Definition
Aristotle distinguishes between tragedy and comedy on the following grounds:
- the heroes of the tragedy are people high position, comedies - every rabble;
- the subject of tragedy is the events of the great public interest, comedy - everyday incidents from privacy;
- tragedy is usually based on historical events(myths), while the plot of the comedy is completely invented by the author.
ancient comedy
Main article: ancient comedy
From the entire ancient Attic comedy to the New Age, only 11 plays by Aristophanes survived, although at least fifty comedians working at that time are known by name. The earliest surviving comedy, The Aharnians, was staged in Athens around 425 BC. e. There is no plot as such. In its form, the comedy of Aristophanes is a chain of comic situations commenting on the political life of Athens. The comedies of Aristophanes are stuffed with buffoonery, dances, songs, invectives, often obscene. The choir was often dressed in animal skins, the actors performed in grotesque masks, the action ended with a general feast.
Obscene ridicule, for which the comedies of the 5th-4th centuries were famous. BC e., sometimes crossed all the boundaries of what is permitted. There are known attempts to limit the liberty of comedians by law.
Average comedy
The younger contemporaries of Aristophanes and the older contemporaries of Menander are usually attributed to the transitional stage - the so-called. average comedy. Little is known about this period of development of the genre. There are practically no samples left. It is assumed that during this period comedy loses its political orientation. The importance of the choir and its role in the development of the plot is reduced. Template characters are gaining popularity - getters, philosophers, boastful warriors, rogue slaves, gluttons, accustomers. Parodying scenes comes into fashion famous tragedies and common myths.
In the 4th century, the popularity of comedy extends far beyond Athens: comedy performances are known in Magna Graecia and Sicily.
Neo-Attic Comedy
Main article: new comedy
The new (Menander) comedy chronologically corresponds to the first six decades of Hellenism that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323. Properly comic element during this period, a subordinate meaning is assigned, the satirical charge is completely dissipated: the comedy is reborn into an everyday drama. In connection with the decline of political life in the Attic policies, all the attention of the authors is focused on the intricacies of conditional intrigue (usually love). Typical characters inherited from the average comedy turn into masks (a stingy father, a young man in love, etc.).
The neo-Attic comedy can be judged from the very small number of surviving fragments. It is known that the largest comedians - Menander, Philemon, Defile - wrote more than a hundred plays each. From the neo-Attic comedy in Rome, the Plautian comedy was born, which, in turn, served as the seed for the formation of the European comedy of the Modern Age (Ben Jonson and others).
Notes
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See what "Ancient Greek Comedy" is in other dictionaries:
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Comedy ancient Greek- drama, a genre that was developed in Dr. Greece in the 5th-4th centuries. The ancients themselves singled out 2 varieties in it: Dorian (or Sicilian) K., devoid of a choir and wearing preim. household and parodic mythologist. character (Epicharm), and Attic, named so ... ...
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Dorian Comedy- see Ancient Greek comedy ... ancient world. Dictionary reference.
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It is the oldest known form of comedy and developed in Ancient Greece 5th-3rd centuries BC e. (mainly in Attica). This direction takes its origins from folk ritual actions that were held in honor of fertility. Such festivities mainly consisted of cheerful songs, jokes, ridicule and obscenities, which, according to ancient Greek society, were needed to praise and please the productive forces of nature. Most often, comedy performances were arranged during the holidays in honor of the Great Dionysius. They were the final stage of each of the 3 days of the festival. It is believed that the first ancient Greek comedic playwright was Epicharm (ancient Greek comedian, philosopher and poet).
The next stage of maturation was the development of ancient Attic comedy. She already had more expressiveness and had some features and characteristics. For example: The basis of the whole action was a thesis. It became the subject of controversy and was proved at the end of the presentation.
An important part of the comedy was the part that consisted of the choir's address to the public.
