Stories From The Greek Comedians

The comedy of Classical Greece set the standard by which all of European-and ultimately world-comedic theater is judged. Here in this volume, the very best of Greek comedic works by the most famous authors is presented in easy-to-read English. While these works will grant the reader an insight into just how advanced Classical Grecian culture was, they also reveal otherwise hidden aspects of Greek society and provide details on the workings of political institutions, legal systems, religious practices, education, and warfare in the Hellenic world. Greek comedy was divided into three specific eras: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy. All three represent specific periods of history. Old Comedy was the first and oldest genre, Middle Comedy that of the time period leading up to the collapse of Classical Greece and the emergence of Macedonian dominance, while New Comedy lasted until the end of the Alexandrian Empire. Sadly, nothing but tiny fragments remain of the Middle Comedy. Old Comedy was exemplified by the writer Aristophanes (c. 446-386 BC), and nine of his works appear in this book. A master of political satire, Aristophanes mocked leading persons and institutions of his day, including Socrates in The Clouds, and the Athenian government in The Parliament of Women. New Comedy's best known writers were Philemon (c. 362-262 BC), Diphilus (c. 350-290 BC), Menander (c. 341-290 BC), and Apollodorus (c. 300-260 BC). Examples from all of these writers are presented in this volume. Menander's style was noted for its unusual combination of escapism and realism, while Philemon dealt with philosophical issues. Diphilus's works, on the other hand, were noted for their broad comedy and farcical violence. Apollodorus is possibly the best known and most successful of all the New Comedy writers, and was known for his focus on women as subject matter.

Excerpt from Stories From the Greek Comedians: Aristophanes, Philemon, Diphilus, Menander, Apollodorus It has been said that the Greeks had three schools of comedy, - the old, the middle, and the new. The old was the "Comedy of Politics." It took the form of extravaganza or farce. The reader will find nine specimens of it in this volume, all taken from Aristophanes, who indeed is the only writer of this school that is left to us. With the middle we need not now concern ourselves. Possibly we may get some idea of what it was like from the Women in Parliament and the Plutus, two of Aristophanes's later plays. The new comedy was the "Comedy of Manners." It may be compared with the dramas that bear this name on the modern stage, and also with the ordinary novel. We have it only in the translations of Plautus and Terence. I have dealt very freely with my originals, not indeed adding anything, but leaving out much, translating sometimes, and sometimes paraphrasing. Of the liberty which I have allowed myself, I may give an instance. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Originally published in 1956, this is a critical analysis of the comedies of Aristophanes and Menander studied in the context of the history of comedy, of the allied arts, and of contemporary life. Aristophanes and Menander are deservedly the most famous writers of Greek comedy. The extant comedies of Aristophanes are notable for wit, comical action, beautiful poetry, and the dramatization of such problems as health of mind and body, sex, money, government, law, religion, education, and drama, music and poetry. Menander portrays with delicate and sympathetic understanding a world in which the seeming evils of loss and discord eventually lead to the genuine goods of discovery and concord. The art of Aristophanes is critically examined in three chapters and that of Menander in one. For centuries Dionysos had been worshipped in a spirit of ecstasy which manifested itself in song, dance and the wearing of masks and costumes, pantomime, farce, and satire. The processes by which these diverse elements were developed and fused into the complex literary form of Old Comedy are the subject of the first three chapters. Aristophanes was not only pre-eminent as a writer of Old Comedy; he also participated in the transformation of Old Comedy into Middle Comedy, a curious and interesting dramatic form which is fully treated in the seventh chapter. In the last chapter the emergence of New Comedy is traced and the art of Menander criticized. The book ends with a brief indication of the various forms in which the spirit of Greek comedy had survived to the present day.