Greek comedy
Ancient satirical theater
Greek comedy refers to the comic theatrical tradition of ancient Greece, particularly the plays performed at Athenian festivals.
Old Comedy, exemplified by Aristophanes, featured political satire, obscenity, and fantastical plots.
New Comedy, associated with Menander, shifted to domestic situations and stock characters—the clever slave, the young lovers, the disapproving father—that influenced Roman comedy and all Western comedy thereafter.
- AristophanesAncient Greek comic dramatist
- PhilemonBrief apostolic correspondence
- slapstickExaggerated physical humor
- komosGreek ritual procession
- maskFace-worn concealment
phallic · farce · comic relief · satire · stage · theatrical mask · actor · laughter · jest · stock characters · Greek theater · bawdy · playwright · hubris · revelry · Athens · toga · wit
Greek comedyGreek tragedy
Classical dramatic form featuring downfall
tragedy · tragic drama · Oedipus Rex · Medea · Antigone
Greek comedyGreek tragedy
Classical dramatic form featuring downfall
religious ritual · sacred rites · temple worship · funeral oration · threnody