lesson 26 & 27- The structure and place of comedy

Question 1

what is the typical structure of a tragedy/Satyr?

Answer 1

1. Prologue
2. Parode/ parados
3. Episodes
4. Stasimon
5. Exode/ exodus

Question 2

what was a prologue in tragedy/satyr?

Answer 2

A monologue or dialogue preceeding the entry of the chorus, which presents the tragedies topic

Question 3

what was the parados in a tragedy/satyr?

Answer 3

The entry chant of the chorus which would follow the prologue. Generally, they remain in the orchestra throughout the remainder of the play. Although they wear masks, their dancing is expressive, as conveyed by the hands, arms and body

Question 4

what are episodes in a tragedy/satyr?

Answer 4

There are several episodes in a Ancient Greek play (typically around 3-5) in which one or two actors interact with the chorus. They are, at least in part, sung or chanted. Each episode is followed by a stasimon

Question 5

what is a stasimon in a tragedy/satyr?

Answer 5

A choral ode in which the chorus may comment or react to the preceding episode

Question 6

what is the exode and exodus in a tragedy/satyr?

Answer 6

The exodus is the final episode of a play. However, the exode is the exit song of the chorus after the last episode.

Question 7

what is the typical structure of a comedy?

Answer 7

1. Prologue
2. Parode
3. agon
4. Parabasis
5. Episode
6. Exode/ Exodus

Question 8

what was the prologue in comedies?

Answer 8

The same as tragedies, a monologue or dialogue preceding the entry of the chorus which presents the comedies topic

Question 9

what was the parode in comedies?

Answer 9

The same as in tragedies- the entry chant of the chorus. Generally, they remain on stage throughout the remainder of the play. Although they wear masks, their dancing is expressive, as conveyed by the hands, arms and body. The difference between a parode in comedies and tragedies is that the chorus takes up a position either for or against a hero in comedies.

Question 10

what is the agon in comedies?

Answer 10

Two speakers debate an issue. The agon directly means ‘formal debate’. Typically, neither character can come to an agreement at the end of an agon

Question 11

what is a parabasis in comedies?

Answer 11

Parabasis means coming forward- after the other characters have left the stage, the chorus members remove their masks and step out of character to address the audience. First the chorus leader chants, then the whole chorus sings in unison. The parabasis would usually appear in the middle of the play.

Question 12

what is an episode in comedies?

Answer 12

The same as in tragedies- there are around 3-5 episodes in a generic comedy in which two or more actors interact with the chorus. They are, at least in part, sung or chanted. After episodes, there was usually a choral interlude but this was not always the case.

Question 13

what is an exode/ exodus in a comedy.

Answer 13

The exodus is the same with any play- it is the final episode that concludes the play. The exode is the exit song of the chorus after the last episode. However, it is slightly different to tragedies as it has a mood of celebration and possibly with a riotous revel (comos), joyous marriage or both.

Question 14

what was the structure of the city dionysia festival in around 430 BC?

Answer 14

A few days before- Proagon
The eve of the festival- Torchlight procession
Day 1- Pompe (procession), Dithyrambic contests (choral dances), and the Komos (revel)
Day 2- opening ceremony with 5 comedies performed
Day 3- 3 tragedies and 1 Satyr play performed
Day 4- 3 tragedies and 1 Satyr play performed
Day 5- 3 tragedies, 1 Satyr play performed, judging and prize giving
A few days later- The review

Question 15

what happened a few days before the city dionysia festival?

Answer 15

The Proagon

Question 16

what happened on the eve of the festival of the City Dionysia?

Answer 16

A torchlight procession

Question 17

what happened on day 1 of the festival of The City Dionysia?

Answer 17

A pompe (procession), Dithyrambic contests (choral dances) and the Komos (revel)

Question 18

what happened on day 2 of the festival of the city dionysia?

Answer 18

an opening ceremony with 5 comedies performed

Question 19

what happened on days 3 & 4 of the City Dionysia festival?

Answer 19

3 tragedies were performed followed by 1 satyr play

Question 20

what happened on day 5 of the city dionysia festival?

Answer 20

3 tragedies were performed followed by 1 satyr play. The judging then took place alongside the prize giving

Question 21

what happened a few days after the city dionysia festival?

Answer 21

The overall review

Question 22

how was the City Dionysia shortened during the peloponnesian war (431-404 BC) by a single day?

Answer 22

Day 2 was completely disregarded- instead of 5 comedies in total being performed, only 3 were performed on the following days after the tragedies and satyrs were performed. The opening ceremony was moved to be with the pompe, dithyrambic contests and Komos on day one.

Question 23

what did the events of the City Dionysia festival supposedly look like during the peloponnesian war?

