Aristophanes The Birds ("Ornithets") is the only comedy written by Aristophanes whose entire action takes place far from the city of Athens. Consequently, the play makes little mention of the circumstances of the Peloponnesian War, or of contemporary Athenian politics. It won second prize at the Dionysia in 414 BC. It is a play about the … Continue reading Aristophanes’s The Birds: A New City in the Sky
comedy
The Courts Ridiculed in the Wasps
At the outset of the Wasps, we are presented with two slaves who are awakening after drinking. They have been tasked with keeping guard over the entrances and exits of their house. A huge net has been cast over the house. Their instructions come from their master, Bdelykleon ("Kleon despiser" -in the play, Aristophanes continues his … Continue reading The Courts Ridiculed in the Wasps
The Circus
The Circus (1928) Director: Sir Charles Chaplin ★★★★★ The Circus is a wonderful film filled with humor and melancholy. It is quite possibly my favorite Chaplin film, and one of the great films of the 1920s that is an enduring example of the importance of the silent era. The Circus is a delightful film, reprising … Continue reading The Circus
The Navigator
9/5/2016 The Navigator (1924) Director: Buster Keaton and Donald Crisp ★★★★☆ The Navigator is another delightful and important silent film directed by Buster Keaton. It is prescient in a number of ways, including foreshadowing the work of Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times with the contemplation of man in his unnatural habitat filled with confusing and anxiety-ridden machinery. This film, … Continue reading The Navigator
Aristotle, Oedipus, and Greek Tragedy
There has been a longstanding debate, dating back to Aristotle, regarding the purpose, or telos, of a tragedy, and whether or not the "tragic" element is the result of is the result of a unique or particular character flaw stemming from the central protagonist. In other words, is Oedipus, indeed, a flawed human being who has brought about … Continue reading Aristotle, Oedipus, and Greek Tragedy
Our Hospitality
8/27/16 Our Hospitality (1923) Director: Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton and John G. Blystone ★★★★★ Buster Keaton delivers a delightful film with Our Hospitality -the second of his ten brilliant films under Buster Keaton Productions. It is more sentimental than some of his other later films, such as The General or Sherlock, Jr. The vast luxury of rural southern … Continue reading Our Hospitality
