Middle Comedy

E844733

Middle Comedy was a transitional phase of ancient Athenian comic drama between Old and New Comedy, marked by reduced political satire and greater emphasis on mythological parody and social themes.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Middle Comedy canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Greek comedy genre ⓘ
theatrical tradition ⓘ
countryOfOrigin Ancient Greece ⓘ
linked to: Greek Antiquity
developsInto New Comedy conventions ⓘ
documentedIn ancient testimonia and fragments collections ⓘ
flourishedIn 4th century BCE ⓘ
late 5th century BCE ⓘ
follows Old Comedy ⓘ
hasCharacteristic decline of chorus importance ⓘ
focus on everyday life and manners ⓘ
greater emphasis on mythological parody ⓘ
greater emphasis on social themes ⓘ
less direct political commentary than Old Comedy ⓘ
literary and cultural satire ⓘ
parody of tragic myths ⓘ
reduced political satire ⓘ
transitional phase between Old and New Comedy ⓘ
use of stock characters ⓘ
influenced Hellenistic comedy ⓘ
linked to: New Comedy

New Comedy ⓘ
later Roman comedy ⓘ
language Ancient Greek ⓘ
notablePlaywright Alexis ⓘ
Anaxandrides ⓘ
Antiphanes ⓘ
Aristophon ⓘ
Eubulus ⓘ
Strattis ⓘ
partOf ancient Athenian comic drama ⓘ
placeOfOrigin Athens ⓘ
precedes New Comedy ⓘ
relatedTo New Comedy ⓘ
Old Comedy ⓘ
styleComparedToNewComedy more mythological and less domestic ⓘ
styleComparedToOldComedy less obscene and less choral ⓘ
subjectMatter courtesans and hetairai ⓘ
intellectual fashions ⓘ
mythological burlesque ⓘ
social customs ⓘ
symposia and dining ⓘ
survivalStatus few complete plays preserved ⓘ
known mainly from fragments ⓘ
timePeriod between Peloponnesian War and rise of Macedon ⓘ
usesMedium song and music ⓘ
spoken dialogue ⓘ
stage performance ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Attic New Comedy → relatedTo → Middle Comedy ⓘ
Old Comedy → followedBy → Middle Comedy ⓘ