Title The court of comedy : Aristophanes, rhetoric, and democracy in fifth-century Athens / Wilfred E. Major

Published Columbus : Ohio State University Press, [2013] ©2013

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Description 1 online resource (viii, 232 pages) Contents Sicilian pioneers of comedy and rhetoric and their transmission to Athens -- Old comedy and proto-rhetoric in Athens before 425 B.C.E. : the age of Pericles -- The young comic playwrights attack, 425-421 B.C.E. -- The years of confidence, 421-414 B.C.E. -- Crawling from the wreckage, 411 B.C.E. -- Tongues, frogs, and the last stand Summary In this book, the author analyzes how writers of comedy in Classical Greece satirized the emerging art of rhetoric and its role in political life. In the fifth century BCE, the development of rhetoric proceeded hand in hand with the growth of democracy both on Sicily and at Athens. In turn, comic playwrights in Athens, most notably Aristophanes, lampooned oratory as part of their commentary on the successes and failures of the young democracy. This study surveys all the surviving comedy from the fifth century BCE on these important topics. The evidence reveals that Greek comedy provides a revealing commentary on the incipient craft of rhetoric before its formal conventions were stabilized. Furthermore, Aristophanes' depiction of rhetoric and of Athenian democratic institutions indicates that he fundamentally supports the Athenian democracy and not, as is often argued, oligarchic opposition to it. These conclusions confirm recent work that reinterprets the early development of rhetoric in Classical Greece and offer fresh perspectives on the debate over the role of comedy in early Greek democracy. Throughout, the author capitalizes on progress in the understanding of the performance dynamics of Classical Greek theater Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-220) and index Notes Print version record Subject Aristophanes -- Criticism and interpretation SUBJECT Aristophanes -- Criticism and interpretation Aristophanes fast Subject Greek drama (Comedy) -- History and criticism Rhetoric, Ancient -- History Greek drama (Comedy) Rhetoric, Ancient Genre/Form Criticism, interpretation, etc. History Form Electronic book ISBN 9780814271070 0814271073

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