All stories stage action were taken from ordinary everyday life and revealed the problems of the public. In ancient Greek comedy, not only scenes from life were ridiculed, but also real people.
There are many generally accepted principles for the classification of comedy, built on the basis of certain structural components. theatrical work. One of them is the classification of ancient Greek comedy in the process of its development. There are 3 periods in total:
- 1. Ancient Attic Comedy- early view literary comedy in ancient Greece, which became widespread in Attica. The beginning of the "ancient" comedy goes back to the village festivals in honor of the god Dionysus. The first information about the ancient Attic comedy dates back to about 5 BC. e. The "ancient" comedy was political in nature. It constantly raised questions state structure, the activities of individual institutions of the Republic of Athens, its foreign policy, public education of children and youth, representatives of the authorities, poets, philosophers were displayed in a caricature. artistic heyday the ancient Attic comedy reached in the work of Aristophanes (11 comedies written by him have come down to us).
- 2. Middle Attic Comedy spread to Athens in the 4th century. BC e. characteristic feature The middle Attic comedy was the depiction of everyday life and household types: cooks, fishmongers, strangers, etc. Not a single middle Attic comedy has come down to us in its entirety. Only the names (about 50) of poets have survived (Anaxandrid, Antifan, Eubulus, Alexis, Timokl, etc.)
- 3. New Attic Comedy(V-III centuries BC) - The final stage development of ancient Greek comedy. Main features: focusing on private conflicts and love affair; striving for everyday reality. The main representatives are Menander and Philemon. The new Attic comedy had a decisive influence on Roman comedy, and through it on European dramaturgy up to Molière.
Aristophanes, comedy "Clouds": From the very beginning, "Clouds" is the author's mockery of the passion for sophistry that dominated ancient Greece in 50-40 years. BC. The comedy "Clouds" raises important issues. First of all, this is a problem of faith, and not so much belief in some deities or powers, but rather a problem of morality and religiosity. The work of Aristophanes completes one of the most brilliant periods in history Greek culture. He gives a strong, bold and truthful, often profound satire on the political and cultural state of Athens during the crisis of democracy and the coming decline of the polis. In the distorting mirror of his comedy, the most diverse sectors of society are reflected, men and women, statesmen and military leaders, poets and philosophers, peasants, city dwellers and slaves; typical caricature masks acquire the character of clear, generalizing images. By the simplest methods, he achieves the sharpest comic effects.
Comedy- a type of drama (see), in which the moment of an effective conflict or struggle of antagonistic characters is specifically resolved. Qualitatively, the fight in K. differs in that it: 1. does not entail serious, disastrous consequences for the combatants; … Literary Encyclopedia
COMEDY- (Greek komodia, from komos cheerful, and ado I sing). Dramatic performance depicting negative sides life, ridiculing the shortcomings and vices of society. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Comedy- COMEDY. Comedy depicts a dramatic struggle that excites laughter, causing us to have a negative attitude towards aspirations, passions. actors or to the methods of their struggle. The analysis of comedy is connected with the analysis of the nature of laughter. According to Bergson ("Laughter" ... ... Dictionary of literary terms
COMEDY- COMEDY, comedy, women. [Greek komodia]. 1. dramatic work with a cheerful, funny plot (lit., theater.). Ostrovsky wrote many comedies. Comedy of manners. Comedy of characters. || Presentation on stage of such a work (theatre). IN… … Dictionary Ushakov
Comedy TV- Entertainment Television LLC ... Wikipedia
comedy- See the spectacle, deceit, break the comedy ... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, Moscow: Russian dictionaries, 1999. comedy spectacle, deceit; scream, masquerade, farce, tonadilla, hypocrisy, acting, hypocrisy, comedy, ... ... Synonym dictionary
