ENGLISH

Costume in the Comedies of Aristophanes

By Gwendolyn Compton-Engle

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
2015
ISBN
1107083796, 9781107083790
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
6 MB (6721911 bytes)
Pages
212\218
Scanned
yes
Time added
2015-05-08 12:08:27
History Criticism Theater Performing Arts Photogra

Description

This book offers an interpretation of the handling of costume in the plays of the fifth-century comic poet Aristophanes. Drawing on both textual and material evidence from the fourth- and fifth-century Greek world, it examines three layers of costume: the bodysuit worn by the actors, the characters' clothes, and the additional layering of disguise. A chapter is also devoted to the inventive costumes of the comic chorus. Going beyond describing what costumes looked like, the book focuses instead on the dynamics of costume as it is manipulated by characters in the performance of plays. The book argues that costume is used competitively, as characters handle each other's costumes and poets vie for status using costume. This argument is informed by performance studies and by analyses of gender and the body.

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