The Art of Humor in Greece and Rome

Catalog description

In this course we explore the art of comedy and humor in ancient Greece and Rome, with all readings in English. We begin with the Greek stage comedies of Aristophanes and Menander, and a satyr play by Euripides. We then proceed to the musical adaptations of those comedies by the Roman playwrights Plautus and Terence. After that, we examine epigram and the classical art of telling jokes for social influence and political power. We will investigate philosophers' speculations on the nature of laughter alongside notable examples of humor in criminal trials and election speeches. Finally, we will read the five surviving joke books from antiquity (Cicero, Quintilian, Macrobius, Plutarch, and the Philogelos), and students will be given a chance to master the ancient art of telling a joke themselves. Special attention will be given to the censorship of humor through the ages.