depicted a scene preceding the action itself. For example, the Greek artist Exekias showed Ajax planting his sword before committing suicide, rather than the act itself, to highlight his decision. This artistic approach underscored the ancient Greek belief that character was a major determinant in the outcomes of conflicts, making ethos a crucial variable in connecting myth to reality.
