Aristophanes' Comedies Analysis

Tragedy, Comedy and Ritual

• Tragedy and comedy, though entwined, have different focuses. Tragedy is often concerned with suffering, evil, and the problem of a loving creator allowing suffering.
• Comedy, conversely, is concerned with the fall of man through a mundane event.
• Tragedy often ends in death and comedy in marriage.
• Tragedy focuses on the elite, comedy on the common person.
• Tragedy is focused on the individual's struggle, while comedy focuses on the community.
• Tragedy expresses resignation, comedy celebrates improvisation.
• Tragedy is of the mind, comedy of the body.
• Tragedy demands self-knowledge, comedy thrives on ignorance, and so on.
• Although these distinctions exist, they aren't absolute. Examples exist where tragedy doesn't end in death and comedy doesn't end in marriage (Cresphontes vs. Love's Labour's Lost)

Tragedy and Comedy: Common Origins

• Tragedy and comedy have a common origin in religious rituals that connect death with new life.
• The two genres are linked not only by sacrifices but also etymologically.
• The Greek term "tragedy" combines "tragos" (goat) and "ode" (song), suggesting possible origins in sacrificial rituals involving goat-like animals associated with Dionysus.
• The Greek term "comedy" relates to the "kōmos", a procession characterized by singing, dancing, and drinking, connected to Dionysus.

Etymology

• Greek tragicōidia combines "tragos" (goat) and "ode" (song), linked to prizes for best actors.
• Tragōidia could refer to serious or sportive tragedy.

Dionysus

• Central to tragedy and comedy, Dionysus was a god of wine, theatre, and fertility, associated with ritual and sacrifice.
• His myths frequently involve death and rebirth, mirroring the themes of tragedy and comedy.
• Aristotle linked tragedy and comedy to Dionysus, citing dithyrambs (hymns) and phallic songs as their roots.

The Cambridge Ritualists

• They explored the connections between ritual and drama, particularly focusing on sacrifice.
• Key figures: Francis Macdonald Cornford, Jane Harrison, and Gilbert Murray.
• Influenced by Frazer's "The Golden Bough."
• Viewed tragedy's origins in ritualistic dances honoring Dionysus and emphasized the cyclical nature of life and death.
• Observed patterns in tragedy, like the rituals involved in the god's death and rebirth.

Greek Drama

• Tragedy emerged in fifth-century Athens, spreading to other cities.
• Comedy's origins were more diverse and less well-recorded.
• The first actor, Thespis, is credited with introducing the actor, separating him from the chorus.
• The Great Dionysia, an Athenian festival honoring Dionysus, was a significant arena for dramatic performances.

Old Comedy

• Form: Plays were in competition, focusing on topical issues.
• Subject matter: Contemporary events, politics, and social issues.
• Style: Bawdy, crude, and focused on physical humor and topical satire, with choruses and large spectacles.
• Notable example noted: Aristophanes' plays.

New Comedy

• Transition from Old to New: A shift towards more realistic characters and plots, focused on everyday life.
• Less topical and more focused on romantic plots.
• Fewer appearances from choruses.
• Subject matter shift: focus from societal issues to individual relationships, primarily love and marriage.
• Notable example noted: Menander's plays (The Bad Tempered Man)

Ritual and Drama

• The debate often centers on whether ritual is the source of drama's inspiration or merely a framework.
• Ritual, in drama, affects the perception of the world as it does in sacrifice.
• Sacrificial rituals involve a sense of ordering the cosmos.
• Sacrifice offers a framework for understanding life, death, and society, but comedy and tragedy surpass this by giving agency and a human perspective.