ARISTOTLE'S COMMENTS ON COMEDY

Aristotle says that the origin of comedy is obscure. Nothing is known about the person or persons who introduced the masques and the various characters either. However, the compositions of the plots originated in Sicily, says Aristotle. Comedy emerged out of Satire which in turn is believed to have originated from the phallic songs. Phallic songs are songs sung during the worship of Dionysus. The Orphic Mysteries tell us a lot about Dionysus. Dionysus was the god of wine and of the sense of liberation from human bondage and of access to divinity that intoxication bestows. Comedy evolved out of Satire in course of time. The major difference between a satire and a comedy is that while the former deals with the personal the latter deals with the general. Satire is a scathing personal attack. Comedy portrays man in his worst aspects. It does not portray man as cruel or wicked. It points to the defective and the ugly aspects of man. The comical actions are not destructive or harmful. Though it does make us laugh our hearts out it does not make fun of or hurt anyone personally. It is that they are ludicrous by nature. Aristotle does not see any malice in the pleasure derived from a comedy as Plato does. According to Plato defects in a person should arouse the feeling of sympathy not laughter in the audience. However, Aristotle points to the fact that the defects that make the audience laugh is not personal but general. What evokes laughter is the follies and weakness of a ‘type’. And hence it does not hurt anyone. Aristophanes’ ‘Wasps’, ‘Clouds’, ‘Frogs’ are the most famous Greek comedies. The function of a comedy is correction of society. However, the impact of a comedy may not last as long as that of a tragedy.