COMEDY- (from the Greek komodia), a genre of drama in which the action and characters are treated in comic forms; the opposite of tragedy. According to the principle of organizing action, comedies are distinguished: provisions based on a cunning, intricate intrigue (Comedy ... ... Modern Encyclopedia
COMEDY- (from the Greek komodia) a genre of drama in which the action and characters are interpreted in the forms of the comic; the opposite of tragedy. According to the principle of organization of action, comedies are distinguished: provisions based on a cunning, intricate intrigue (Comedy of Errors U ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
comedy- and, f., COMEDIE comédie f. obsolete Theater building, theatre. Where to see the royal majesty: She often deigns to stay in the comedy. 1738. Farson 22. And to stop quarrels and fights at this comedy from the team, put a cake. 1751. Memory. cult. 1986 154.… … Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language
COMEDY- COMEDY, and, wives. 1. A dramatic work with a fun, funny story. Musical room 2. trans. Pretense, hypocrisy in some n. actions. To break a comedy (colloquial neod.). 3. The same as scream (colloquial). | adj. comic, oh, oh (to 1 value) and ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
COMEDY- wives. a dramatic performance or composition for the theater, where society is presented in a funny, funny way. | * A funny incident or incident. People say: break comedy, or pitches. comedy, throw out funny things. Comedy with us ... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
Books
- Comedy of the city of Petersburg, Daniil Kharms. "Comedy of the city of St. Petersburg" is the Daniil Kharms Theater, namely, a collection of the author's dramatic works (both poetic and prose), where each text (81 in total) is ... Buy for 430 rubles
- Comedy. Tragedy, Boris Akunin. "Comedy. Tragedy" - a literary experiment, a flip book by Boris Akunin. The book includes two plays: "The Mirror of Saint-Germain" ("Comedy") and "Hamlet. Version" ("Tragedy"), ...
The term "comedy" comes from gr. "komos"- a merry procession, a noisy walk, a crowd, a swarm, etc. and "ode" - a song. Aristotle in "Poetics" gives the following definition: "Comedy ... is the reproduction [mimesis] of relatively bad (characters), however, not in the sense of absolute depravity, but since the funny is part of the ugly: funny is some mistake and ugliness, no one causing suffering and not harmful to anyone; so as not to go far for an example, the comic mask is something ugly and distorted, but without (expressing) suffering. In this definition (preliminary, since the second part of " Poetics”, dedicated to comedy, has not been preserved) Aristotle doesn't talk about the purpose of comedy. It can be assumed that with the help of laughter (rising back to the sacred laughter of ritual processions in honor of the god Dionysus), comic catharsis- purification without the mediation of fear and compassion. Collective laughter unites people in the same way as the joint experience of horror and grief.
The birth and evolution of comedy. The genre of comedy originated from forms of glorification of the god Dionysus. Aristotle associated its origins with the singing of phallic songs that glorified fertility and allowed making sharp attacks (invectives) against any famous people. The first comedian, whose name and small fragments have come down to us, was Epicharmus (2nd half of the 6th - 1st half of the 5th century BC), the founder of the Dorian (or Sicilian) comedy. He gave it completeness, aphorism, everyday or parodic-mythological character, introduced image parasite (gr. - freeloader). Once in Attica, the genre was transformed, a chorus appeared in it, which was not in the Sicilian comedy. Gradually took shape ancient comedy, which consisted of a large, prologue, people - entrance of the choir of 24 people, episodial , shared by the songs of the choir, agona - a dispute between actors on an important, hot topic, episodi after agon, where the results of the victory of one of the arguing were shown, exoda - the final part, the departure of the choir and actors off stage. Also included in the comedy parabasa - a direct appeal of the choir to the audience with a presentation (sometimes without connection with the plot) of the author's views on the problems of the life of the policy. During the performance of the parabasa, the choir took off their masks. Comedies were written mainly in trimeter (iambic 6-foot). These features of comedy are represented in the most developed form at Aristophanes.
