Greek Comedy, Satyrs, and Aristophanes: Crash Course Theater #4

Get ready for hilarity, because this week, we're diving head first into Greek Comedy. Actually, though, maybe don't get TOO ready for hilarity. Taste in humor has changed a little over the last couple of thousand years. You already know about Greek Tragedies, with their hamartia and catharsis and whatnot. Today we're going to look at how Greek comedy evolved out of those tragedies, first as Satyr plays, and later as full-blown comedies. So come along. There are a few laughs involved, I promise.
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[@JotakRTS]

3:50 - "Comedies are often about the little guy struggling to rise" ...interesting choice of words there

[@thystldown]

At my university, putting on Greek plays was a popular way of avoiding writing term papers. A class before mine performed the Lysistrata; their production was heavily sponsored by a local sex toy shop. It was before my time, but I have it on good authority that it was amazing.

[@teddeeznuts]

i can't b r e a t h e,, i-

[@falnica]

In the future they'll say: "There were more than 30 CrashCourse series, but we only have 9"

[@dommo2803]

Fernando Franco Félix At this point, it's definitely like a college intro explanatory animation about a specific subject. Very good presentation and top quality content in every video so far.

[@queen_alexandra996]

I can't believe that Saturday night live actually started in ancient Greece

[@anungodlyamountofcereal6384]

King_Harrison 99 it reminds me more of Monty Python's Flying Circus the way it made fun of political and social topics,as well as day to day life,by making it out to be absurd.

[@TheOnyomiMaster]

Satyr-day Night Live

[@jenashleigh1166]

Satyr-day Night Live?

[@CarlosRios1]

Yes, Satyr-day Night Live.

[@yareyaredaz3522]

Like most of modern culture of course it started there

[@joshuawalker7054]

For fun, I looked up the oath. One of the things they swore off was to never preform "the lioness on the cheese grater" anymore to the men. Half the women didn't know what Lysistrata was even talking about. However, the "professional" woman in the back, upon hearing the position was all "Ok, I got this!" - lol

[@alijayameilio]

wait what? ._.

[@loganl3746]

I looked up 3 translations of the oath and none of them said anything about a cheese grater. The closest I saw was 'crouch like a carven lion on a knife-handle'

[@joshuawalker7054]

οὐ cτήcομɑɩ λέɑɩυ' ἐπυὶ τυροvήcτɩδοc. (vv. 231-232) "I will not stand a lioness upon the cheese-grater" I think we have the right verse, but my translation comes from Cashman Kerr Prince. Studi Italiani di Filologia Classica, 4th series, 7:2 (2009). I'm pretty sure the translations are going to be a little wacky. Most scholars think that it's nonsense and part of the joke.

[@loganl3746]

Joshua Walker hahaha that's a good point. Honestly, that makes it even funnier

[@ms.rstake_1211]

cool facts

[@swordfish1929]

This was also staged just a year after the Sicilian expedition in which a huge number of Athenian men had died. Everyone in that theatre would have lost someone close to them in that expedition whether it be brothers, fathers, sons, friends or lovers, that wound would still be incredibly fresh

[@thespibunny272]

*Lysistrata was one of my favorite characters I ever got to play in Saving the Greeks: One Tragedy at a Time. My tie dyed toga and flower crown reflected the 1960s women perfectly while staying true to her original Greek comedy character.*

[@engibear6392]

*How did you get the flower crown around your ears?* *And did you see the comment below about the performance of Lysistrata sponsored by a sex toy shop? XD*

[@engibear6392]

*Hey, you told me offline that you still had the flower crown. I call BS.*

[@jacobvardy]

Intrigued by the suggestion that the oath was too lewd i went and looked it up. Its not that bad. Far worse is the part where the women swear not to enjoy getting raped. That is super creepy.

[@Lena-fc9ce]

Mike. I'm shocked. Satyrs are goat-dudes. Not horse-dudes. You hosted CC Mythology. I believed in you.

