History of Comedy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of Comedy - Essay Example Old Comedy, like Greek tragedy, has a singing, dancing chorus who are characters in the play. New Comedy, from the middle of the 4th century BC, all over the Mediterranean (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/amahoney/ancient_comedy.html). Greek drama from c. 320 BC to the mid-3rd century BC that offers a mildly satiric view of contemporary Athenian society (http://www.answers.com/library/Britannica+Concise+Encyclopedia-cid-10234587). Many extant examples are representative of these methods. Old Comedy was the mighty genius of Aristophanes grafted in Pantagruelism has influenced Cervantes, Swift, Voltaire and others (Bates 1906). Though the word Pantagruelism is means the characters are sustained by court fool. He exploited both of the spirit and mechanical appliances of old Greek comedy. He adopted the disguise of buffoonery to attack some prevailing hypocrisy. This is what Aristophanes did to master the chief characteristics of his prototype. In Old Comedy, the chorus becomes more separate, and often sings entr'actes that have nothing to do with the play; later, the chorus is dropped altogether. During New Comedy, the chorus and representative of forces reduced to a small band of musicians and dancers.