GRK 142 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Lenaia, Dionysia, Dactylic Hexameter
Document Summary
Performed at dionysia and lenaea: festivals in honor of dionysus, lenaea is the smaller of the two. Competitions with five contestants with one play each. Smaller choruses than tragedy: 24 members, animals, satyrs. Costumes: actors wear giant phalluses, padding for larger characters. Old comedy only aristophanes" work survives. Aristophanes: 447-385, 40 plays 11 survive, starts competing at 20 years old, controversial politically charged. Old comedy: set in contemporary athens, mostly realistic people with few mythical or divine characters, character names hint at their traits, self-awareness focuses on the audience. Parabasis chorus addresses the audience directly as themselves. Hero is victorious but not in the way you would expect. Komos (parade) in celebration of the victory. Sometimes replaced with all of the opposition running off into the distance. Komos word that comedy is derived from. Always has a happy ending: anapestic tetrameter. Dr. seuss scheme: amusing but not humorous.
