The very words of Aristophanes | Daily News

The very words of Aristophanes

As far back as early sixties, a Greek play by Aristophanes came to be adapted into a Sinhala text by the Douglas Amarasekara, the late professor of Mathematics. The original play which was translated into English was known by the name The Clouds. The Sinhala play production was known as Attha Kumakda (What is Truth?).

I remember the day I went to see it at the University of Colombo’s King George Hall. It was quite unusual to see a packed house full of scholars of the time. I knew next to nothing of the Greek theatre and its impact on the world theatre. But I recall how I was immersed in the central theatrical experience. It revolved round a certain son of a farmer who was sent to the well known philosopher, Socrates, for further education under his tutelage. The truth seeking son happened to be overshadowed by logic to the extent that he became a nonsensical unrealistic character to the parents. It so happened when later I had the chance of reading the original play of Aristophanes.

Greek influence

I rediscovered the nature of the comedy element in the original, which presumably Professor Amarasekara wanted to drive in. Though the play in Sinhala evoked many a laughter in the audience, the performance may not have received the required degree of response. This, I believe, was the only initial Greek influence we had on the local theatre scene.

I recall the experience when I finished reading the latest research work by Journalist Sagarica Disanayaka, dealing with the subject of Comedy Plays and Aristophanes. The work deals generously on the aspects of Greek theatre, with emphasis on the comedy plays of Aristophanes (450 – 385 BC). As Disanayaka points out, Aristophanes was born during the great era of Athenian history that followed the defeat of the Persians at Marathon and Salamis. He wrote most of his plays during the Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 BC) that brought this period to an end and lived on into the postwar period when Athens were stripped of power and freedom by the victorious Spartans.

As noted by Disanayaka, Aristophanes was not lighthearted in his comedy element as he opposed the Peloponnesian war and the decadent Athenian democracy.

The democratic policies as Aristophanes depicted in his comedies was geared to show that they were mere ‘free thinking’ factors. In his comedies, therefore Aristophanes attacks the democratic institutes of the Athenian people, inclusive of the thinking pattern of Socrates and Plato. He tries to ridicule the political and intellectual climate that existed at the time. His earliest extant play The Acharnians, produced in 428 BC is a direct attack on the wartorn climate of the Athenian culture.

Better climate

Disanayaka attempts to picture the Athenian culture during the time of Aristophanes which leads him to create his comedy play. She takes a special view on plays such as Lysistrata (411 BC) and The Frogs (405 BC). I am not too sure whether these play scripts are translated into Sinhala. If they are available, it should be noted Disanayaka’s work in the discussion could help build a better climate of knowledge for further study of Greek theatre.

The chapter four of the work centres around the opinion formation as taught in communication studies leads to the understanding of the concept of comedy with a special reference to Aristophanes. How Aristophanes utilizes the concept of comedy to perceive opinion making, and the same to bring about a change in the formation.

As such, what the researcher tries to say to the reader at large has to be regarded in a better perspective. This being the understanding of comedy not as a creative process leading to mere laughter or merriment, but as a process that culminates in the understanding, learning and interpreting what opinions are. On writing what Aristophanes I personally would prefer to see interpretations of plays such as ‘The Clouds’ which lampoons Socrates and through him, the new movement in education led by the Sophists and The Frogs (405 BC) which ironically abuses Euripides for lowering the moral tone of tragedy, which would have been an ongoing issue at the time.

The play ‘The Wasps’ (422 BC) makes fun of the Athenian’s passion for learning lawsuits and its best scene is that in which the dog named Labes on trial for his life brings his pups into the courtroom to whine for him.

Upper stratum

In this manner, the great playwright has to be rediscovered enabling our own budding dramatists to usher in a new Sri Lankan theatre era, devoid of mere laughing merriments but to elevate the level of comedy to an upper stratum. Perhaps this work may pave the way for the local theatre enthusiasts to find more on Aristophanes.

Transcending the barriers of the playwright, Aristophanes is regarded as a great poet, with a vision. It is observed via some of the English translations that in transforming his basic ideas into plays Aristophanes makes use of every device known for moving men to evoke a smile. He is said to have excelled in parody, burlesque, and farce. Hw as a master of word play. He has known the impact of the word not merely as a verbal tool given to the performer, but as a twist and turn gift, which means the comic verbal value of the sentence patterns and the unexpected turn. I remember this concept being taught by many a theatre teacher in the interpretation of the textual material before an audience. All in all Disanayaka’s work is a commendable effort.


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