Gods and heroes in comic space: a stretch of the imagination?

Abstract

The article explores the stage movement of gods, heroes and mythical figures in Aristophanic stage space. All four of the Aristophanic comedies that contain these characters (Peace, Birds, Frogs and Wealth) are found to adhere to the same patterns of stage movement whereby the comic protagonist must be the first to initiate contact with a divine, heroic or mythical character and will do so by undertaking a journey away from the city to find that character. Gods, heroes and mythical figures do not just turn up anywhere anyhow in comedy, and the question is why. How do you deal with gods in comic space? In tackling these questions, the discussion juxtaposes the contexts of dramatic performance alongside religious contexts of human-divine interaction. This offers a way of considering the perspective of a 5th c. BCE audience who had experience both of the theatre and of various religious activities. Aristophanic stagecraft is observed for the ways in which it makes the divine and mythical plausible to audiencemembers, whose lives were shaped by their relationship with gods and heroes. This relationship is reflected even in comic drama. The discussion of comic drama enables a comparison to be drawn with the role and movement of the divine in tragedy.