satyr play

9.9

A short ancient Greek play mixing serious drama with rude comedy and actors dressed as half-man, half-goat creatures

noun
/ˈsætər pleɪ/

Literature

: obra satírica

The chorus in a satyr play was traditionally made up of actors dressed as satyrs.

Likewise, the the the actors in the play and the tragedies and comedies and satyr plays are reinterpreting things for us.

Examples

In ancient Athens, every set of tragedies was followed by a satyr play for comic relief.
The festival concluded with a satyr play to lighten the mood after the tragedies.
The ancient Greeks enjoyed a satyr play after serious tragedies.
Have you ever seen a satyr play performed live?
In ancient Athens, every set of tragedies was followed by a satyr play for comic relief.
The chorus in a satyr play was traditionally made up of actors dressed as satyrs.
The festival concluded with a satyr play to lighten the mood after the tragedies.

Surface Forms

satyr play singular

satyr plays plural

Morphology

satyr + play

The compound is directly compositional: 'satyr' (a mythical half-man, half-goat figure) + 'play' (a dramatic work) yields a play featuring or about satyrs. The noun+play pattern meaning 'a theatrical work about X' is common cross-linguistically, so a learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's basic sense.

Etymology

Satyr play was an old Greek play that featured actors dressed as rowdy, half-man, half-goat creatures called satyrs. These short, funny pieces came after sad plays to give 'comic relief', so that's why a satyr play still means a mix of serious and comic parts today.