§ 5 Comedy at the City Dionysia
Very little is known about the early history of the comic contests at the City Dionysia. The date of their first institution can only be fixed approximately. Aristotle tells us that they were of later origin than those in tragedy.69 This being so, they cannot have reached back further than about 500 B.C. On the other hand, there is an inscription which proves that they were already in existence in 463.70 Their establishment must therefore be assigned to some period within the first four decades of the century. The number of poets who were allowed to compete differed at different epochs. In the fifth century it was always three, as in tragedy.71 But early in the fourth century it was raised to five, both at the City Dionysia and at the Lenaea, and this continued ever afterwards to be the regulation number.72 The increase was probably due, partly to the growing popularity of the comic drama, partly also to the fact that, owing to the curtailment of the chorus, comedies were now less expensive to produce, and took less time to perform. Each poet competed with a single play. This was the invariable practice on the comic stage, both at the City Dionysia and at the Lenaea. The exhibition of groups of plays, after the manner of the tragic poets, was unknown in the history of comedy. Still, in spite of this rule, an author was sometimes enabled to bring out two plays at the same festival. But in order to do so he had to take the place of two poets, and to compete as it were against himself. The number of comedies remained the same. Thus in 422 Aristophanes made a double appearance, and was first with the Prelude, and second with the Wasps. Leucon, his sole antagonist, was third with the Ambassadors.73 In 288 Diodorus was second with the Corpse, and third with the Madman.74 Such cases, however, were apparently very rare, and must have been due either to some exceptional dearth in the supply of dramatists, or to the marked inferiority of the other poets who had applied for permission to compete.
We have seen that comedy was much later than tragedy in obtaining official recognition from the State. It also continued to grow and develop much longer. A sure symptom of decline, both in tragedy and comedy, was the tendency to fall back upon the past, and to reproduce old plays, instead of striking out new developments. In the case of tragedy this custom had already begun to prevail as early as the middle of the fourth century. But comedy was still at that time in the height of its career. A fresh direction was being given to the art, under the leadership of Menander and Philemon, by the evolution of the New Comedy, a comedy of manners and everyday life. There was no desire as yet to have recourse to the ancient poets. In a record of comic contests for the year 288,75 the plays exhibited are all new ones. But when we reach the second century the custom of performing old comedies is found to have been fully established. Numerous records of the comic performances during that period have been preserved, and in every case the five new comedies are preceded by an old one.76 There had been occasional revivals before this, for instance in the year 340, but these seem to have been exceptional.77 Among the plays reproduced are Menander’s Ghost and Misogynist, Philemon’s Phocians, and Posidippus’ Outcast. It is noticeable that all these revivals were limited to the New Comedy. There is no trace of a reproduction of plays from the Middle and the Old. Nor is this surprising. The comedy of early times was so local and personal in its allusions, and depended so much for its interest upon contemporary events, that it could not be expected to attract the ordinary public of a later generation.
From the records just referred to it is evident that during the second century B.C. comedy still flourished as vigorously as ever at the City Dionysia. The festival had sometimes to be abandoned, owing to the pressure of war and other calamities. But whenever there was a contest, five new plays were exhibited. After the second century the notices about this festival come to an end. But it is well known that in other parts of Greece original comedies continued to form a part of the programme at various festal gatherings down to the first century of the Christian era.78 We may therefore conclude without much doubt that they were retained at the City Dionysia for an equally long period.