Though the earliest comedians were likely the Chinese court jesters of the Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC), the satirical tradition took root in the plays of ancient Greece.
Philosophical Takes on Comedy
Plato: Laughter is dangerous. The loss of rational control over the self can lead to disaster. (Probably farted a lot).
Aristotle: Laughter is symptomatic of happiness, a positive for society. But no “blue” humor. (Prude.)
Aristophanes: The world’s oldest smart ass. (On record). His powers of ridicule feared by the aristocracy. His political satires were highly obscene (perhaps in order to match the obscenity of despotism). Only eleven of Aristophanes’ works survive – Plato cited The Clouds as the instigating work responsible for the public outcry against Socrates, eventually leading to his trial, and then his death. But Plato is Plato, a humorless intellectual who happily ignored the birth and delivery of a new art form.
Hailed as the “Father of Comedy,” master of the poop joke, dick joke, and other classical forms, this comic poet influenced many of history’s finest (and sharpest) literary minds: Voltaire, Cervantes, Swift, and Rabelais -- to name a few. Though he had other rivals (Hermippus, Eupolis, etc.), Aristophanes’ plays define the Old Comedy era of Ancient Greece, and establish satire as the oldest, and richest form of mockery. (Proof that a shitty boss is the oldest trope on the planet.)
Menander: Just as Aristophanes’ works defined the Old Comedy genre, Menander’s plays shaped the comedic paradigm of New Comedy. (Yes, there is a Middle Comedy era, defined by nothing, except the historians with a compulsion for periodization.) The raucous, raunchy ridicule softened, and caricatures became characters.
In over 100 plays, Menander “de-emphasized the grotesque” and placed love at the center of the story. Situation comedy, farce, and comedy of manners – they all originated on the open-air amphitheaters of Athens.
Written by Victoria Harley
Illustrated by Erin Dreis
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