Ancient Greek Comedy Quiz

Comedy began in ancient Greece at the City Dionysia festival in 486 BCE to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and theater.
While comedy was present at City Dionysia, it gained prominence at the Lenaia festival, known for its association with comedy and political satire.
At the Lenaia festival, five comic writers presented one play each, though only a few comedies from this period survive.

Aristophanes is the only playwright with extant works from the 5th century BCE, having written approximately forty plays, eleven of which have survived.
His notable comedies, considered Old Comedies, include "Acharnians," "Knights," "Clouds," "Wasps," "Peace," "Birds," "Lysistrata," "Women at the Thesmophoria," and "Frogs."
Old Comedies often featured commentary on social and political issues, including the Peloponnesian War, and employed fantastical exaggerations of everyday life.

Common themes included farcical elements, bodily pleasures, and a "happy idea" that characters adopted by the end of the play.
Satire was prevalent, often including real people, such as mentions of the dramatist Sophocles in "Frogs."
The genre declined after the Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE, leading to less political satire.

Dating from 404 to 336 BCE, Middle Comedy emerged as a transitional phase, moving away from the personal attacks characteristic of Old Comedy.
Focus shifted to stories with relatable events and manners, often using stock characters.
Notable extant plays from this period are "Assembly Women" and "Plutus," both by Aristophanes, characterized by a lack of political content.
Fragmentary works from other playwrights such as Alexis and Antiphanes allow comparison of styles and techniques of the period.

Greek New Comedy developed from 320 to 260 BCE, marking a shift towards domestic stories featuring middle-class characters and societal relationships.
Themes included romance and financial woes, moving away from political discourse common in earlier comedies.
An estimated 1,400 New Comedies were likely produced during the Hellenistic period, with 64 known playwrights.
The only complete play from this period, "The Grouch" by Menander, was rediscovered in 1957; Menander is regarded as the most significant playwright of New Comedy, believed to have written over 100 plays.
New Comedy often featured dramatic devices like concealed identity and coincidence, embracing a wide range of tones from serious to farcical.