classical comedies
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Classical Comedies. Theater Masks. Comedy in Greece. “ Glue of Democracy” Athenian citizens could attend for free Theoric Fund Two main purposes: Entertain the audience Teach/inform the audience Divided into Old, Middle and New comedy Most of Middle comedy has been lost - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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