[@dommo2803]

Lena Σωστή.

[@TheMuddyBunny]

I remember the betrayal. Hank helped me review for Biology in crashcourse, and during a Scishow quizshow, he got the wrong answer for something he had taught me.

[@ThiagoFSR83]

IN fact, Greek satyrs ARE horse-men (a two-legged ones, tho, difference from the centaurs), with large and bald front head, and literally pony tails. The Roman satyrs (in the case, fauns) are the goat-men we are used to. I hope have helped, greetings from Brasil.

[@Lena-fc9ce]

Thiago Fernandes i did not know that, interesting. no offense, but could you provide a source for this, I've never heard of this before?

[@nikofloros]

Gonna have to disagree with Thiago Fernandes on that. Grew up in Greece learning all about mythology (and in fact come from the very place the Satyrs are said to have lived, called Kato Olympos) and can confirm that the Satyrs were always horny little goat creatures (pun intended) and NOT horse.

[@sanasunshine3]

Um, completely unrelated comment here but...CrashCourse, would you consider creating a Linguistics series? Thanks : )

[@melinaminaya5461]

Watching this with closed captions really hits different at 9:48

[@seguizoh7367]

Love the animations of Thought Café. Helps all this being more engaging.

[@leena2103]

as an archeology student, this video makes me really happy - thank you so much!

[@hoodiesarah]

I adored this episode, not just because I am a theatrical and nerd. But because they're in college I remember performing a version of lysistrata it was so fun to perform

[@michaelfrimpong4955]

"The little guy struggling to rise" naughty 🙄

[@suminsung7847]

So Brilliant ! I already had studied theater, so I know how these videos arrange keypoint very well. Thankyou!

[@rachelistired]

One of my favorite modern interpretations of Lysistrata is Spike Lee's Chi-raq which overlays the ancient violence with gun violence in Chicago. It's interesting to see what was kept. Like the movie is in meter.

[@Pfhorrest]

Are "satyr" and "satire" related words?

[@petehill7280]

Yes. "Satire" derives from "Satyr-play". Like how satyr plays parodied greek epics and tragedies, so too satire parodies contemporary society.

[@varana]

Yes, but mostly no. The word "satire" comes from the Latin _satura lanx_ denoting a bowl of mixed fruit. The literary genre of _satura_ was, at first, a work like a mixed bag of topics and forms. However, it soon acquired a satirical and ironic bend. As such, the word itself is Latin, and the closeness to satyrs is coincidence. This coincidence was noted by the Romans, as well, and the connection between both goes back to Antiquity itself (like Petronius calling his satirical novel "Satyricon"), and it probably helped establishing the term.

[@yareyaredaz3522]

Yeah! 30% of the English language is Greek words ... for example the word "phenomenon" it is pronounced the same in Greek and its means the same thing .

[@eshaisinsaini]

I had the same question!

[@arktoi2292]

There are three possible ways of linking the two words. It could come from satura lanx, satiro or lex satura. The first one refers to a cup of fruit and vegetables offered to the goddess Cerere, a "satiro" is a mythological creature while lex satura is an ancient roman law which included different things.

[@ms.rstake_1211]

Had to watch this again. Never miss an episode.

[@sarthakkokane5776]

This was every interesting thanks for the video

[@Pfhorrest]

Don't forget The Clouds! It's one of the only confirmations that Socrates was a real person and not just a fictional character of Plato's.

[@nearchos8111]

Socrates was a real person, if you read greek stories you will understand

[@Hollow_Theorist]

What about Socrates trails before he was executed by Athenian aristocracy? Or the dialogues written about him and other men?

[@Pfhorrest]

Aside from Aristophanes' "The Clouds", all the writings we have about Socrates, including his trial and execution and his dialogues with other men, were written by Plato, who also went on to write many things clearly using the character of Socrates as merely an author-insert to express his own views. That had lead some to wonder if there ever really was such a person as Socrates, or if he was just a character Plato invented. The fact that Aristophanes wrote a play making fun of Socrates is one of the few confirmations we have that there really was a Socrates outside of Plato's writings.

