The BR Pile: Euripides and Aristophanes

I have a sporadic but increasing capacity for silly humor: I will admit it here and now, that there are days when I find “South Park” dumb or offensive, but there are also days when I think it’s hysterical (can you say “Lemmiwinks?”). I’ll also admit to a ridiculous fondness for “Jackass,” so it’s not like I’m not in touch with my inner 11-year old boy. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t find The Clouds and Lysistrata by Aristophanes funny; I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that in these plays are some of the foundations of Western humor. Written by Aristophanes in 411BC, Lysistrata (“she who disbands armies”) concocts a plan to end the war between Athens and Sparta by convincing all the women of Greece to withhold sex until their husbands come to a peace agreement. The Clouds (also written in the late 5th century) takes potshots at philosophers; when a man can’t convince his gambler son to attend school to think of a way to get them both out of debt, the man attends himself and is exposed to the silliness of current philosophical teachings.

I was bored by them, and it took a while to figure out why: I forgot was I was reading satire. For one thing, satire doesn’t work unless you understand what is being satirized, and what I really enjoyed were the historical footnotes that explained the actual events that surrounded the production of these plays—this quick history lesson was the best part, for me. The other thing is that I suspect that, like most poetry needs to be read, most comedic plays need actors to really come to life.

I was a little taken aback that I enjoyed the tragedies as much as I did: being unable to escape your fate is horrible, and it’s not often that I’ll choose to cuddle up with it. But the Euripides dramas (written in the last third of the 5th century) surprised me: the emphasis was on the dreadful choices the protagonists are forced to make (or have forced on them). There is a humanity and individuality to the characters that felt familiar and immediate. Medea, married to Jason and mother of his children, is put aside when he is offered a royal Greek princess. In order to take her vengeance against Jason, she contrives to poison the new bride and her father, and then stabs her own children, killing them. The Trojan Women takes place after the defeat of Troy, when Hecuba and her ladies discover the fates that await them as Greek slaves, concubines, or sacrifices.

I'll probably go tearing through Electra and The Bacchants before I check out The Frogs. It’s not that I found the comedies lesser works than the tragedies, or less believable, any more than I believe hard boiled mysteries are more realistic than those with amateur sleuths or that comedy is less an art than drama. These weren't to my taste; maybe I wasn't in the mood for bawdy humor when I was reading them. What they gave me, and why I’m glad I pushed through them, was a great, quick lesson in the history of the Golden Age Greek politics, culture, religion, and thought.