lesson 25- the nature of old comedy Flashcards
where did comedy originate from?
Comedy seems to have emerged out of the worship of dionysus- a key element in festivals of Dionysus was the Komos, or ‘revel’, during which men came out into the streets of the city, drinking, singing and dancing in honour of the god.
what was the Komos (‘revel’) ?
A key element in the festival of Dionysus during which men came out into the streets of the city, drinking, singing and dancing in honour of the god.
what was another key element of the Komos?
the icon of the human phallus: during their song and dance, revellers held aloft leather phalluses as a way of giving thanks to Dionysus.
Why did worshippers in the Komos hold human phalli?
To give thanks to Dionysus- Dionysus was commonly associated with the life force, so that the phallus was a symbol of his power and ability to bring new life. Human fertility was a key concern in ancient Greece, since human life was precarious, particularly when it involved pregnancy and childbirth
it is generally agreed that comedy emerged from…
the songs and dance of the Komos, In Greek, Komoidia, from which we derive ‘comedy’, literally meaning ‘the song of the Komos’.
How did the Phallus from the Komos remain a prominent symbol in comedy?
It was worn on the costumes during comedy performances
what was the first record entry for comedy?
The first recorded entry for comedy at the city Dionysia was 486 BC, but we know little about comedies in the early decades of the fifth century
where does our only detailed knowledge of fifth century comedy come from?
the playwright Aristophanes, who lived between 450 and 386 BC; his first recorded comic play was presented in 427 BC. However, we do have reference to other comic playwrights as well as fragments from their plays
what other playwrights do we have reference to from the fifth century BC other than aristophanes?
Cratinus, who was active between 454 and 423 BC and we know the titles of twenty four of his plays. Then there is Eupolis, a friend of Aristophanes, who is often thought of as his main rival. Eupolis was writing between 429 and 411 BC and we know the titles of fifteen of his plays; he was very successful, winning three times at the city Dionysia and four times at the lenaia.
when was Cratinus active between?
454 and 423 BC
How many titles of Cratinus’ plays do we have?
24
what years was Eupolis active between?
429 and 411 BC
How many titles of Eupolis’ plays do we have?
15
how many times did Eupolis win at the city dionysia and the Lenaia?
He won three times at the city Dionysia and four times at the Lenaia
other playwrights such as Aristophanes, Eupolis and Cratinus were treated with equal importance by scholars in the great library of Alexandria during the second and third centuries, however…
for reasons that remain unclear, only the plays of Aristophanes were preserved into late antiquity, in this case only one copy of his eleven plays, although he wrote 40 in all.