Old Comedy
E282691
Old Comedy is the earliest form of ancient Greek comic drama, characterized by bold political satire, fantastical plots, and chorus-driven performances, exemplified by the plays of Aristophanes.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Old Comedy canonical | 16 |
| Middle Comedy | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
dramatic genre
ⓘ
genre of ancient Greek comedy ⓘ theatrical tradition ⓘ |
| associatedWithPlace | Athens ⓘ |
| characteristic |
bold political satire
ⓘ
chorus-driven performances ⓘ direct address to the audience ⓘ fantastical plots ⓘ mythological parody ⓘ obscene humor ⓘ parabasis ⓘ personal attacks on public figures ⓘ political commentary ⓘ topical references to contemporary events ⓘ use of a large chorus ⓘ |
| chorusSize | 24 chorus members ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
Greek Antiquity
ⓘ
surface form:
Ancient Greece
|
| exemplifiedByWork |
Lysistrata
ⓘ
The Birds ⓘ Aristophanes' play Clouds ⓘ
surface form:
The Clouds
The Frogs ⓘ |
| flourishedIn | 5th century BCE ⓘ |
| followedBy |
Middle Comedy
ⓘ
New Comedy ⓘ |
| follows | early forms of Greek comic performance ⓘ |
| influenced |
later Western comic drama
ⓘ
satirical theatre traditions ⓘ |
| language | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| majorRepresentative |
Aristophanes
ⓘ
Cratinus ⓘ Eupolis ⓘ |
| numberOfActorsOnStage | three principal speaking actors ⓘ |
| partOf | ancient Greek comedy ⓘ |
| performanceContext | Athenian civic festivals ⓘ |
| performedAt |
City Dionysia
ⓘ
Lenaia ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
contemporary Athenian politics
ⓘ
mythological themes ⓘ social issues ⓘ |
| typicalStructureElement |
agon
ⓘ
choral odes ⓘ episodes ⓘ exodos ⓘ parabasis ⓘ parodos ⓘ prologue ⓘ |
| uses |
exaggerated costumes
ⓘ
masked actors ⓘ phallus props ⓘ |
Referenced by (17)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Middle Comedy
subject surface form:
φροντιστήριον