kothornos (a thick-soled laced boot worn by tragic actors in ancient Athenian tragedies). I did a bit of looking after this word. I like shoes. But found that those shoes worn by tragedians fitted both on left and right foot. There was a Theramenes (455-404 BC), who was nicknamed "kóthornos" , because his polictics were lacking 'principle'. ( wanting to save both cabbage and goat)

Any theater and shoe minded person who knows why those boots were fitting both feet? They look about like this: link

That pic doesn't look to me like it would work very well when worn on the wrong foot, so I googled kothornos. Google redirected me to kothornoi and gave me this treatise on the history of footwear that you might find interesting.

That's real fun. I was asking by myself if someone would remark what I also saw. The soles are clearly drawn like real left and right shoe soles. ( that's what the 'about' in my sentence meant) So you won the first prize for this hidden game before the game even started. Good observer nr.1 !

P.S Thanks for that link!

I decided to join with this word because I could not get my mind around how tragic acting and shoes fit together! Thanks for explaining it all to me.

Vikki

Probably the uncomfortablity of shoes designed to fit neither foot properly helped the actors maintain the proper demeanor for good tragic acting.

kothornos

I think that folks are missing the point of a buskin, or an open boot, more like a sandal, (cf. Japanese geta see illustration in Wikipedia article). The tragic buskin mainly increased the actor's stature while on stage. It is possible that the kothornos might have been worn over some other kind of shoe, as a kind of external lift.

It is interesting that in Late Latin (mainly in Patristic literature), coturnus came to mean 'proud'.

Welcome Vikki. I started to look closer because I too missed the connection boot-tragedy and I still mis the point. So buskin has the same meaning.
But why do tragedians need a higher (?) stature than comedians.( hunter's boots had the same shape I read)
(diamonds in the soles of my shoes)

Just a curiosity, Faldage, as to why you used such a seemingly clumsy word like uncomfortability, instead
of "discomfort". Just six of one, half dozen of another??

Your link about the geta took me back to one of the stories from that Japanese movie "Kaidan". The episode "The Woman of the Snow"
link
At the end of this part of the story you get a long shot with the straw shoes he has made for his family. His wife ( the snow witch ) at that moment must leave him, because he mentioned an incident on their first meeting. This he was forbidden ever to say a word about on the peril of death. She does not kill him though because of the children they have, but returns to the world of snow.
(best seen full screen)

Just because of its seeming clumsiness.

There was a very impressive production of Agamenon at Stratford years ago (late 70's) where the cothurni were close to a six inch lift and the mask with a headpiece or ankus extended height close to a foot. There were arm extensions as well. This gave the appearance of the actors being like statues close to eight feet in height; certainly larger than life. Those ancient theatres were quite large and this helped those seated in the last rows.

Good: thanks, just wondering.

Those were the days when everone walked on platform shoes. Terrifying fashion:

link for platforms

My hubby and a high school buddy were chased by a junkyard dog one night. They both were wearing platform shoes--it wasn't a pretty sight.

You mean, they didn't make it on those shoes? I bet they didn't. Is he still wearing the scars? ;-)