Theatre Oral History Report Essay, Research Paper

Theatre History Oral Report

Aristophanes ( 448? -385 BC ) , Athenian dramatist, considered one of the greatest authors of comedy in

literary history. His dramas have been produced through the centuries and have remained popular because

of their humor, amusing innovation, and poetic linguistic communication.

Aristophanes is believed to hold been born in Athens, Greece, in the deme, or township, of

Cydathenaeum. Presumably, he was good educated and may hold had belongings on the island of Aegina.

He had three sons-Philippos, Araros, and Nikostratos-all of whom were amusing poets.

Aristophanes was foremost and foremost a ironist. During his life-time Athens underwent a period of

spasmodic cultural and societal alteration, and he found a ready mark in the politicians, poets, and

philosophers of his twenty-four hours. It would however be misdirecting to depict Aristophanes as a ultraconservative or a

conservative, since his plants show no understanding for the blue party in Athenian political relations. No category,

age, or profession was exempt from his sarcasm. Aristophanes wrote more than 40 dramas, of which 11 are

extant. His first three dramas were produced under anonym, including The Acharnians ( 425 BC ) , a supplication

for stoping the war with Sparta. The Knights ( 424 BC ) , the first of the dramas of Aristophanes to be

presented under his ain name, is a annihilating sarcasm about Athenian politician and military leader Cleon,

title-holder of the democratic forces and leader of the war party. The Clouds ( 423 BC ) satirizes Grecian

philosopher Socrates, whose perforating analysis of established values Aristophanes considered opposed

to the involvements of the province. In The Wasps ( 422 BC ) Aristophanes satirized the tribunals of justness of the

twenty-four hours, and in The Peace ( 421 BC ) he once more argued for peace between Athens and Sparta. The Birds ( 414

BC ) is a phantasy in which an Athenian persuades the birds to construct a metropolis in the clouds and so imposes

his ain footings on the Gods. Lysistrata ( 411 BC ) , another sarcasm on war, in which adult females work stoppage for peace

by practising celibacy, is his most celebrated work. Thesmorphoriazusae ( 411 BC ) and The Frogs ( 405 BC )

include onslaughts on Athenian dramatist Euripides. Ecclesiazusa ( 393 BC ) is a sarcasm on the thought of

communal ownership of belongings, and Plutus ( 388 BC ) reduced to absurdity the construct of redistribution

of wealth in Athens. These plants, fundamentally phantasies, were written in a signifier related to that of

modern-day calamity. They include dialogue scenes, long choral rants, lyric transitions, and a great

trade of music and dance.

The dramas of Aristophanes exerted considerable influence on English sarcasm, notably that of English

dramatist Ben Jonson in the seventeenth century and English novelist Henry Fielding in the eighteenth century.

ARISTOPHANES TIMELINE

Aristophanes was born in 450 b.C. or a few old ages subsequently. We make the decision for the twelvemonth since in

& # 8220 ; Nefeles & # 8221 ; – ( & # 8221 ; The Clouds & # 8221 ; ) ( 528-533 ) the author leaves us to believe that he was highly immature and

he didn & # 8217 ; Ts have assurance when the drama & # 8220 ; Thetalis & # 8221 ; ( his first drama ) was staged.

431 Pelloponesian war starts, between Athens and Sparta.

430 Plague in Athens.

429 Death of Pericleus.

428/7 Plato is born.

427 & # 8220 ; Thetalis & # 8221 ; ( lost )

426 & # 8220 ; Babylonians & # 8221 ; ( lost ) . Kleon cases Aristophanes, with the accusal that by that drama ridicule

the elected swayers of the metropolis, infront of the audiense and among them a batch of foreigh visitants, in Grant

Dionesia. The suit didn & # 8217 ; t seem to hold any effect for him.

425 & # 8220 ; Aharnes & # 8221 ; . First award in Linea

424 & # 8220 ; Heppeas & # 8221 ; ( & # 8221 ; Horsemen & # 8221 ; ) . First award in Linea

423 & # 8220 ; Nefeles & # 8221 ; ( & # 8221 ; Clouds & # 8221 ; ) . First signifier ( lost ) that won the 3rd and last award in Grand Dionesia.

Peace colony, temporarily stops the belligerencies between Athens and Sparta.

422 & # 8220 ; Sfikes & # 8221 ; ( & # 8221 ; Wasps & # 8221 ; ) , 2nd award in Linea.

421 & # 8220 ; Peace & # 8221 ; , second-best award in Grand Dionesia.

417 & # 8220 ; Nefeles & # 8221 ; , partly revised signifier ( saved ) that ne’er staged in ancient old ages.

415 Athens sends in Sicily a large expeditionary host.

414 & # 8220 ; Amfiaraos & # 8221 ; ( lost ) in Linea. & # 8220 ; Ornithes & # 8221 ; ( & # 8221 ; Birds & # 8221 ; ) , 2nd award in Grand Dionesia.

413 Sparta restarts warfare. Athenian ground forces destroyed in Sicily.

411 & # 8220 ; Lysistrata & # 8221 ; in Linea, & # 8220 ; Thesmoforiazouses & # 8221 ; in Grand Dionesia. Oligarchic revolution

dominated temporarily in Athens, but democratic civil order restored a few months subsequently.

408 & # 8220 ; Ploutos & # 8221 ; ( lost ) , it & # 8217 ; s non the drama that staged subsequently.

406 Euripides & A ; Sophocles decease.

405 & # 8220 ; Vatrahee & # 8221 ; ( & # 8221 ; Frogs & # 8221 ; ) , 1st award in Linea. Plastering and naval encirclement of Athens.

404 Sparta ballads peace. An oligarchic group ( The Tyranny of Thirties ) takes up regulation.

403 Local war and reinstatment of democracy.

399 Sentence and deth of Socrates.

395 The war with Sparta restarts, but with diferent correlativity of Alliess. First stairss of Athenian naval forces

towards reprisal.

392 & # 8220 ; Heclesiasouses & # 8221 ; ( the chronology is based largely upon internal standards and likely trown

off a twelvemonth. )

388 & # 8220 ; Ploutos & # 8221 ; ( & # 8221 ; wealth & # 8221 ; ) ( saved )

After 388: & # 8220 ; Heolosikon & # 8221 ; ( lost ) and & # 8220 ; Kokalos & # 8221 ; ( lost ) . Produser and manager was one of poet boies.

From & # 8220 ; Aharnes & # 8221 ; we make the decision that at the clip this drama was staged, Aristophanes lived in

Eagina, the island the Athenians had colonized in 431 b.C. when they threw out the old inhabitants ( as

philolaconists ) . We know that his boies where comedy authors but we know nil for his male parent

( Phillipos his name ) nor for his societal or economic position.