Is it ever okay to laugh at religious belief? - final

The Amphitryo

• comedy by Plautus

• only Plautine comedy based on myth

• Jupiter, with the help of Mercury, disguises himself as Amphitryo to seduce Amphitryo’s wife, Alcumena

• shows the gods as having human vices

Aristophanes

• only extant author of Greek Old Comedy

• “father of comedy”

Parrhesia

• meaning boldness or freedom of speech

• literally meaning “to speak everything”

• Greek word

• the Roman equivalent is “licentia”

Menander

• best known author of Greek New Comedy

• author of only almost complete extant play of the genre

Fescennine Verses

• raunchy songs performed by masked dancers at rustic festivals

• apotropaic - warded off the evil eye

• contained licentia - speaking freely/boldly

• likely named for fascinum, an apotropaic phallic amulet

• possible origin for rude songs sung at Roman Triumphs

Licentia

• Roman equivalent of the Greek parrhesia

• meaning “to speak everything”/ to speak freely or boldly

Saturae

• Etruscan medley show with dancers

• started wordless, but songs were later added to appease to the gods

• lacked a plot

Atellan Farce

• named after the Italian town where it was developed

• a simple kind of comedy with four stock characters

  • old man

  • drunkard/glutton

  • fool/clown

  • cunning cheat/liar/hunchback

Mime

• grotesque, satirical representations of daily life

• loose plots

• unexpected endings

• relied on improv-

Cunning Slave

• central stock character in Roman comedy

• he drives the plot with wit and deception

• helps young master to achieve romantic/financial success

• underdog

• often outwits authority figures (like young man’s grumpy father)

• could be a Roman creation

Discuss the origins of Roman comedy

• Greek Old Comedy

• Greek New Comedy

• Fescennine Verses

• Saturae

• Atellan Farce

• Mime