Answer 23

A few days before- The proagon
The eve of the festival- Torchlight procession
Day 1- Pompe (procession), Dithyrambic contests (choral dances), the Komos (revel) and the opening ceremony
day 2- 3 tragedies, 1 satyr and 1 comedy play performed
day 3- 3 tragedies, 1 satyr and 1 comedy play performed
day 4- 3 tragedies, 1 satyr and 1 comedy play performed, followed by judging and prize giving
a few days later- the review

Question 24

What do comedy, tragedy and satyr plays all seem to have emerged from?

Answer 24

As tragedy, comedy seems to have emerged out of the worship of Dionysus.

Question 25

Specifically what event does comedy seem to have developed from and what did this event entail?

Answer 25

A key element in festivals of Dionysus was the Komos, or ‘revel’, during which men came out into the streets, drinking, singing and dancing in honour of the god.

Question 26

why was the Komos appropriate to the worship of Dionysus?

Answer 26

The Komos is a good example of how Dionysus was a god who could relieve people of their daily troubles through wine and through singing and dancing.

Question 27

How and why did the symbol of the phallus appear in the worship of Dionysus?

Answer 27

During their song and dance, revellers held aloft leather phalluses as a way of giving thanks to Dionysus. He 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.

Question 28

What is the date for the first recorded comedy performed at the City Dionysia?

Answer 28

486 BC, but we know little about comedy in the early decades of the fifth century. Our detailed knowledge of fifth century comedy really concerns one playwright, Aristophanes.

Question 29

Which comic playwright do we know most about and what was the date of his first play?

Answer 29

Aristophanes- he lived between 450 and 386 BC, his first recorded comic play was presented in 427 BC. We do have references to other comic playwrights, as well as fragments from their plays.

Question 30

What other playwrights do we know of and what do we know about them?

Answer 30

We do have references to other comic playwrights, as well as fragments from their plays. For example, Cratinus was active between 454 and 423 BC, and we know the titles of twenty four of his plays. Eupolis, a friend of Aristophanes is often thought of as his main rival. He was writing between 429 and 411 BC and we know of the titles of 15 of his plays; he was very successful, winning three times at the city dionysia and four times at the lenaia.

Question 31

When was Cratinus active between?

Answer 31

454 and 423 BC

Question 32

how many titles of Cratinus’ plays do we have?

Answer 32

24

Question 33

when was Eupolis writing between?

Answer 33

429-411 BC

Question 34

how many titles of Eupolis’ plays do we have?

Answer 34

15

Question 35

How many times did Eupolis win the City Dionysia and the Lenaia?

Answer 35

He won three times at the City Dionysia and four times at the Lenaia

Question 36

How many comedies were preserved in late antiquity?

Answer 36

Only the plays of Aristophanes were preserved into late antiquity for reasons that are unclear. In this case, one copy of eleven of his plays survived, although he wrote 40 in all.

Question 37

Which tragic playwrights were Aristophanes’ contemporaries?

Answer 37

Since Aristophanes began his career in the early 420s, he was writing at the same time as both Sophocles and Euripides for about twenty years

Question 38

How did the time Aristophanes was writing shape the nature of his comedy and his plays?

Answer 38

The majority of his plays were written during the years of the peloponnesian war (431-404 BC) fought between Athens and Sparta, as well as their respective allies, and these years were a time of particularly lively political life in Athens. His plays were intensely satritical, making fun of public life and public figures, although he was writing to entertain, his work offers an insight into the political issues of the day.

Question 39

when did the peloponnesian wars occur?

Answer 39

Between 431 and 404 BC

Question 40

Roughly what date did “new comedy” emerge and how was it different from “old comedy”?

Answer 40

By the 320s, a new form of comedy emerged which was far less political than the plays of the fifth century, this is conventionally referred to today as ‘new comedy’ and so the plays of the fifth century are often referred to as ‘old comedy’.

Question 41

what was difference between the actors and the chorus of tragedies in comparison to comedies?

Answer 41

Although comedy had the same distinction between leading actors and chorus as tragedy, there were important differences between the two genres when it came to acting. For example, it is likely that comedy allowed a fourth leading actor to appear on stage (although some scholars dispute this).

Question 42

How many chorus members were in a tragic chorus in comparison to a comic chorus?

Answer 42

A comic chorus consisted of 24 members, rather than the 12-15 of tragedy. In some comic plays, the chorus was divided into two semi-choruses of 12, each of which was supported a different side of the argument in the play.

Question 43

what was a key difference between comic and tragic actors?

Answer 43

Comic actors sometimes broke the dramatic illusion by acknowledging the presence of the spectators and at times even addressed them directly (especially during the parabasis)

Question 44

what was the most recognisable/distinguished difference between comic and tragic actors?

