The Comedy: from Aristophanes to Its Contemporary Form - Essay Example

The Comedy: From Aristophanes To Its Contemporary Form Introduction The comedy as theater genre developed in Athens in the early 4th century when Athens was locked in a war with Sparta. As such this theater form may be said to have grown out of a desire to ease the tension and depression brought by that long-drawn conflict on the Athenians. In fact, Aristophanes, whose comedies became an "important historical source of Athens of the 4th and 5th centuries," (Bates, A., 1906) pleads for an end to that war in four of his numerous plays in his capacity as spokesman of the Peace Party. The plays just used the theatrical tools of comedy and satire to send this message across. The comedies of Aristophanes, in effect, provide a diversion from the grim business of war by treating it lightly. In that sense, the comedies of Aristophanes are deemed relevant to the present-day world where there are shooting wars everywhere occasioned by a greater variety of causes - revolution, secession, terrorism, religious conflicts. Aristophanes' satires on war in fact find parallels in many contemporary comedies, notably Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress by George Bernard Shaw. Hailed as Shaw's bravura play, Annajanska tells the story of a troubled land whose people are tossed from one inept government rule to another. The consensus is that a revolution is called for to effect much-needed change but no suitable leader would come forward except the Grand Duchess Annajanska herself. But there is more to Aristophanes than satirizing war. After Athens lost in the Peloponnesian war, the new rulers stifled democracy and war lost its attraction as subject for comedy plays. Public taste also changed. The playwrights then turned to social themes, in the process ridiculing politicians and offering political advice, instruction or solutions. At first Aristophanes was reluctant to adapt to this new trend but resigned to it at the end. Instead of experiencing a decline in the quality and quantity of his work, Aristophanes attacked his new role with gusto and "marked out the path to be followed by ancient and even contemporary comedy." (Flashar, H., 1996) In this different milieu, Aristophanes earned himself a new distinction as a "fanatical conservative" and an "enemy of new ideas." His vintage plays attacked anything new, science was quackery, religious practice was atheism. Philosophical discussions were to him attempts to "substitute grammatical subtleties with open-air gymnastics" and any new philosophical thought a reflection of moral laxity and the presumptuousness of youth. (Bates, A., 1906) This whole attitude showed in The Clouds (420 BC) which generated the most interest partly because Aristophanes in this play makes a caricature of Socrates that is patently libelous in today's world. Socrates is believed "to have lived the purest and noblest life that the pre-Christian world ever saw." (Bates, A., 1906) Did Aristophanes disparage a good man out of pure malice or just for good clean fun Mark Twain, one of the contemporary masters of comedy, seems to have this question in mind when he came up with the one-act play An Encounter with an Interviewer. In this play, Twain acted as himself the accomplished writer being interviewed by a young newspaper reporter. He finds the reporter nice and wants to treat him the same way but he gives confused and convoluted answers, in effect putting himself to ridicule as a man rendered incoherent by old age. In it, Twain is saying that even geniuses like himself are subject to the ravages of time. The point Twain seems to be making is that if a playwright can thus depreciate himself in public he can also ridicule other people in the spirit of fun - and theater. Modern theater features such satirical plays that run for 20 minutes or so and enable some celebrity performers to make a brief but dazzling appearance. There was just such a custom in Aristophanes' time, although an Athenian law forbade anyone under 30 to perform in theaters or address the Assembly. So Aristophanes began appearing in the plays that he wrote only after 424 BC when he turned 30, the first one being Knights. The Clouds (420 BC) This play centers around the obsession of the cunning Strepsiades to turn the tables on creditors running after him by trying to learn from Socrates the art of winning lawsuits, "whether they be just or not." Strepsiades believes Socrates as headmaster of Thoughtery nearby teaches his disciples the science of winning the most hopeless lawsuits. So he asks his son Phidippides to enlist as Socrates' student, so he could be the one to pull the wool over his creditors, but the later declines, calling Socrates and his group "those quacks with pale faces." Strepsiades decides to enter the Thoughtery and learn from Socrates himself. At the Thoughtery, Strepsiades is received by a Socrates disciple who boasts of his master's "incredible" feats, such as measuring the exact distance jumped by a flea, the discovery that a gnat buzzes through its rump and bringing down a lizard from the ceiling with the use of a cinder, iron rod and compasses. Strepsiades also learns from the disciple who receives him at Thoughtery that a globe is astronomy and a map is geometry. When Strepsiades finally meets Socrates he is swinging in a basket tied to a pulley. He tells the curious Strepsiades: "I am traversing the air and contemplating the sun." Properly impressed, Strepsiades tells Socrates his troubles with creditors and asks that he be given lessons on how to get them out of his back without paying anything. Socrates then prays to the Clouds as the "great goddesses for the lazy, to (whom) we owe all our thoughts, speeches, trickery, boasting, lies and sagacity." On Strepsiades comment that he thought the cloud is only fog, dew and vapor, Socrates tells him that it is the Clouds, not Zeus, that make rain, thunder and lightning happen. They create thunder, for example, when they roll over one another. The Clouds appear and ask Strepsiades what he wants from them. Strepsiades tells them and his wish is granted. The Clouds tell Strepsiades that after the lessons, "clients will be besieging your door in crowds to consult you about their lawsuits which in return for your ability will bring you great sums." The Clouds then bade Socrates to proceed with the lessons for Strepsiades. Strepsiades