Prologue as a structural element in the comedies of Aristophanes
https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2024-10-2-109-117
Abstract
The article explores the concept of comic prologue in Ancient Greek comedy, examining its function and significance within the structure of the comedy as a whole. The function of the prologue can be understood by breaking it down into structural elements and analyzing each of them. The article examines the works of scholars Paul Mazon and Octave Navarre who have put forward different perspectives on segmenting the comic prologue. Mazon suggests that the comic prologue can be divided into three parts: a procession or playful “opening scene”, an address to the viewer or recitation, and development of the comic theme in a scene of dramatic action. Navarre focuses on the origin of the comic prologue, its connection with the structure of tragedy, and the comparison of the prologue’s greater length in comedy than in tragedy. The article concludes with a definition of the comic prologue as the first part of a play that contains an exposition, including the representation of main character(s), the problem to be solved, the plan to overcome it, and the first stage of implementation of this plan before the chorus joins in. The function of the prologue is twofold: to engage the audience through jokes and satire, and to provide all necessary information for plot development.
Supporting agencies: The work was supported by a grant from the Government of the Russian Federation (agreement no. 075-15-2021-571 from June 3, 2021, implementation period 2021–2023), “Digital Commentaries on Ancient Texts: Ancient Greek Comedy”
About the Author
E. N. Buzurnyuk
А. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences; The Russian Presidential Academy
of National Economy and Public Administration
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ekaterina N. Buzurnyuk, Cand. Sci. (Philology), Researcher, Lecturer
Institute for Social Sciences; Faculty of History and Philology
121069; Povarskaya Str., 25а; 119571; Prospekt Vernadskogo, 82; Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Buzurnyuk E.N. Prologue as a structural element in the comedies of Aristophanes. Shagi / Steps. 2024;10(2):109-117. https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2024-10-2-109-117
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