The Parodos in Aristophanes' Plutus: Towards Ancient Comedy

CLAUDIA N. FERNÁNDEZ

PRAKTIKA

Parnassos Literary Society

Lugar: Atenas; Año: 2001; p. 240 - 253

Plutus´ parodos be considered a distant precedent of the stereotyped chorus of reckless young men who interrupt the action in the new comedy to respect strict division into acts. It is extremely unlikely. Neither could it be proof of the chorus´ loss of vitality. On the contrary, the parodos seems to resist with all its might the changes imposed by the genre´s progressive evolution towards its middle stage, and, with its mimetic dance, conjures up the stage what is essential to Ancient Comedy: literary parody -ideologically opposed to the innovations that break with tradition-; the aiskrología in its two aspects -eschatological and sexual- which goes back to the ritual and literary origin of the genre; transvestism -linguistic in this case-; metatheatrality, the breaking of dramatic illusion; personal invective. It has chosen, no doubt, a farewell to ancient comedy with all the pomp that such an event seems to require.