Classical Comedies

Theater Masks

Comedy in Greece“Glue of Democracy”Athenian citizens could attend for free

Theoric Fund

Two main purposes:Entertain the audienceTeach/inform the audience

Divided into Old, Middle and New comedyMost of Middle comedy has been lostRoman Comedy most like New comedy

Comedies would be performed at one of two festivals:Laenaea

Less prestigiousComedy based festival

City/Great Dionysia

City/Great DionysiaNamed after the god of theater: DionysusHeld in Theater of Dionysus not far outside of Athens 14,000-18,000 attendeesFive days long

City/Great DionysiaStarted 10th day of Elephebolion (March/April)First had comedies in 486 BCDay I: Great procession, Communal beef supperDay 2:Prayers and Libations, Procession of tribute, Procession of ephebes, Civic business

Days 2-4: three authors get to showcase their work:

Three tragedies in a themeEx: Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Oedipus at Colonus

Satyr playSlapstick and crude humor

Day 5: ComediesDithyrambs

Chorus songs that tell story

Structure of Greek PlaysPrologue, -1st scene or scenes. Everything before first entrance of chorus. Farsical, often irrelevant to main plot

Parodos-initial entrance of chorus. Sing while they enter. Stay even if not singing

Episodes- that which follows the ode. Acts. Generally in speech, though it could be songs, too. All characters but chorus leave stage at end of episode

Stasimon-Choral odes sung between episodes. Strophe and Antistrophe.

Parabasis-“coming forward” of the chorus. Chorus gives advice to the audience, unconnected to anything in the play. Often voice of playwright, but could just be something that would be popular.

Old ComedyMost famous Old Comedy author: AristophanesHighly satiricalMostly written in AthensCharacters had symbolic and political value

Character could represent actual political figureCharacter could represent something more vague, like the people, or disbelief

New ComedyOrigins/Underpinnings of Comedy

Comedy=Komos (revel)+aoide (song) Purpose: uplift an audience Means of doing so?Upsetting social orderProper realignment of the social order

Characters receive their proper rewards

Comedy of MannersForm of drama that plays on the manners and fashions of a particular social class or setPlot and characters are shallow and repetitive from play to playAlways ends happy.

Athens was now subjugated to the Macedonians after the death of Alexander the GreatMost famous author: Menander

Roman ComedyVery similar to New Comedy, but with some more crude jokesOften reinterpreted or translated from Greek plays into LatinClever slaves as trusted advisors/skilled manipulatorsMost famous authors: Terence and PlautusWere performed at games and celebrations with many other distractions, not at festivals

Costumes/sceneryWould wear clothes appropriate for the social class of the characterTheater Masks over-sized and over-exaggerated

Would resonate sound like a bull-horn so the actors could be heard

Scenery consisted of three doorways-nothing elseLimited props