The first Attic comedy was presented at the festival Great Dionysius in 486 BC e. The names and fragments of the works of about 60 comedians - representatives of ancient Atgic comedy (5th century BC), more than 50 comedians - representatives of Middle Attic comedy (404-323 BC, the period of the crisis of the genre), about 60 comedians are known - Representatives of the neo-Attic comedy (Hellenistic period). But only some of the comedies of Aristophanes and the representative of the neo-Attic comedy Menander have come down to us in full. Menander(342 - 291 BC) introduces a five-act articulation of comedy with losing important role choir parts between acts. He; widely applies the principle of using the comic mask as a limited role, which has developed in the previous period ( boastful warrior, grub, lovers, etc.), connects plots with the ups and downs of family, personal, and not civil life. In the work of Menander, the writing of comedies in iambic 6-foot and 8-foot was established. trochee.
Aristophanes. Aristophanes (c. 446 - c. 385 BC) - ancient comedian, recognized as the "father" of comedy. Of about 40 of his comedies, 11 have survived. In them, Aristophanes raises topical public problems. Thus, in the comedy Lysistrata, the problem of war and peace finds an unexpected solution: women, having agreed among themselves, refuse to caress their husbands until they stop fighting and make peace. The comedy "Clouds" criticizes the sophists who teach citizens how to oratory and false philosophizing to deceive people; Socrates is deduced in a funny way (although in fact Socrates was an opponent of the sophists). In the comedy The Frogs, Euripides is ridiculed, who, according to Aristophanes, had a bad influence on the passions and deeds of his contemporaries with his tragedies.
The comedy takes place in underworld, where Euripides argues with Aeschylus about which of them is superior in the art of tragedy. The arguments of each of the disputing parties are weighed on the scales. Aeschylus is recognized as the winner, whom Dionysus returns to the world of the living so that he revives the tragedy that has fallen into decay, and Euripides, with his lightness, is put to shame.
Aristophanes played a decisive role in the development of the comedy genre in antiquity. His influence on the genre continues to be felt to this day.
The appearance of drama in Greece was preceded by a long period, during which the epic, and then the lyric, occupied the dominant place first. We all know rich heroic epic- poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey", didactic (instructive) epic - poems of Hesiod (VII century BC); These are the works of lyric poets of the 6th century. BC.
The birth of Greek drama and theater is associated with ritual games that were dedicated to the patron gods of agriculture: Demeter, her daughter Kore, Dionysus. Such rituals sometimes turned into a cult drama. For example, in the city of Eleusis, during the mysteries (mysteries attended only by the initiates), games were held during which the marriage of Zeus and Demeter was depicted, the abduction of Kore by Pluto, Demeter's wanderings in search of her daughter and the return of Kore to earth.
Dionysus (or Bacchus) was considered the god of the creative forces of nature; later he became the god of winemaking, and then the god of poetry and theater. The symbols of Dionysus were plants, especially the vine. He was often depicted as a bull or a goat.
At the holidays dedicated to Dionysus, not only solemn, but also cheerful carnival songs were sung. Noisy fun was organized by the mummers who made up the retinue of Dionysus. The participants of the festive procession smeared their faces with wine grounds, put on masks and goat skins.
Three genres of ancient Greek drama grew out of ritual games and songs in honor of Dionysus: tragedy, comedy and satyr comedy (named after the choir, which consisted of satyrs). Tragedy reflected the serious side of the Dionysian cult, comedy - carnival-satirical. Satir drama was presented as an average genre. Cheerful game character and a happy ending determined its place at the holidays in honor of Dionysus: the satyr drama was staged as a conclusion to the presentation of tragedies.
Tragedy, according to Aristotle, originated from singing dithyrambs, comedy - from singing phallic songs, i.e. songs that glorified the fruitful forces of nature. Elements of acting, and the myth seemed to come to life before the participants of the holiday.