[@HDimagination]

My favorite Arisophanes Quote comes from 'Knights' where a character by the name of Demosthenes is trying to convince an Sausage Merchant that he should run for High Office: 'To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them. Besides, you possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, cross-grained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.' It's funny how that quote is so often stuck in my head at the moment... Can't imagine why...

[@demskippy]

Love the little extras in the closed captioning :)

[@camiloiribarren1450]

Yes!!! Comedy plays. Mike, make another season of myths and theater

[@JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJay]

“Lol wamen and sex funny comedy” -greek dude

[@kurtlindner]

The oldest recorded joke is a fart joke (Sumerian) -specifically about a woman farting on her husband. Some things actually never get old.

[@Shubang101]

Are you going to cover French Farce? I love theatre and theatre theory so much!!! Thank you so much I love learning

[@nikofloros]

Fun fact! Lysistrati's name comes from the word Στρατός (stratOs emphasis on the capital) which means army and the prefix Λυσ- (lys-) which means to cut, break or dissolve. Biologists will know the prefix (and sometimes suffix) lys from fun words like Catalyst, Hydrolysis, and Lysosomes. In fact the play's names and dialogue (at least if you see it put on in its original Greek) are filled to the brim with fun double meanings and jokes. Idk if this is maintained at all in English translations, I've only interacted with the play in Greek.

[@OldMovieRob]

"Uhhh, that was my one good eye!"

[@LittleJoeTheMoonlightCat]

YOUR TEARING ME APART LYSISTRATA!

[@zebashaikh8499]

As soon as I saw Greek comedy and satyrs I was whooo... bring it on 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@gingercore69]

When you present yourselr i always hear "my corneta"(corneta in spanish is similar to a trumpet)

[@stephennootens916]

If I recall spike lee just used this play for a movie that got mix reviews.

[@BalletZombie]

“The little guy struggling to rise....” Heh.

[@dommo2803]

Best channel. Ever.

[@TheSuzberry]

I’d love to see the outtakes from this. But, since I is a family show I doubt they could publish them.

[@jmcosmos]

Oh, please say "yes" that next week is going to involve Plautus and the _contaminatio_ that led up to _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_ !

[@DeadAccount43_]

An epic case of .... frustration,.. lol

[@Shubang101]

also do we know the reason for the strict three actor limit in greek plays? I know we have a chorus. Wouldn't the limit of actors constrain types of stories, and the amount of stories being told?

[@lukehall8151]

Because tragedy began as a staged reenactment of the Dionysus myth, more like a Catholic mass than a Shakespeare play.

[@filmscentre19]

Please make Crash Course Mathematics - look at concepts like The Law of Exponents, Quadratic Equations, and basic Mathematics for Primary school students. Include GCSE lessons also please!

[@alexaliona]

I just read the Lysistrata oath and i Holy hel i am dying over here The person who wrote that deserves a raise

[@toledobendparanormal318]

Hi! Cryptozoologist here. Satyrs are goat-men, Centaurs are horse-men. It is from where we get the English word, Satire.

[@corvus1374]

Spike Lee's recent movie "Chi-Raq" is based on Lysistrata.

[@darksword9237]

Is there gonna be a second season of mythology crash course

[@M5Sun]

HE'S SO CUTE I WANNA DIEE!!

[@castadivanorma8478]

By the way ,the name "Lissistrata"" actually means she who "dissolves '' the army (eliminates

[@yareyaredaz3522]

Fan fact: Aristophanes's play "the birds" in Greek called "ornithes-όρνιθες" is translated into "chickens" ... just a fan fact for ya all

[@verylostdoommarauder]

This seems like the first known SNL skit.

[@CorpsmanPrivateer]

I didn't know this guy was doing crash courses. Nice.

[@Suite_annamite]

Mike Rugnetta's been doing Crash Courses *for over a year now!* *You haven't seen his mythology series?* More than 40 episodes that started last winter, and just ended this January.

