Aristotle's Poetics: Comedy and Epic and Tragedy comments on the reflection of reality by it's very imitation. As with comedy being an imitation of the inferior and ugly, the role of the epic and tragedy follow the roles of characters of great importance. The idea being that only those of importance are even noticeable in the eyes of the gods, since mankind is relatively insignificant and are nothing more than an amusement to the gods.…
Now Aristophanes wrote two plays called the Ecclesiazusae and The Cloud. In these plays, he also uses the Socrates character where he tries to make Socrates look foolish in his ideas of a just political state. In the Ecclesiazusae (woman in assembly), it tells a story a story about women…
In ancient Greece plays became important. There were two kinds of plays written and performed, comedy and tragedy. A comedy back then usually made fun of a certain topic. A tragedy in ancient Greece usually dealt with a social or moral issue, or human suffering. In a tragedy play a girl named Antigone goes against the king’s orders and buries her brother, who was killed while leading a rebellion (Doc 6) shows an example of a tragedy play. In this play many Greeks values were expressed which is the same purpose of the majority of western civilizations plays today which was to express certain…
Cited: Aristophanes ' Lysistrata. 18 September 2000. *http://www1.cc.va.us/hurst/eng251cr/* Arkins, Brian. Classics Ireland. "Sexuality in Fifth-Century". 15 September 2000. *http://www.ucd.ie/classics/94/Arkins94.html/* Hadas, Moses. Lysistrata. The Complete Plays of Aristophanes. New York, 1962. 287-328 Peleponnesian War. 16 September 2000. *http:/www.library.thinkquest.org/*…
In Women At The Thesmophoria, Aristophanes mocks women just as much as he mocks foreigners and effeminate men. There are several instances and several styles of humor that are used to make effeminate men and foreigners appear funny.…
Sophocles a Greek poet and a writer was famous for his tragedies. All of his plays and tragedies consisted of a very distinctive style called dramatic irony - a situation of drama which is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the story. This not only brings suspense and tension in the play, but it also makes audience feel that they are a part of the play.…
When dwelling upon the main developments of the theatre, one turns to look at the origins of its birth, therefore focusing upon the Ancient Greeks. A lot of the theatre in which is established today comes from the activities of Greek Worship. The Greeks worshipped their Gods, including ‘the worship of Dionysus; the God of fertility and wine.’ (Gascoinge; History of Theatre, 2001 ongoing.) The Greeks worshipped their Gods through the use of sculpting, painting, music and literature, alongside this they incorporated dance, music and drama. As many of the Athenian’s were illiterate, Greek Theatre was used to explain to the communities the literature in which was written, allowing them through ‘reading artistic signals’ (Michael Walton, J; The Greek Sense of Theatre, Pg.4) to understand ‘the world about them, their fellow men and their Gods.’ (Michael Walton, J; The Greek Sense of Theatre, Pg.4)…
Sophocles influenced the development of drama. His most famous plays are Antigone and Oedipus Rex. He lived during the Classical Period (500 to 400 B.C.). During this time Greece was transitioning, when political and cultural events were shaping and changing Athenian culture. By Sophocles being a dramatists, he played an important part in this creation of a civilization. It included going back to ancient traditions and some of the first poetry of Greece, written by Homer. The earliest Greek literature was poetry. Some of the well-known and famous philosophers during ancient Greece were Plato and Socrates, among others. Sophocles’ work consisted of Greek theatre, and provided insight into a lot of social and political aspects of ancient Greece. This includes Greek religion, culture, and traditions. His modernization in theatre later contributed to basics for future western dramatic performance. Sophocles' plays are still being performed today, all around the…
The mystery that is Ancient Greek theatre has been wondered about from the 5th century onward by historians and philosophers alike. Because no one really has an accurate knowledge on the exact origins, Aristotle and others suggested theories of how tragedy and comedy came about. These theories are generally accepted, even with the lack of proof. Greek theatre introduced new art forms that are still popular today, but they were so different then. Imagine going to see a play now: there is usually comfortable seating and adequate lighting and sound equipment. The actors are not overburdened with heavy costumes and masks. However, ancient theatre was entertainment for the masses.…
Tragic-Comedy is strictly forbidden in classical Greek. Latin literature had attempted a few tragic –comedies half-heartedly. Tragic –Comedy is against the Greek unities of time and action. Beaumont and Fletcher wrote the first Tragic-Comedy in English. The first Tragic-Comedy is A King and No King. Shakespeare is a master craftsman who has perfected the Tragic-Comedy in English Drama. Shakespeare’s famous Tragic-Comedy are The Tempest , The Winter’s Tale , Cymbeline and Pericles.…
The “Clouds” by Aristophanes is a satirical play primarily concerned with the idea of new and old education. A satire is a composition or prose used to lampoon individuals or society. They usually make use of ridicules and irony for the ostensible purpose of exposing and discouraging vice or folly. In the “Clouds”, viewers are presented with a breakdown of traditionally accepted moral and ethical values, especially those that are related to education. Aristophanes is a staunch defender of old values. Through the comedy, he wishes to show his support for logical reasoning that is well rounded and grounded in practical experience. Simultaneously, Aristophanes also wants to deliver a message to the theater audiences of fifth century that certain philosophers, particularly the sophists, undermine traditional values and thus pose as a threat to Greek society. However, by deliberately satirizing the traditional model of education with the new model throughout the comedy, Aristophanes subtly suggests his belief that if a traditional system were to be left unexamined, it might…
In the study of Greek plays, one tries to recreate for an experience, to recapture something of what is meant to those for whom it was written. We know more about the life of Sophocles than we know do about the lives of any other Greek playwright, but this still is not a lot. Sophocles’ work has been said to be the pinnacle of Greek tragedy. Oedipus the King is something like the literary Mona Lisa of ancient Greece. It presents a nightmare vision of a world turned upside down; a decent man, Oedipus, becomes the king of Thebes, whilst in the process unknowingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. As scholars, we are bound to relate this story through history, to ask what the writer really meant, how…
One of the central themes presented throughout the play is the absolute necessity of peace. War has a destructive effect by nature, and when it is being demonstrated between countrymen there is often a consequential lasting impression. The Peloponnesian War in particular was regarded by many as both damaging and senseless for Athens and Sparta. Both countries exercised a lack of judgment and consequently exhausted many resources and lives.…
In 'The Cyclops', the Euripides parody of an episode in 'The odyssey', humour is introduced thorugh the use of topsyturvydum, inequality and the outright rejection of what the audience perceives to be acceptable and expected by social context.…
Aristotle believed that tragedy served a higher purpose than comedy because of its cathartic effect. Therefore, comedy is delegitimized. But comedy does serve a social purpose that can be considered cathartic. It can be an outlet for social angst. At the time Lysistrata was written, Athens, a superpower of their time, had just lost a battle with Sparta. This probably shattered the conceptions of Athenians. And as a result, Aristophanes used a ribald comedy about the less-than-citizen women of Sparta and Athens.…