provides the funniest dialogues in the scene as Socrates begins to instruct him. To Socrates' question if his memory is good, Strepsiades answers: "That depends. If anything is owed me, my memory is excellent, but if I owe, I have none whatsoever." On whether he has the gift of speech, Strepsiades' answer: "For speaking,no; for cheating, yes." After more of such exchanges Socates decides to give up on Strepsiades as a difficult student. The Clouds then ask Strepsiades to send his son to Thoughtery instead. So Strepsiades drags his son to Socrates who tells them it is either one of Just Discourse or Unjust Discourse who will instruct Phidippides. In the presence of Strepsiades and his son, Just Discourse and Unjust Discourse engage in a debate on who should teach Phidippides. Just Discourse presents his curriculum content as old-fashion education, justice, modesty, truth, and holding one's counsel. Unjust Discourse, on the other hand, promises to equip Phidippides with the means to confuse the law and make the weaker arguments triumph, the art of speaking and avoidance of chastity, which talents are just what Strepsiades requires for his son. So he chooses Unjust Discourse to teach his son. In time, Phidippides comes out of the Thoughtery a true disciple of Unjust Discourse but proves to be a great disappointment to Strepsiades. Instead of helping Strepsiades fool his creditors, Phidippides beat up his own father to return the beating he received as a child. Unjust Discourse taught him well on insolence and disrespect indeed. For this reason, Strepsiades rushes to Thoughtery to chastise the Clouds, who tell him: "You alone are the cause because you have pursued the path of evil. When we see a man conceive a passion for what is evil, we strike him with terrible disgrace so that he may learn to fear the gods." At the end, Strepsiades goes crazy and climbs the roof of Thoughtery to torch the place. When Socrates sees him and asks what he is doing on the roof, Strepsiades answers: "I am traversing the air and contemplating the sun." Annajanska, theBolshevik Empress Like most of Aristophanes' plays, this contemporary satire by Shaw makes fun of such honored institutions as civilization and democracy and government. The most striking difference is the fact that modern comedies like this one never mention actual names and places, probably because of the dictates of present-day libel laws and the more pronounced sense of delicadeza. In one scene, the main character General Strammfest expresses bewilderment at the single-minded dedication of young men "fighting for civilization, for democracy, for the overthrow of militarism." He asks himself: "How can a man shed blood for empty words used by vulgar tradesmen and common laborers" The setting of the play is a place called Beotia, which used to be ruled by the royal family Panjandrums until a power grab that involves the military, the communists and other political forces. The territory is reduced to a banana republic, with leadership changing hands at a moment's notice among the Maximillianists, the Oppidoshavians and the modern Red Revolutionaries. Thus, when General Strammfest reminds his assistant Lieutenant Schneidekind in his office about a report of his he wanted sent to the government, Schneidekind asks: "What government do you wish it sent to" To which Strammfest replies: "That depends, which government do you think is most likely to be in power tomorrow morning." When Schneidekind says he could send a copy of the report to each of the three contending forces, Strammfest gives up the entire idea, saying: "Waste of paper. You might as well send it to an infant school." After more of such scenes putting many institutions and cherished concepts to ridicule, the play has Strammfest deciding that his country can only get out of this mess if a strong-willed leader that could command the people's respect comes forward. "If the people cannot govern themselves, they must be governed by somebody." That leader must be a "man and a soldier." At this juncture, Annajanska, daughter of the discredited Panjandrums, appears at Strammfest's office wearing the duchess' cloak, talking of the urgent need for a revolution which Strammfest dismisses as Bolshevist. The curtain closes as Annajanska shows off a military uniform under her duchess cloak, offering herself as the "man and soldier" that the country needs. "I know that this man alone can rouse the army to enthusiasm," she says. Conclusion As may be gleaned from a reading of both The Clouds and Annajanska comedy writers from Aristophanes to George Bernard Shaw train their wit on the same imperfections of social and political institutions, on government corruption and human greed, vices and wars. Another notable difference is that ancient comedies are sometimes faulted for their artistic merits while no one questions the literary value of contemporary plays like Shaw's. Walt Whitman, for example, is said to have made an unfavorable comment on the abrupt change in Aristophanes' characterization of the Clouds, which are first portrayed as goddesses and "protector of the windy up-in-the-air nebulosities of Socrates and his crew." Towards the end of the play, the Clouds break out of character by turning to moralizers out to punish evil men and teach them the fear of the gods. (Segal, C., 1996) There had been questions as to whether Aristophanes actually held political opinions of his own, of which nothing is hinted in The Clouds. This is something that cannot be said of contemporary playwrights like Shaw who are animated by their strong political views. In fact, Shaw's plays are said to be nothing but records of his political activities. But G.E.M. Ste Croix (1996) asks: Does the understanding of the playwrights' politics make much difference to our understanding of their plays References "Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress." George Bernard Shaw. http://www.readbookonline.net/read/3144/12626/ "An Encounter with an Interviewer." Mark Twain. http://www.readbookonline.net/read/OnLine/562/ "Oxford Readings in Aristophanes." Eric Segal, ed., Contributors - G.E.M. Ste Croix, Stephen Halliwell, Hans-Joachim Newiger, Charles Segal, A.W.Gomme, Hellmut Flashar; Oxford University Press,1996. "Political and Social Satire of Aristophanes." Alfred Bates, ed., Historical Publishing Co., 1906, pp. 55-59. "The Clouds." Aristophanes (420 BC); eBooks@Adelaide, 2004. Read More