Much can be said about the origin of Greek drama by the very words tragedy and comedy. The word tragedy comes from two Greek words: tragos - "goat" and ode - "song", i.e. “Song of the goats”. This name again leads us to the satyrs-companions of Dionysus, goat-footed creatures who glorified the exploits and sufferings of God. The word comedy comes from the words komos and ode. ridicule, at village feasts in honor of Dionysus, hence the word comedy means "song of komos."
Greek tragedy, as a rule, took subjects from mythology, which was well known to every Greek. The interest of the audience was focused not on the plot, but on the interpretation of the myth by the author, on that social and moral issues that unfolded around everyone famous episodes myth. Using a mythological shell, the playwright reflected in the tragedy the contemporary social political life expressed his ethical, philosophical, religious beliefs. Therefore, the role of tragic ideas in the socio-political and ethical education of citizens was enormous.
Already in the second half of the VI century. BC e. the tragedy has reached a significant development. ancient history reports that the first Athenian tragic poet was Thespis (VI century BC). The first production of his tragedy (its name is unknown) took place in the spring of 534 BC. e. at the Feast of the Great Dionysius. This year is considered to be the year of birth of the world theater.
Thespis is credited with the improvement of masks and theatrical costumes. But the main innovation of Thespides was the selection of one performer from the choir, an actor. This actor, or, as he was called in Greece, the hypokrite (“answer”), could address the chorus with questions, answer questions from the chorus, portray various characters in the course of the action, leave the stage and return to it.
Thus, the early Greek tragedy was a kind of dialogue between the actors and the choir, and in form it was more like a cantana. At the same time, although the number of actors in the original drama was small and leading role the choir played, it was the actor who, from his very appearance, became the bearer of an effective, energetic beginning.
Much more in comedy than in tragedy mythological motives everyday life was mixed in, which gradually became predominant or even the only one, although in general the comedy was still considered dedicated to Dionysus. So, during the komos, small scenes of everyday and parodic-satiric content began to play out. These impromptu scenes were an elementary form of folk farce theater and were called mimes (translated as “imitation”, “reproduction”; the performers of these scenes were also called mimes). The mime heroes were traditional masks folk theater: a would-be warrior, a bazaar thief, a charlatan scientist, a simpleton who fools everyone, etc. Komos songs and mimes are the main sources of ancient Attic comedy.
A comedy of the 5th century BC that arose from the Attic komos. BC e. was political in content. She constantly touched upon the issues of the political system, the foreign policy of the Athenian state, the education of youth, the literary struggle, etc.
The topicality of the ancient Attic comedy was aggravated by the fact that it allowed complete freedom in the caricature depiction of individual citizens, also displayed under their own names. real names(poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Agathon, leader Athenian democracy Cleon, philosopher Socrates and others - in Aristophanes). At the same time, the ancient Attic comedy usually creates an image not individual, but generalized, close to the mask of a folk comedy theater. For example, Socrates in Aristophanes' Clouds is endowed not with the features of a real face, but with all the properties of a charlatan scientist, one of the favorite masks of folk carnivals. Such a comedy could only exist under the conditions of the Athenian slave-owning democracy.
Greek comedy 5th c. BC e. called the ancient Attyme comedian. She combined the cheerful liberty of folk ritual games with the production of important issues state and public life. Youth upbringing, literary struggle, issues of war and peace, organization public institutions- all these problems were constantly raised in comedies. Sharp caricature, bold attacks on real faces, flight of fancy - these are the main features of this comedy. The theater was truly the school of Athenian citizens!
Such a tragedy, and even more so a comedy, could exist only under the conditions of the rise of the Athenian slave-owning democracy, which gave the right to participate in government, to influence public life, including the theater, to all free citizens. But democracy, based on slave labor, provided the rich and influential people great opportunities to use this right in comparison with poor working people - artisans, peasants, fishermen, etc. In addition, foreigners, women and, of course, slaves were absolutely deprived of rights. of its highest flourishing theatrical art in Athens reached in the 5th century. BC e.
