Ancient Greek comedy

Ancient Greek comedy was one of the three main types of plays in the theatres of ancient Greece. The other two were tragedy and satyr play. Comedy was different from tragedy because its stories usually ended happily and used funny, exaggerated characters. These funny characters helped create the idea of comedy that we still use today.

Theatrical scene with two comedic actors on a Sicilian red-figure calyx-krater c. 350–340 BC.

Athenian comedy is split into three time periods. The oldest form, called Old Comedy, mostly survives through the works of Aristophanes. Middle Comedy has not survived well and we only have small pieces from writers like Athenaeus. New Comedy is mostly known from pieces written by Menander that were found on old pieces of paper called papyrus.

Comedy was also described by the philosopher Aristotle in his book Poetics. He said that comedy shows people in funny situations that involve mistakes or silly looks, but these situations do not cause real pain or big problems.

Periods

The Alexandrite grammarians, and most likely Aristophanes of Byzantium, were the first to divide Greek comedy into three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy. These divisions were not strict, and ancient comedy developed gradually over time.

Old Comedy (archaia)

Main article: Old Comedy

Aristophanes, born in 446 BC, was the most important Old Comic playwright. His works used strong political satire to make fun of important people and ideas of his time, like his portrayal of Socrates in The Clouds and his play Lysistrata. Aristophanes was one of many comic poets in Athens during the late 5th century BC.

Marble image of a theatre mask, 2nd-century BC.

Middle Comedy (mese)

Middle Comedy followed Old Comedy, and its exact time period is unclear. It differed from Old Comedy by having less focus on public figures and more on general themes. Mythological stories were also popular during this time. Unfortunately, no complete plays from Middle Comedy have survived.

An actor in the mask of a bald man, 2nd century BC

New Comedy (nea)

New Comedy began after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and lasted until around 260 BC. It focused on everyday life rather than public events. The most famous playwrights were Menander, Philemon, and Diphilus.

Possible depiction of Knemon from Menander's play Dyskolos (the Grouch)

New Comedy plays showed ordinary people and their daily problems. They used common characters like clever servants, young lovers, and strict or kind fathers. These plays were less wild than earlier comedies and more about everyday life.

Menander’s plays, like Dyskolos, showed ordinary people with their fears and mistakes. His work was gentle and kind, focusing on human nature rather than politics.

Philemon’s plays were broader in tone, while Diphilus sometimes used myths in his stories. Most of their work survives only in pieces, but their ideas influenced later writers like Plautus.

New Comedy had a big influence on later Western literature. Writers like Shakespeare and Molière used ideas from these plays. The structure of many modern comedies comes from New Comedy.