CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The study of emotions in the ancient world has received special attention in recent years; however, with respect to the comedy of Aristophanes, little attention has been paid to the emotional lives of his characters and the way in which they articulate their interacting on stage. If emotions depend on how we interpret and judge the world, according to the values and customs of a given society, then they reflect beliefs and political views at the same time they are be used to manipulate the opinions of others. This situation is especially evident in ancient Greek comedy because of its high level of political commitment. Comic heroes rarely name the emotion that affects them, but do not save details about their symptoms. From this semiotic frame and cognitive scene, our presentation will attempt to demonstrate that the first emotional response of the comic hero against the unsatisfactory state of affairs that often disturbs him/her tends to be indignation (never anger) and longing, according to the conservative utopian ideology of the genre. Both tend to create a related political opinion in the audience.