Aristophanes And Shakespeare Research Paper

There is a reason why certain writers stand the test of time and are still looked upon with great recognition to this day. It also is tantamount to have literary styles named after them. Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Chekhov and Wilde all have their specific components to their writing that makes it unique and distinct, echoing the practices of where they were living at that time of their writings. **** The origins of comedy date back as early as 6th century BC in Ancient Greece, and Aristophanes was one of the most popular playwrights, defining the structure of Ancient Greek comedy. He was often referred to as the “Father of Comedy” and the definitive writer of Old Comedy, a style that was “looked on as being rather vulgar and lacking in sophistication”

In Lysistrata, the main premise is that the women of Athens are abstaining from sex to end the Peloponnesian war. This, in itself, would be ludicrous and highly comedic to audiences because “the very idea that a woman could have enough influence to end a war would have been considered quite ridiculous” (ANCIENT-LITERATURE). Adding to this amusing component was that the empowered women acting like men were actually played by men, which further reduced the actual role of female empowerment during that time. Similarly in Shakespeare’s time, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed the first production of Much Ado About Nothing, which was an all male troupe that included Shakespeare himself. Common in his plays, there were no actual scenes of sexual encounters, only because the female roles were played by men, therefore “bawdy language and sensuous poetry were often used in substitutes for the real thing” (WEBSITE LINK). This is where Shakespeare would shine and use his famed wordplay. In the play, Benedick declares to Beatrice, “I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes” (Shakespeare 5.2.80). As romantic as this sounds, it’s really rooted in lecherous desires. This is one instance of bawdy language being used to replace the actual act, yet still referencing sexual desire. Both playwrights took into consideration and even

Although women did attend Shakespeare’s plays in astounding numbers compared to before, some considered it “too public a role for women… having women in the audience distracted from the stage performance and incited lewd behavior in men” (THEATREUNBOUND.COM). This could be one of the reasons why women were forbidden from performing in the plays due to their gender being too emphasized and sexualized. In Ancient Greece, the audiences were comprised solely of men, and women not being allowed to attend could have been a reason why Lysistrata was a thoroughly misogynistic play. In his productions, Aristophanes used characters and instances that would resonate with his male audience, so that included harping on a woman’s role as dutiful domestic beings, with the women revolting against the men using spindles and wool baskets (ARISTOPHANES). The exaggerated and vulgar performances were also a common occurrence to take advantage of the fact that women weren’t in attendance. These outlandish performances added to the comedic effect of the text. Overall, the possibility of women in the audience affected the way the playwright wrote the text and largely how it was