Greek Comedy, Satyrs, and Aristophanes: Crash Course Theater #4

Get ready for hilarity, because this week, we're diving head first into Greek Comedy. Actually, though, maybe don't get TOO ready for hilarity. Taste in humor has changed a little over the last couple of thousand years. You already know about Greek Tragedies, with their hamartia and catharsis and whatnot. Today we're going to look at how Greek comedy evolved out of those tragedies, first as Satyr plays, and later as full-blown comedies. So come along. There are a few laughs involved, I promise.

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[JotakRTS]

3:50 - "Comedies are often about the little guy struggling to rise" ...interesting choice of words there

[thystldown]

At my university, putting on Greek plays was a popular way of avoiding writing term papers. A class before mine performed the Lysistrata; their production was heavily sponsored by a local sex toy shop. It was before my time, but I have it on good authority that it was amazing.

[queen_alexandra]

I can't believe that Saturday night live actually started in ancient Greece

[falnica]

In the future they'll say: "There were more than 30 CrashCourse series, but we only have 9"

[joshuawalker]

For fun, I looked up the oath. One of the things they swore off was to never preform "the lioness on the cheese grater" anymore to the men. Half the women didn't know what Lysistrata was even talking about. However, the "professional" woman in the back, upon hearing the position was all "Ok, I got this!" - lol

[thespibunny]

*Lysistrata was one of my favorite characters I ever got to play in Saving the Greeks: One Tragedy at a Time. My tie dyed toga and flower crown reflected the 1960s women perfectly while staying true to her original Greek comedy character.*

[swordfish]

This was also staged just a year after the Sicilian expedition in which a huge number of Athenian men had died. Everyone in that theatre would have lost someone close to them in that expedition whether it be brothers, fathers, sons, friends or lovers, that wound would still be incredibly fresh

[jacobvardy]

Intrigued by the suggestion that the oath was too lewd i went and looked it up. Its not that bad. Far worse is the part where the women swear not to enjoy getting raped. That is super creepy.

[melinaminaya]

Watching this with closed captions really hits different at 9:48

[Lena-fcce]

Mike. I'm shocked. Satyrs are goat-dudes. Not horse-dudes. You hosted CC Mythology. I believed in you.

[leena]

as an archeology student, this video makes me really happy - thank you so much!

[hoodiesarah]

I adored this episode, not just because I am a theatrical and nerd. But because they're in college I remember performing a version of lysistrata it was so fun to perform

[sanasunshine]

Um, completely unrelated comment here but...CrashCourse, would you consider creating a Linguistics series? Thanks : )

[seguizoh]

Love the animations of Thought Café. Helps all this being more engaging.

[rachelistired]

One of my favorite modern interpretations of Lysistrata is Spike Lee's Chi-raq which overlays the ancient violence with gun violence in Chicago. It's interesting to see what was kept. Like the movie is in meter.

[Pfhorrest]

Are "satyr" and "satire" related words?

[michaelfrimpong]

"The little guy struggling to rise" naughty 🙄

[Pfhorrest]

Don't forget The Clouds! It's one of the only confirmations that Socrates was a real person and not just a fictional character of Plato's.

[HDimagination]

My favorite Arisophanes Quote comes from 'Knights' where a character by the name of Demosthenes is trying to convince an Sausage Merchant that he should run for High Office:

'To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them. Besides, you possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, cross-grained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.'

It's funny how that quote is so often stuck in my head at the moment... Can't imagine why...

[nikofloros]

Fun fact! Lysistrati's name comes from the word Στρατός (stratOs emphasis on the capital) which means army and the prefix Λυσ- (lys-) which means to cut, break or dissolve. Biologists will know the prefix (and sometimes suffix) lys from fun words like Catalyst, Hydrolysis, and Lysosomes.

In fact the play's names and dialogue (at least if you see it put on in its original Greek) are filled to the brim with fun double meanings and jokes. Idk if this is maintained at all in English translations, I've only interacted with the play in Greek.