Aristophanes Comedy

Social issues in Aristophanes comedy

            Introduction

Comedy was derived from a Greek word komoidia, which means song. Aristotle argued that comedy was ultimately developed from song. With the introduction of comedy people did not grasp it quickly simply because no one took it seriously. Aristophanes is considered the best playwright of comedies in the classical literary period because of his comedies that are extant. Aristophanes, Eupolis, and Cratinus were among the best playwrights who ancient critics recognized for their literary works. Aristophanes’ plays are the only surviving samples of the literary genre conventionally referred to as old comedy. Old comedies were characteristic of topical issues touching in the society and real personalities. New Comedy transcended topical issues to generalized contexts together with stock characters. The move was because playwrights had internalized the perspectives of the people’s cultures after changes. The Old Comedy, which was a specialty of Aristophanes, had sophisticated and subtle dramatic form that adopted many approaches as far as entertainment and humor was concerned (Silk 78).  

            According to Andreas (92), Aristophanes comedies, which gratify the Old Comedy genre, can be analyzed in three distinct characteristics, namely; festivity, complexity, and topicality. The structure of the play espouses what is known as complexity in the plays of Aristophanes and thus treated differently as a separate section. As far as the comedy plot is concerned, there is the common trait that it connotes the comic poet’s view of the society but not like the tragedies, which were ultimately based on legend and myth.

            Thematic Content of the Comedy

            Aristophanes comedy was significantly characterized by comic fantasy. Ideally the plays presented problems in the society and ultimately offered plausible solutions in the most comical way possible. For instance, the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes looks at the prevailing problem of never-ending war enhance by the decisions of men in both Sparta and Athens and the over failure to agree to end the war. In this play Aristophanes explores this group of women from Athens who also influences other women from neighboring nations. The refusal by the women to have sex with their husbands until they make a truce with the Spartans is quite comical (Silk 83). Although many people did not believe that the solution would work but turned out to coerce Athenian men to strike a compromise with the Spartans so that they could win back their wives. The theme of war and sex in this play are comically interplayed and the connection between the two aspects of the Athenian and Spartan societies make the comical link. Aristophanes in his comedy amuses his readers and audience when he passes across anti-war message for the play name Lysistrata means to break up the army. Same is the case in the play Frogs in which the desperation lead the Greek god Dionysus to bring Euripides who is recently deceased because of the unavailability of tragic poets (Aristophanes and McLeish 117).  

            The challenge of masculine role by women in order to restore the once cohesion of the society is brought out in the most comical way. At the time when Lysistrata was written by Aristophanes the notorious Peloponnesian War threatened to bring anarchy in the Spartan and Athenian societies. The theme of the play is quite relevant to the prevailing social problems and hopes to provoke solutions to the problems in the societal mundane life. It is notable that to overcome the challenge, people have to challenge themselves just like the Athenian women who had to overcome the temptation to give in to their husbands’ sexual demands. They had to presume the masculine attitudes and traits to defeat men mentally, physically, and above all strategically (Classic Technology center ¶ 1). Lysistrata intended to empower the women when she says, “I am a woman, and, yes, I have brains. And I'm not badly off for judgment,” (Aristophanes and McLeish 143). Aristophanes although not profoundly, advocated for involvement of women in decision making in the society because the decisions of men consequently affected them directly and indirectly. Aristophanes employs women ultimately to mock the inclination of men to fighting, which adversely affected the cohesiveness of the society. Lysistrata as the champion of women’s rights is used by Aristophanes to advocate peace through cessation of war. The idea in the play was very funny to the society in the way it offered to solve the social issues.

            Aristophanes through comedy addressed the gender conflicts, which were not dealt due alienation of the women son gender roles. Rosen (¶ 1) argues women were initially seen as property, to be admired and not be heard, to satisfy the men sexual desires and bear and raise children and therefore they did not have social obligation that redeemed their roles as participants on social issues. But Aristophanes through his comedy aspired to change this societal view. The stereotypes and prejudice against women is strongly emphasized and Aristophanes uses sex, which is their power to influence decision of the men. Lysistrata effectively organized the sex strike to alter the way of violence and bring peace to Sparta and Athens. Lysistrata is manifested as a leader of women in Athen because of her boldness and does not represent the archetypical traditional women in the domestic setup. According to the society view at that time, the idea of women making decision outside their homes was really laughable. The root of humour in Aristophanes comedy was manifested in the manner he satirized the social, military, economic, and political issues in the Greek society (Andreas 132).

            Technical aspects of Aristophanes’ Comedy

            There is consistency witnessed in the comedies of Aristophanes because the humorous and absurd aspects are still maintained in which the motif of main characters, women who are heroes rising above the expectations of the society because they are smart and sway the decision of the men. The play Lysistrata is among such comedies with smart woman powerfully influential and united other women to defy men and achieve their desired ends. Although the comedies have an element of violence but this is underplayed unlike tragedy plays and in the end non-tragic plot is achieved by Aristophanes (Aristophanes and McLeish 211).

            The Aristophanes comedies fit in the genre of Old Comedy they handled social issues not with the seriousness and dignity of tragedy plays but with slapstick action, sexual, and scatological jokes as part of the humor. This genre endears in satirizing social, religious, and political issues for the society to change for the better like in the Aristophanes play Frogs. Aristophanes through his systematic themes in his comedies indeed subjected the people to humorous criticism. The language Aristophanes employs in his comedies mimics the tragedy’s high-blown language style ultimately achieving the comic effects in the comedies. Aristophanes comedies categorically explores on local societal issues and real personalities, which made the more topical on social issues in the society. The farcical anti-climax in the comedies was achieved through Aristophanes interplay of a confrontation between good and bad characters in a conflict that was humorously resolved decisively. The dramatic tension of the comedies is released via jokes, music, and celebrations that characterize all the Aristophanes comedies (Rosen ¶ 1).

            In the views of Silk (153), the genre of Old Comedy dealt with the democratic aspects at the peak of its power and this was the reason Aristophanes used this freedom explores humor limits in which at times he undermined the humor. The comedies were thus targeting diverse although they explored absurd plots, dramatic structure, and wild obscenities. Aristophanes through his comedies on top of humorously entertaining, he documented facts of history about Greeks society and way of life in general.

            Conclusion

            Aristophanes through his comedies tackled humorously and satirically the socio-economic, religious, and political issues in the Greek society rising important facts about their way of life. Aristophanes epitomized the social issues, in which important themes related to the local societal issues and real personalities but well explored in humorous manner. Aristophanes intellect and wit of comically tackling important social issues earned him the reputation of being among best playwrights of the literary genre of Old Comedy. Lysistrata achieved the status of the best comedy play which gave concrete solutions to society’s real problems and with Aristophanes acting as the eye of his society provided plausible solution to the Peloponnesian War. Though Old Comedy the specialty of Aristophanes was succeeded by New Comedy, its approach to social issues via comical effect was highly reputed and earned many fans of comedy.

Works cited

Aristophanes, Patric Dickinson and McLeish, Kenneth. Lysistrata. London: Nick Hern Books, 1998.

Andreas, Willie. The Language of Greek Comedy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Classic Technology center. Introduction to Old Comedy. n.d. May 1, 2010. <http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/genrecm.htm>

Rosen, Ralph M. “Review of A. M. Bowie, Aristophanes: Myth, Ritual and Comedy.” Departmental Papers (Classical Studies). 1994. May 1, 2010. <http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/1994/94.10.10.html>

Silk, M. S. Aristophanes and the Definition of Comedy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.