[@mstakenidentity]

Aw c'mon, you could at least have mentioned "the lioness on a cheese grater" ;-)

[@idk-xs5nz]

Hahahahaha

[@AllTheRooks]

Exactingly exact

[@doomstadt2371]

I think you meant "sing and dance together" wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more say no more...

[@nigelwilliams7179]

What is the intro song called?

[@Quintinia]

I don't think it's a "real song," I think it's just a piece of music written for them to be their intro music.

[@QwEr-bx5ey]

When you are a Greek and already know these :p

[@anthonypalmerio9529]

"frustration".

[@CompilerHack]

I want to go to ancient Athens now Edit: I guess every era has its problems

[@Shubang101]

Crash course anthropology?

[@matthewacevedo21]

Can yit guys teach geometry?

[@sixpomegranateseeds6893]

Okay, wow.

[@castadivanorma8478]

Her name means the one who "unties " the army....

[@ajaysalgaonkar685]

where you fierd from crash cource mytholagy

[@Directionless.Sponge]

I relate to the ancient Greeks in the sense that I like both deep philosophical thought and stupid jokes/dank memes

[@AlthenaLuna]

We read Lysistrata in my HS English class...aloud.

[@calciumchloride710]

In Greek? In drag? Wearing phalli?

[@teachingmay9728]

1:31

[@loganparsons5179]

SAY-ter

[@SeverMetal]

Why do you pronounce Lysistrata's name like that?? The stress should be on the 'i'.

[@nikofloros]

Nope, stress goes on the second to last sylable lysistrAta or lysistrAti is you want to translate it even closer. In Greek it is Λυσιστράτη.

[@SeverMetal]

I know what the name in Greek is. But the English pronunciation and stress rules for ancient Greek names is a little bit different, as they follow the Latin pronunciation most of the time - and in this case, even the Latinised name "Lysistrata" with an ending in -a is used instead of -e or -i. Also compare the name of Thucydides: "Thu-sí-di-dees" instead of "Thoukidídis", or "yoo-rí-pi-dees" instead of "Evripídis".

[@rilachan2062]

Soooo... Satyrs are furries?

[@PennyDreadful1]

I'm pretty sure there has always been cults dressing up as animals here and there.

[@AnthonyHeadway]

They wont have any eggplants? Weird

[@JonBastian]

The mass-reading of Lysistrata was on March 3, 2003 -- 03/03/03. I know this because I took part in one of the readings. And it's "lISSistrata," not "LIE-su-strada."

[@thesauce7787]

Wassup everyone

[@faithtodd1540]

I'm ace,

[@vasilischatzipanagiotou9051]

When you explain where came a word from, better say the original word correctly because it seems like a KOMOIDIA! lol from Greece..

[@lauryn7617]

hiiii

[@crakeET5]

Get some sleep Mike!

[@jameshill1052]

Lowgos M

[@AshVK]

45 views , 4 comments 11 likes "Posted 1 minute ago" ... guilty 😂

[@oldcowbb]

sex joke since 500 bc

[@diegomoreno5927]

Well, there was plenty of homosexuality in acient greece... Just saying.

[@newbattleshipgaming9886]

4

[@morkroth]

450s....? BC? AD? CE? BCE?

[@morkroth]

I mean I'm pretty sure its BCE, but it *could* be CE

[@nikofloros]

I suppose that's a good point, though idk how much it maters really in this case.. the date listed wasn't key to the learning and if you know anything about the golden age of Athena then you would automatically know and if you're coming in with no baseline knowledge of when the Athenian golden age was then its far more important you just focus on the other things he is saying.

[@nikofloros]

but for the record is it definitely BC/BCE

[@Jb-eb1gs]

not first

[@lemurgulliver5354]

It is not creepy, or misogynistic, or violent. The violence is all yours, and this nutty way of seeing the world comes from a misinterpretation of Jesus, and would have been completely alien to the Greeks.(Actually, Ecclesiastes makes fun of you, and how effeminate you are).