Answer 44

Their respective costumes and masks

Question 45

what were costumes and masks for comedies designed to do?

Answer 45

Make the actors look ridiculous and build up an element of farce

Question 46

what did a comic actor wear?

Answer 46

A comic actor wore a short tunic, a cloak reaching just below the waist, and tights. The whole costume was thickly padded, especially around the mid-drift and backside, which made an actor seem shorter and rounder than he actually was. It also enabled him to fall and roll around, since comedy often contained physical humour and slapstick. Another key element was the oversized leather phallus, which may well have been attached by a string to the tunic so that the actor could stimulate an erection.

Question 47

what is an example of a phallus being used as a source of humour?

Answer 47

In wasps, the old man Philocleon offers his to the music girl as a hand rope for her to pull herself up onto the stage

Question 48

what do some sources suggest that the costumes of choruses in comedies look like?

Answer 48

Sometimes costumes must have been especially colourful or ridiculous, and plays with titles such as Birds, Clouds, Frogs and Wasps suggests that costume designers were given entertaining challenges- in the case of Birds, the text makes clear that the chorus consisted of twenty four types of birds.

Question 49

what did comic masks look like and how were they different to tragedies?

Answer 49

Facial features were grossly exaggerated and mouths often ridiculously large. Some plays satirised public figures (more notably the politician Cleon, the philosopher Socrates and the playwright Euripides) and the masks of these characters must have parodied their real looks

Question 50

what is an example of comic masks parodying real life individuals appearances?

Answer 50

The real Socrates, who was present to watch himself portrayed in Clouds, is said to have got to his feet during the performance so that the audience could compare the likeness to his stage character.

Question 51

what were the differences between the plots of tragedies in comparison to comedies?

Answer 51

Tragedies had carefully developed plots, whilst those of comedy were far looser. Comedies also typically had an agon as a central feature and unlike tragedies, usually finished with a happy ending, often involving a banquet or a wedding.

Question 52

what were the differences between tragedies and comedies in relation to the context?

Answer 52

Whilst Tragedy was typically set in the world of myth (such as Oedipus, which focuses on the Myth of Oedipus peripeteia- role of reversal), whilst comedy included characters from everyday Athenian like, either public figures or character stereotypes. Consequently, the audience were not usually familiar with a comic story line in advance, and comic prologues were longer so that they could introduce the plot and main characters.

Question 53

what was the difference between use of language in tragedies vs comedies and how did Aristophanes did this?

Answer 53

Aristophanes used language to communicate comedy- On one hand, he could be crude and even obscene, using the Greek Equivalents of English four letter words to describe sex, bodily functions and for his characters to abuse each other. This was marked in contrast to the formal language of tragedy and satyr plays.

Question 54

Aristophanes also made up his own words for comedic effect, what is an example of this?

Answer 54

An example is birds, when the two leading characters think about a name for the utopian city they propose to establish in the sky, coming up with ‘Nephelococcygia’, which gives us the term ‘Cloud-cuckoo land’

Question 55

what is the farcical plan at the centre of Frogs?

Answer 55

the great idea is that Dionysus can travel to the underworld to bring back one of Athens’ great playwrights.

Question 56

what is the farcical plan at the centre of Birds?

Answer 56

two Athenians can create a utopian society in the sky

Question 57

what is the farcical plan at the centre of Women at the Thesmophoria?

Answer 57

that a man can infiltrate an all-women festival to defend Euripides.

Question 58

In what way is the language of comedy different to that of tragedy?

Answer 58

The language of comedy is more down-to-earth than that of Tragedy, however it still bore little relation to how ordinary Greeks spoke in real life.

Question 59

How is the language of comedy different to everyday Greek spoken in normal life?

Answer 59

Comedy is written in poetic metre and divided into spoken and choral sections.

Question 60

What topics does comedy include to make it more humorous and also tap into a whole different range of vocabulary?

Answer 60

The topics of comedy are more everyday than tragedy, and this is reflected by the language used. Whereas tragedy always steers away from anything to do with the body, comedy uses it to generate humour, and likes to joke about eating, drinking, sex, violence and excreting. Obscene language is common, as are words for particular types of food and drink we may not find anywhere else in Greek.

Question 61

How does comedy play with language and sound?

Answer 61

We find jokes making fun of accents or speech defects, or trying to imitate the sound of animals, as in the brekekekex koax koax’ of the ‘Frogs’ chorus.

Question 62

where does comedy use more high-flown language and why might this generate humour?

Answer 62

Comedy uses high-flown passages, especially in the choruses; This fine language may generate humour by contrasting with more vulgar content