Comedy Writers

Question 1

Plaudis

Answer 1

Took plot and characteristics from new comedy
Translations focused on rough, slapstick humor
Used contaminatio
Most interested in creating laughter, not plot
Used stick characters
Wrote in everyday speech
Used no chorus

Question 2

Terrence

Answer 2

Displays humane interests in people’s behavior
New comedy writer
Widely read and preformed
Not as funny as Plautus

Question 3

Menander

Answer 3

Best playwright of new comedy
Handles serious themes in an elegant and touching manner
Not realistic in modern standards, but always true to life

Question 4

Aristophanes

Answer 4

Wrote old and some new comedies
Reveal great power of fantasy and imagination
Had perfect balance between absurd and obscene
Conveys on particular viewpoint or political message
Created an attitude that mocked hypocrisy and pretension