Summary Greek theatre - social and political themes in comedy
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Course
Greek theatre
Institution
OCR
Book
OCR Classical Civilisation AS and A Level Components 21 and 22
Notes on: - ancient religious concepts, beliefs & practices - including role of the gods and death & the afterlife, representation and satire of tragedy, importance of the polis (city) - including the position & role of men, women and slaves in society and political ideas & ideals
- Comedy’s interest in tragedy – reveals how central tragedy was to Athenian cultural life
- Frogs – plot dominated by personalities of individual tragedians & the idea that tragic poetry can save
Athens
- Tragedy is not just for enjoyment – it has a civic function
- Ancient poetry should fulfil a didactic function – aim was to offer moral guidance and make them
better citizens
- Agon – tragedy is central theme
- Euripides – a tragedian should be admired because he makes the people better
- Aeschylus – ‘children have teachers to instruct them, young men have poets’
Claims Euripides has corrupted Athenian morals by presenting wicked deeds on stage
Argues a tragedian should hide bad behaviour
- Satirises tragedians as individuals
Presentation needs to be viewed with scepticism – personalities of Euripides and Aeschylus
derived from stereotypes about their work
- References to well-known characteristics about contemporary tragedians
- Focus on Aeschylus and Euripides – formation of canon of three great tragedians was underway
Sophocles died shortly before frogs was performed
Dionysus – makes I clear these are the only playwrights worth considering truly great
- Sustained and sophisticated parody of the style of individua tragedians – high level of knowledge from
Aristophanes’ audience
- Chorus encourage tragedians not to worry as audience will follow
Designed to flatter audience
Ancient religious concepts
The role of the gods
- Dionysus of comedy is a buffoon
- Mocking gods in context of comedy was not considered blasphemous by the Athenians
Especially Dionysus – comedy uses his unusual status to make him the target of mockery
- Aristophanes’ presentation of Dionysus – draws on tradition of finding humour at the god’s expense
- Comedy gives license to make jokes that would otherwise be considered inappropriate
- Aristophanes overturns traditional attributes of Dionysus
Dionysus feels as much pain as his slave
Forced to row himself to hades and does not know how to do it properly
He is a coward
Out of shape
- Dionysus represents a kind of everyman figure – audience can sympathise with and laugh at
- Dionysus – reflects traditional idea of gods as saviours
- Torchlight procession that play ends with – creates a mood of holiness
Reminiscent of real-life rituals
Death and the afterlife
- Depicts a traditional poetic view of the afterlife
Portrays dead as ghosts with their own personalities and memories
- Frogs – dead live the same way as they lived when alive
Both playwrights keen to return to the world of above
- Charon as ferryman is traditional
- Allusions to other myths about thee underworld
- Many elements are gently parodied – bleak waters of underworld filled with singing frogs
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