History of Theatre I Unit 3 ReviewGreek Comedy: Origins and Key Playwrights

Historical Context and Origins

• Greek comedy emerged in Athens during the 5th century BCE as part of the Dionysian festivals
• Developed alongside Greek tragedy but focused on satirical and humorous themes
• Originated from the komos, a festive procession involving singing, dancing, and ribald humor
  • Komos often included phallic symbols and costumes
• Early forms of comedy included the phallic songs and the Dorian farce
• Comedy was officially recognized as a dramatic genre in the Dionysia festival in 486 BCE
• The first comedy competition was held at the Lenaia festival in 440 BCE
• Early comedies were characterized by crude humor, political satire, and personal attacks
• The Old Comedy period (486-404 BCE) was marked by the works of Aristophanes and his contemporaries

Characteristics of Greek Comedy

• Greek comedy is divided into three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy
• Old Comedy (486-404 BCE) featured biting political and social satire, fantasy, and crude humor
  • Plays often included personal attacks on public figures and politicians
  • Frequently broke the fourth wall and directly addressed the audience
• Middle Comedy (404-323 BCE) marked a transition from Old to New Comedy
  • Reduced political content and focused more on social satire and mythological parodies
• New Comedy (323-263 BCE) focused on domestic life, relationships, and stock characters
  • Featured more complex plot structures and character development
  • Influenced later Roman comedy and Renaissance theatre
• Comedy plays were performed by an all-male cast wearing masks and costumes
• The chorus played a significant role in Old Comedy, often representing a specific group or idea
• Featured exaggerated and grotesque masks and costumes, particularly in Old Comedy
• Incorporated physical humor, slapstick, and buffoonery

Major Playwrights and Their Works

• Aristophanes (c. 446-386 BCE) was the most famous and influential playwright of Old Comedy
  • Wrote over 40 plays, 11 of which survive today
  • Notable works include "The Frogs," "The Birds," and "Lysistrata"
  • Known for his biting political satire and critique of contemporary Athenian society
• Menander (c. 342-290 BCE) was the most prominent playwright of New Comedy
  • Wrote over 100 plays, but only one ("Dyskolos") survives complete
  • Fragments of his other works have been discovered, providing insight into his style
  • Focused on domestic themes, stock characters, and complex plot structures
• Antiphanes (c. 408-334 BCE) and Alexis (c. 375-275 BCE) were notable Middle Comedy playwrights
  • Their works are mostly lost, but fragments and titles suggest a focus on mythological parodies and social satire
• Other notable playwrights include Cratinus, Eupolis, and Plautus (Roman playwright influenced by Greek New Comedy)

Theatrical Conventions and Staging

• Greek comedies were performed in outdoor theatres, such as the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens
• The stage featured a raised platform (logeion) for actors and an altar (thymele) for the chorus
• Scenery was minimal, often consisting of a single building facade (skene) with doors for entrances and exits
• The chorus entered and exited through the parodoi, passageways on either side of the stage
• Actors wore exaggerated masks with distorted features and expressions
  • Masks helped convey character types and emotions
  • Also allowed actors to play multiple roles
• Costumes were often padded to create grotesque and exaggerated body shapes
• The chorus in Old Comedy typically wore masks and costumes representing animals, insects, or abstract concepts
• Music and dance were integral to Greek comedy, particularly in the choral sections
• The parabasis was a distinctive feature of Old Comedy, where the chorus directly addressed the audience

Themes and Social Commentary

• Greek comedy often served as a vehicle for social and political commentary
• Old Comedy frequently satirized prominent politicians, intellectuals, and public figures
  • Cleon, a prominent Athenian politician, was a frequent target of Aristophanes' satire
• Plays critiqued Athenian democracy, war policies, and societal norms
• Aristophanes' "Lysistrata" satirized the Peloponnesian War and gender roles in Athenian society
• "The Frogs" critiqued the state of Athenian theatre and the decline of tragic playwrights
• New Comedy focused on themes of love, family, and social class
  • Often explored the relationships between parents and children, masters and slaves
• Menander's plays dealt with issues of marriage, inheritance, and social status
• Comedy plays also parodied mythology, literature, and philosophical ideas
• The role of women in society was a recurring theme, particularly in Aristophanes' works

Evolution and Influence

• Greek comedy evolved from the crude humor and political satire of Old Comedy to the more refined domestic themes of New Comedy
• The decline of Athenian democracy and the rise of Macedonian power influenced the shift in comedic styles
• Middle Comedy served as a transitional phase, blending elements of Old and New Comedy
• New Comedy, particularly the works of Menander, greatly influenced Roman comedy
  • Plautus and Terence adapted and translated Greek New Comedy plays for Roman audiences
• The stock characters and plot structures of New Comedy influenced later European theatre
  • Commedia dell'arte, Elizabethan comedy, and Restoration comedy drew inspiration from Greek New Comedy
• The satirical spirit and social commentary of Greek comedy can be seen in modern political satire and social critique

Key Terminology

• Agon: A formal debate or argument between characters, often the protagonist and antagonist
• Alazon: A stock character in Greek comedy, typically a boastful impostor or charlatan
• Eirôn: A stock character who uses understatement and feigned ignorance to outwit the alazon
• Episodion: A dramatic scene or episode between choral songs in Greek drama
• Komos: A festive procession involving singing, dancing, and ribald humor, often associated with the worship of Dionysus
• Parabasis: A distinctive feature of Old Comedy where the chorus directly addresses the audience, often breaking character
• Proagon: A public presentation or preview of the plays to be performed at the Dionysian festivals
• Skene: A wooden structure at the back of the stage, often representing a building facade

Notable Plays and Analysis

• "The Frogs" by Aristophanes (405 BCE)
  • Satirizes the decline of tragic playwrights and the state of Athenian theatre
  • Features a contest between Aeschylus and Euripides in the underworld
• "The Birds" by Aristophanes (414 BCE)
  • A fantastical comedy in which two Athenians convince the birds to create a new city in the sky
  • Satirizes Athenian politics and the utopian ideals of philosophers
• "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes (411 BCE)
  • A comedy in which the women of Greece withhold sex from their husbands to force an end to the Peloponnesian War
  • Satirizes gender roles and the futility of war
• "The Clouds" by Aristophanes (423 BCE)
  • Satirizes the philosopher Socrates and the intellectual trends of the time
  • Features a debate between the personified "Right Logic" and "Wrong Logic"
• "Dyskolos" by Menander (316 BCE)
  • The only complete surviving play from New Comedy
  • Focuses on the domestic life and relationships of a misanthropic old man and his family
  • Demonstrates the shift towards more complex characters and plot structures in New Comedy