Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

344 COMOEDIA. COMOEDIA.
than with the old comedy. The latter has been them amounted altogether to 365. (Anon. de
described as the comedy of caricature, and such Cont. ap. Meineke, p. 535; Bode, 1. c. p. 108.) An
indeed it was, but it was also a great deal more. excellent and oompendious account of these poets
As it appeared in the hands of its great masters is given by Bernhardy. (Grundriss der Griecl.
Cratinus, Hermippus, Eupolis, and especially Aris- Lit. vol. ii. p. 945-954.) A more extended account
tophanes, its main characteristic was that it was will be found in Meineke (Hist. CGit. C(omic. Grace.
throughout political. Everything that bore upon forming vol. L of his ctragns. Com. Graec.), and in
the political or social interests of the Athenians 3ode (Gesch. desr Helles. Dicltk. vol. iii. pt. ii. p.
furnished materials for it. It assailed everything 108, &c. &c.). The reader is also referred to the
that threatened liberty, religion, and the old esta- articles Crates, Cratinus, Pherecrates, Hermippus,
blished principles of social morality and taste, and Eupolis and Aristophanes in the Dictionary of
tended to detract from the true nobleness of the Greekand Roman Biograplayand llytholoy/y. (Comp.
Greek character. It performed the functions of Ri/tscher, Aristophanes u7nd sein Zeitalter; and
a public censorship. (I-Ior. Serna. i. 4. 1, &c.; Schlegel's Lectureson Dratmatic Ait and Literactssre.)
Isocrat. de Pace, p. 161; Dion Chrysost. vol.ii. The later pieces of Aristophanes belong to the
p. 4, ed. Rsk.; Cic. de Rep. iv. 10.) Though Middle rather than to the Old Comedy. The old
merely personal satire, having no higher object Megaric comedy, which was improved by Maeson,
than the sport of the moment, was by no means by the introduction of standing characters (Athen.
excluded, yet commonly it is on political or general xiv. p. 659, a.) continued for some time to subsist
grounds that individuals are brought forward and by the side of the more artistically developed Attic
satirised. A groundwork of reality usually lay at comedy, as did the ancient Iambistic entertainthe basis of the most imaginative forms which its messts both in Syracuse and in the Dorian states
wild licence adopted. All kinds of phantastic of Greece. (Arist. Poet. 4; Bode, 1. c. p. 28.)
impersonations and mnythological beings were mixed It was not usual for comic poets to bring forward
isp with those of real life. With such unbounded more than one or two comedies at a time; and
stores of materials for the subject and form of there was a regulation according to which a poet
comedies, complicated plots were of course un. could not bring forward comedies before he was of
necessary, and were not adopted. Though the a certain age, which is variously stated at thirty or
old comedy could only subsist under a democracy, forty years. (Aristoph. iNub. 530, with the schoit deserves to be remarked that its poets were liast.) To decide on the merits of the comedies
usually opposed to that democracy and its leaders. exhibited, five judges were appointed, which was
Some of the bitterest assailants even of Pericles half the number of those who adjudged the prize
were to be found among the comic poets. for tragedy. (Schol, ad Arist. Av. 445; HIesych.
In the year B. c. 440, a law was passed -os g'0I s.V. n ure'rE KpITat.)
Kslx3 eLi'7 (Schol. Arist. AchAarn. 67), which re- The chorus in a comedy consisted of twentymained. in force for three years, when it was re- four. [CHORUS.]
pealed. Some (e.g. Clinton, F. I. s. a.) under- The dance of the chorus was the Kdop3a, the
stand the law to have been a prohibition of comedy movements of which were capricious and licentious,
altogether, others (Meineke, 1. c. p. 40; Bernhardy, consisting partly in a reeling to and fro, in mitation
p. 943) a prohibition against bringing forward in- of a drunken man, and in various unseemly and
dividualds in their proper historical personality and immodest gestures. For a citizen to dance the
under their own name, in order to ridicule them Kc'pba sober and without a mask, was looked
(,eu- KwtBeT3e?, vodaervTL). To the same period upon astheheight of shamelessness. (Theophrast.
probably belongs the law that no Areopagite should Charct. 6.) The choreutae were attired in the
write comedies. (Plut. de Glor. Ath. p. 348, c.) most indecent manner. (Schol. ad Arist. Nutb.
About B. c. 415, apparently at the instigation of 537.) Aristophanes, however, and probably other
Alcibiades, the law of 440, or at all events a law comic poets also, frequently dispensed with the
sLia KYcc ev 5oiVoyaoTC'i, was again passed on the cKo'pbaa. (Arist. Nub. 537, &c. 553, &c.; Schneider,
motion of one Syracosius (Schol. Arist. Aves, 1297). dlas Atuische 7heatesrwesen, p. 2229, &c.) Comedies
But the law only remained in force for a short have choric songs, but no rdsa-'la, or songs ltetween
time (Meineke, p. 41). The nature of the political acts. The most important of the choral parts was
events in the ensuing period would of itself act the Parabasis, when the actors having left the stage,
as a check upon the licence of the comic poets. A the chorus, which was ordinarily divided into ftur
man named Antimachus got a law like that of rows, containing six each (Pollux, iv. 108; Schol.
Syracosius passed, but the date of it is not known, ad Arist. Pac. 733), and was turned towards the
(Schol. Arist. Acharn. 1149.) VWith the over- stage, turned round, and advancing towards the
throw of the democracy in 411, comedy would of spectators delivered an address to them in the
course be silenced, but on the restoration of the name of the poet, either on public topics of general
democracy, comedy again revived. It was doubt- interest, or on matters which concerned the poet
less again restrained by the thirty tyrants. During personally, criticising his rivals and calling attention
the latter part of the Peloponnesiain war also it to his merits; the address having nothing whatbecame a matter of difficulty to get choregi; and ever to do with the action of the play. (Schol. ad
hindrances were sometimes thrown in the way of Arist. Nub. 518, Pac. 733, Equit. 505.) The
the comic poets by those who had been attacked by grammarians speak of it as being divided into the
them. (Schol. Arist. Ran. 153.) Agyrrhius, though following portions: - 1. A short introduction (the
when is not known, got the pay of the poets iKo/jucrdzov); 2. The 7rapdaaats in the narrower
lessened. (Schol. Arist. Eccl. 102.) The old sense of the word, or a&vYcratoros, which was the
Attic comedy lasted from O1. 80 to 01. 94 (B. c. principal part; and usually consisted of a system
458-404). From Cratinus to Theopompus there of anapaescic or trochaic tetrameters, in which case
were forty-one poets, fourteen, of whom preceded it was the practice for it to close with what was
Aristophanes. The number of pieces attributed to called the safcpdv' or orvYeos, a number of s!hort