1. Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Theatre (New Comedy)
Hellenistic writers favored a form of domestic, middle-class comedy that is commonly identified as New Comedy.
This style ignored politics and focused on a generalized concern for love, financial worries, and familial or societal relationships.
New Comedy eventually became repetitious in terms of situation and dramatic devices.
Concealed identity, coincidence, and recognition were especially common.
Some plays were essentially character studies, while others were based on myths.
A character study is an in-depth portrayal of a character, with all of their traits and qualities.
A marble carving of Menander, the best-known writer of New Comedy. (You’ll learn about him later in this set!)
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2. Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Theatre (New Comedy)
A typical New Comedy plotline centered around a young man who wants to marry a girl against his father’s wishes; after several attempts to avoid his father’s anger it is discovered the girl is the long-lost daughter of some wealthy Athenian.
In recent years critics came to view these plays as works which questioned, then reaffirmed, social conventions.
The pattern for New Comedy may have been set by Euripides in the 5th century.
Several of his plays make use of plot devices like long-lost children and scenes of recognition.
A Roman mosaic depicting theatrical masks, and possibly an aulos-like instrument!
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3. Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Theatre (New Comedy)
In many New Comedies, the chorus only appeared onstage during the interludes between episodes.
Their passages usually had little connection with what was happening in the play (a major difference from prior standards!).
Dialogue was still written in poetic verse.
New Comedy was mixed in tone: despite the comedic aspects, many also included moral elements and serious notes.
Other plays were purely farcical (ridiculous).
Statues of Greek comedic actors, housed at the Louvre, Paris.
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4. Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Theatre (New Comedy)
Over time, characters in New Comedy may have become conventionalized (standardized) into a restricted number of types.
Common characters included:
9 types of old men
4 types of young men
7 types of slaves
various soldiers, etc.
Each individual type could be differentiated by some distinctive quality in both mask and costume.
This is a lot like the commedia dell’arte of the Italian Renaissance! (That’s in Theatre Arts 2. ;) )
Replica of a 2nd Century comedy mask. This character is said to be a slave.
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5. Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Theatre (New Comedy)
We know of 64 different writers of New Comedy.
Only one complete play survives: Dyskolos (The Grouch), by Menander.
It wasn’t even discovered until 1957!
Menander was known for his sympathetic characters, natural style, an plot structures.
After the 3rd century BCE, comedy began to decline.
New Comedy was the last vital expression of Greek drama.
A bust of Menander.
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