[@42PalaceOfWisdom42]

Very informative video, but I think if you want to include a critical analysis from a modern point of view, you need to give it proper time to make your points. After the 10 minute mark you are basically just dropping buzzwords.

[@astropan]

The only thing that's creepy , is 21th century nerds, trying to pass moral judgement on 4BC's classical masterpieces.

[@Lena-fc9ce]

astropan sooo, you wouldn't critically examine it because it's old? Hate to break it to you, but this is an educational channel, examining old stuff is kind of what we do here.

[@tophers3756]

Lena what's important is understanding what the works meant to the author and the audiences of the time. Framing it apologetically with current social norms and gender politics is not only beside the point, but it obscures the point.

[@tophers3756]

They have to or else the PC ibterwebz will rise up against them.

[@Lena-fc9ce]

Topher S and how do you see this interpretation of the historic context and reception of the play, which nearly the entire video was about, compromised by this one sentence?

[@kurtlindner]

I think you guys should consider your own definition of satire when writing these scripts, and also stop labeling every male in history who wants to have sex with a woman as a misogynist it's inaccurate, presumptuous, (offensive), and perpetuates a false male stereotype.

[@camilorodriguez5560]

And usually anachronic, as this time.

[@Lena-fc9ce]

What about their usage of the word satire do you think is lacking?

[@richardsantanna5398]

Seriously, i can't believe he said that wanting to have sex with a woman is misogynist. They need to stop putting their stupid opinions in videos that supposed to be educational.

[@Lena-fc9ce]

Richard Santanna that is not what he said. It is creepy and misogynistic, however, to write a play in which a goddess shows up to reconcile everyone and the first all the men present have is to want to have sex with her. This isn't the reaction of real men to an attractive woman, but something a playwrite made them do. It did not need to be in that sceneand didn't improve it in any way, it's just an example of a man making a woman into an object to have sex with and to be desired, without any agency. I think it's important to point out moments like this one in fiction, especially in light of current events.

[@robertjarman3703]

Richard Santanna I heard from his explanation of the play as though trying to have a huge orgy at the end was sexist, not the desire to have sex in general.

[@tophers3756]

Gotta keep it politically correct by repeatedly emphasizing the "creepy dudes" and being overly mindful of the different gender politics. Constantly having to overlay the current zeitgeist onto the story being told weakens the point being made. It's also tiresome. I think most young people are savvy enough to understand social differences that come with ancient literature and customs without falling all over oneself not to be offensive. There will always be the chronically outraged PC warriors, but trying not to offend them is like trying to keep the wind from blowing.

[@WhaleManMan]

Exactly.

[@kurtlindner]

-and if the young people aren't able to understand the differences... it's time they learn.

[@slash9318]

damn rigth

[@Lena-fc9ce]

These videos are also shown in schools, to kids who might not immediately realize just how different many societal notions were in the past. It's important to emphasize the disconnect between ancient and comtemporary values when that is part of the point: An audience today will see this play as funny for different reasons than an audience in Ancient Athens, and it would probably also be performed differently. I think that is the point of the videon which you are sadly all missing because you want to shout something about "PC culture".

[@Lena-fc9ce]

Bohdan Savchenko again this is not about real people and their sex lives, but about a scene in a play in which a woman is objectified. It is also not about the goddess being able to defend herself, but about her being seen as an object for someone else's sexual pleasure, which happens regardless of her ability to keep people from actually having sex with her. Also, I think it's quite hypocritical for you guys to say this is just the PC culture and feminist being butthurt by words on a page, while you are whining about the use of certain terms in a video that you actually agree with.

[@kpvdnber]

These feministic readings of history are getting really boring.

[@yareyaredaz3522]

Fan fact: Aristophanes's play "the birds" in Greek called "ornithes-όρνιθες" is translated into "chickens" ... just a fan fact for ya all