The Comedy is one of the theatrical genres usually written in verse, which has its beginnings in Ancient Greece.
It is a burlesque and humorous critical genre that satirizes various aspects of society from customs, habits, morals, noble figures, political institutions, among others.
Abstract
Theatrical Masks of Tragedy and Comedy
First of all, it is worth remembering that Greek theater begins in Athens, around 550 BC, which arises from the development of festivities held for the mythological god of wine:Dionysus.
The tragedies were created and performed before the comedies, however, both were being perfected from the festivities to the gods, very common in ancient Greece. Comedies begin to be performed around 500 BC, that is, about 50 years after the tragedies.
Unlike tragedies, in which the characters were nobles and heroes, in comedies the characters are ordinary people from the polis, often stereotyped and caricatured.
In tragedy, the heroes were gods or demigods, while in comedy the hero could be a clown, pretender, fool, among others.
Furthermore, the jury of the comedies were not noble aristocrats as in the tragedy, being people from the audience chosen by lot.
Through the audience's laughter, the comedy addressed topics related to everyday life, which did not involve great emotions, dramas and tragedies.
Although not arousing many sensations in the audience, in addition to the humor involved, the comedies had important philosophical and moral messages.
Thus, by criticizing various aspects, she intended to arouse doubt in the audience, and reflection on various aspects of the polis and Greek society.
Key Features
- Texts in Verses
- Daily Issues
- Parody and fantasy
- Political satire
- Social Criticism
- Humor and burlesque style
- Irony and sarcasm
- Simple and noble characters
- Obscenity and sensuality
- Sentimental intrigues
- Philosophical and moral implications
Learn more about Satire.
Periods and Major Comediographers
The comedy that developed in Athens is divided into three periods, namely:
- Ancient Comedy (500 to 400 BC):arises during the period of Athenian democracy, its main representative being Aristophanes, with his political and social satires.
- Intermediate Comedy (400 to 330 BC):also called “median comedy”, represents a transitional phase of short duration, its main representative being:Antiphanes.
- New Comedy (330 to 150 BC):arises with the fall of Athenian democracy, with the extinction of the comedy choir, its main representative being Menander.
Main Works of Greek Comedy
Comedies of Aristophanes
- Lysistrata
- The Clouds
- Peace
- The Knights
- The Wasps
Antiphanes Comedies
- Lopods
- Minos
- Medea
- Asclepius
- Orpheus
Menander Comedies
- Orge
- The hero
- The Misanthrope
- The Referees
- The Girl from Samos
To complement your research, also see the articles :
- Theatrical Text
- Theatrical Language
- Greek Theater
- Greek Tragedy
Fun fact:Did you know?
From the Greek, the term comedy (komoidia ) meant a “fun show”. The name derives from the chant of masked processions called “kómos ”