Greek and Roman comedy

1. ANCIENT GREEKANDROMANCOMEDY

2. 3rd High School of Polichni, Thessaloniki
Students who participate:
 Miriam Vincler
 Amalia Karageorgi
 Sotiria Karaisaridou
 Nikos Kritharidis
 Dimitra Mitsopoulou
 Kiki Papazi
 Alexandra Betou

3.  Its principles: 5th century BC
 Athens: a spiritual capital
 Freedom, equality, freedom of speech
 Characteristic element is the satire.
 The purpose is having fun, but also teaching and
correcting the '' bad situations'' (‘’ κακώς κείμενα’’)
 “We make better people in the cities ",
aristophanes )(« βελτίους ποιούμεν τους ανθρώπους
εν ταις πόλεσιν», Αριστοφάνης )
Ancient Greek Comedy

4. Seasons of the ancient Greek Comedy
 Ancient Comedy (486-400 BC)
 Middle Comedy (400-320 BC)
 New comedy (Hellenistic era)

5. Ancient Comedy
 The Ancient-Old Comedy presents a great diversity both in terms of content
and plot, as well as on a stylistic level.
 It is distinguished in three main narrative types: political, mythological and
urban comedy.
 It's subjects are drawn from the everyday life of the Athenians (war, peace,
philosophy, love, marriage), but it can also be fantastic (building cities in the
clouds).

6. Ancient Comedy
 It involves historic figures (Socrates, Euripides), forms of the "average
man" or heroes and gods.
 It has a defined structure
 It is waning with the decline of the Athenian Republic due to the lack of
freedom.

7. Main representatives of the ancient Greek comedy
Aristophanes
Kratin
Krates
Eupolis
Ferekratis

8. Aristophanes (448-385 BC)
 He’s the most important representative of Ancient Comedy
 11 comedies are saved, it's estimated that he's written quadraple that amount.
 He lived in Athens in the 5th century BC. century.
 It was influenced by the Sophists.
 He draws his material from political and social life
 Satirizes faces and political situations of his time
 His works are particularly popular today.

9. THE PLAYBOOKS OF Aristophanes
Saved Comedies
 (Αχαρνής) (425 BC)
 (Ιππείς) (424 BC)
 (Νεφέλες) (423 BC)
 (Σφήκες) (422 BC)
 (Ειρήνη) (421 BC)
 (Όρνιθες) (414 BC)
 (Λυσιστράτη) (411 BC)
 (Θεσμοφοριάζουσες) (411 BC)
 (Βάτραχοι) (405 BC)
 (Εκκλησιάζουσες) (392 BC)
 (Πλούτος) (388 BC)

10. New comedy
 It shows the ideals of the Hellenistic era.
 It is addressed not to the Athenians, like the oldest forms of comedy,
but to all those who knew the Greek language.
 Stories that are proportional to what happens in the lives of ordinary
people.
 The element of realism dominates and spectators are identifying
with the faces of the scene. Thus, new comic types - characters and
new masks are created that are closer to human measures.

11. New comedy
Famous comedians of New Comedy are
Filimon (from Syracuse). His three works are covered by Plautos.
Difilos
Apolodoros from Karystos
Menadros (the most important)

12. Menandros
 His work deals with the everyday person.
 It delves deeply to the psychology of the people.
 In his comedies the erotic element is dominant.
 He has written more than 100 comedies.
 One of his works survives whole, “Ο Δύσκολος.” Other works: "Samia", "The Permit",
"The Hired".
 His works were a great success in the whole known world and he was very popular.
 They were translated into Latin.
 He influenced the Latin comedy.

13. Ancient Roman Comedy
The Romans borrowed many elements from the Greek theater.
The latin comedy carries on the New Comedy creatively,
enriching both the subject and its form.
Many latin comedies are cover versions of the Greek New
Comedy, and through them we know many New Comedy works
that have been lost.

14. TYPES OF ROMAn COMedy
Fabula Palliata:
The case takes place in Greece and mostly Greek characters
appear.
 Fabula Togata: : the use Roman or Italian characters in Roman
atmosphere. From the 2th century B.C.
Representors: Lucius Afranius – Titus Quinctius Atta

15. Basic Representatives
Plautos (approx. 250 – 184 BC)
Terentios (approx. 190 – 159 BC)

16. P l a u t o s
According to the available information, he
wrote 130 comedies, but the undoubtedly
genuine ones are 21. From all of them,20 have
been saved.
 However, we must consider that the dramatic
production of Plautus is considerably greater
than the rescued one.

17. P l a u t o s
He dealt exclusively with the Fabula Palliata, the Latin
adaptation of Greek works. He borrows his subjects-plots,
persons, situations-from the rich production of "New
Comedy ", basically from Menandros, Philemon and Difilo.
 All the external characteristics of his art are Greek, the
urban and folk world of the Greek drama of the time: The
cunning slave, the parasite, the braggart, the Mastpós, the
schemer, the twisted or benevolent old man, the cowardly or
spoiled young , courtesans etc.

18. THE PLAYBOOKS OF PLAutos
 Asinaria
 Aulularia
 Bacchides
 Captivi
 Casina
 Cistellaria
 Curculio
 Miles gloriosus
 Truculentus
 Litido: This comedy was the most beloved one in Plauta himself.
 Mostellaria

19. P l a u t O s
The boaster soldier

20. P l a u t O s
Amphitryon
It’s the only one comedy
of Plautus, of the rescued
ones, in which the main
characters are gods and
mythical creatures.

21. T e r e n t i u s
 Terentius before he was 25 years old he had written 6 rhythmic
comedies which have been rescued complete and considered to
be models of ethical comedy and genuine Latin language.
 He based on Greek standards and he is considered the
forerunner of the comedy of morals.
 It stands for drama in the plot, naturalness of affairs and his
psychological power.

22. T e r e n t i u s
 He touches lightly upon family, educational, consciousness issues. He
presents in his works gentle masters, loyal slaves, affectionate
parents.
 The characters of his comedies are presented in a way that reminds of
Menandros's calm humor and truthfulness.
 The structure of his works is always attentive and satisfactory.
 Terentius's comedies all have some common features. The scenes take
place in Athens and characters are from there, unless the case
requires a stranger.

23. The playbooks of Terentius
 Andria
 Hecyra
 Heauton timorumenos
 Phormio
 Eunuchus
 Adelphi

24. The Greekand the Romancomedyin the European theater
The New comedy, as it passed to the great Latin comedians Plafatos
and Terentios, influenced great European dramatists (for example:
Moliere).

25. Bibliography
History of the Greek nation Athens Publishing House 1974
History of the ancient literature
History of latin literature
Introduction of the ancient theater