Module One

GREEK CIVILISATION – AN INTRODUCTION TO ARISTOPHANES

Introduction Icon.png Introduction

This module should be read in conjunction with the Programme of Study.

The Programme of Study lists the topics that are in the module and gives you the relevant page references to your course book. This module aims to give you more direction as you work through the various topics. It will aim to highlight the most important items in the topic, as well as areas that need particular care. It will also point you towards the resources you should be using.

Remember to double-check the syllabus to make sure you cover all the items that you need to and make sure you are using the General Resources sheet to give you a wider perspective.

Module Overview Icon.png Module Overview

This module covers one of the two areas of the ancient world that you will be studying for AS. The focus of Module One is the 5th century BCE comic playwright, Aristophanes. You will be studying the organisation and conventions of ancient theatre in Athens and its importance culturally and socially in that city state, and during this module you will be reading three of the eleven plays of Aristophanes that still exist.

To a modern audience, some of action and dialogue might seem odd for mainstream entertainment and you must realise that you are looking at another culture, warts and all. Some of the comedy might also seem distasteful, for example the attitudes to women and foreigners, but reading it does not indicate agreement; we must try to understand it as ‘of its time’.  

As you read through the plays, you will see numerous references to contemporary events. No one expects you to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of these events, but you should make use of the notes supplied to the plays and try to imagine what a viewer in 2000 years would make of our satirical news programmes. Remember that your main focus must be a thorough knowledge of the plays above all else.

Topics Icon.png Topics

Topic One (1.1): The Origins of Athenian Theatrical Festivals 

Topic Two (1.2): The Theatre of Dionysus and its Conventions 

Topic Three (1.3): Consolidation Topic Three (1.3): Consolidation