The whipping of Dionysus. The gods on the stage in the comedies of Aristophanes Cover Image

Chłostanie Dionizosa. Bogowie na scenie w komediach Arystofanesa
The whipping of Dionysus. The gods on the stage in the comedies of Aristophanes

Author(s): Sylwester Dworacki
Subject(s): Greek Literature
Published by: Akademia im. Jakuba z Paradyża
Keywords: Greek gods; comedy; tragedy; mythology; Aristophanes

Summary/Abstract: The gods as dramatis personae were introduced into the stage of the ancientGreek theatre by the tragedians who kept, however, a distance between the gods and themen in their plays. That distance disappeared almost entirely in Old Comedy, where thegods were reduced to the position of men. The gods fell into dependence of terrestrials,sometimes they even allowed to be treated like slaves. It was possible to show the godsthis way because of the freedom of speech in Athens of that time, and becauseof anthropomorphic attitude of the Greeks towards their gods. Such gods wereintroduced by Aristophanes into the stage particularly in the following plays: in Peace,Birds, Frogs, and Plutus. Those plays were the source of material for the article.The author wanted to show in it mostly the characters and the acting of gods very muchsimilar to human beings, and at the same time departing from their divinity.

  • Issue Year: 13/2016
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 43-54
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish