This amazing Greek dramatist knew how to communicate through comedy. Like present-day humorists, much of his work focused on current events or politicians.
What can we learn from this ancient wordsmith?
1. Humor can be a great teaching device. One of his early plays ? "The Clouds" ? talks about an old man trying to solve problems by enrolling in a "thinking school."
2. Repetition ? Aristophanes reinforced the main points of his plays by repeating major themes, often in verse.
3. Rhythm and song ? These found their way into the author's works as a helpful memory device. In fact, you might call Aristophanes "the great-great grandfather of musical comedy."
4. Fantasy ? In his play "The Frogs" Aristophanes tells about a trip to Hades to bring the author Euripides back to earth.
5. Offbeat comedy ? Some critics claim a few of his comedies were intentionally silly. In some, a character from the play would step forward to address the audience. This person may have been one of the earliest "stand-up comics."
6. Segmentation ? A few critics say that Aristophanes' writing skipped from one subject to another, and often seemed disconnected. Others, however, saw that this ancient author knew how to change subjects easily ? and create powerful scenes ? by weaving a single theme throughout each presentation.
Rix Quinn writes the nationally syndicated weekly humor feature "Poor Rix's Almanac." His book "Words That Stick" is available from your local bookstore, or <a target="_new" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/">http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/</a>
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