Ancient Comedy and its Influence

Catalog description

This course examines the origins and developments of comedy in ancient Greece (early iambic poetry, Aristophanes, Menander), its later offshoots in Rome (Plautus, Terence), England (Shakespeare), and the continued influence these ancient forms have on comedy today. Secondary readings include ancient and modern thoughts on humor and laughter, and writings on the historical contexts in which these plays were produced.