The argumentative function of the explicit reference to the public in the early comedy of Aristophanes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/emerita.2013.05.1213Keywords:
Reference to the public, argumentation, comic hero, spokesman, antagonistAbstract
This work analyzes the argumentative function of the explicit reference to the public in the Aristophanic comedies, focusing on the political plays of the period of Cleon. In our opinion, the express mention of the public is crucial to understand which are the positive characters in the play. There are three types of characters that usually have the privilege of mentioning the spectators: the comic heroes, the choir and the slaves favourable to the hero, who has the leading role in the opening scene of some comedies. In all the cases, it is a positive character, who acts as a spokesman for the enunciator-author or collaborates with the plan of the hero. On the contrary, the antagonistic characters do not enjoy this prerogative. This clear difference demonstrates that the resource has an intentional use and an argumentative function in the early comedy.
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