CLASS 130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Pharmakos, Komos, Iambe
Document Summary
Lecture 8: the beginnings - old comedy (origins of. As a genre with its set of expectations. Can be traced to 5th century bce athens. Has been preceded by less formal cultural practices. Ritual meaning any action repeated over time, used to communicate with divine bodies. Potent substance that can change your perception of the world for better or worse. Linked to cult of dionysus - cultivation of grapes, god of wine. "the task [of the proto-drama] was to strengthen the link between human beings and gods as well as the links within the community. The festive beings and gods as well as the links within the community. The festive laughter is a manifestation of the contact with the divine, a reaction condemning the distortions of the moral and social order represented by the masquerade" - ren girard, la violence et le sacr 1977. Ritual laughter is a form of communicating with the divine.
