Why is Aristophanes called "The Father of Comedy"? - Mark Robinson

Translator: Zahra Wijaya Reviewer: Ade Indarta

At the annual Athenian drama festival in 426 BC,

Pada festival drama tahunan di Athena pada tahun 426 SM,

a comic play called The Babylonians,

sebuah drama komik berjudul Para Babilon,

written by a young poet named Aristophanes,

ditulis oleh penyair muda bernama Aristophanes,

was awarded first prize.

diberi juara satu.

But the play’s depiction of Athens’ conduct during the Peloponnesian War

Tetapi pencitraan perilaku Athena pada Perang Peloponnesia di dramanya

was so controversial that afterwards,

sangat kontroversial sehingga

a politician named Kleon took Aristophanes to court

seorang politikus bernama Kleon membawa Aristophanes ke hakim,

for "slandering the people of Athens in the presence of foreigners."

karena "memfitnah para warga Athena di depan kehadiran orang asing."

Aristophanes struck back two years later with a play called The Knights.

Aristophanes kembali dua tahun setelah itu dengan drama berjudul Para Ksatria.

In it, he openly mocked Kleon,

Dalamnya, ia mengejek Kleon secara terbuka,

ending with Kleon’s character working as a lowly sausage seller

berakhir dengan tokoh Kleon bekerja sebagai penjual sosis rendahan

outside the city gates.

di luar gerbang kota.

This style of satire was a consequence

Gaya sindiran ini adalah akibat dari

of the unrestricted democracy of 5th century Athens

demokrasi tak terjaga dari Athena dalam abad ke-5

and is now called "Old Comedy."

dan sekarang disebut "Komedi Lama"

Aristophanes’ plays, the world’s earliest surviving comic dramas,

drama-drama Aristophanes, drama komik pertama di dunia yang masih ada

are stuffed full of parodies, songs, sexual jokes, and surreal fantasy.

diisi dengan parodi, lagu, lelucon seksual, dan fantasi tidak nyata.

They often use wild situations,

Dramanya sering memakai situasi aneh,

like a hero flying to heaven on a dung beetle,

seperti seorang pahlawan terbang ke surga menaiki kumbang kotoran,

or a net cast over a house to keep the owner’s father trapped inside,

atau jaring yang ditaruh di atas rumah agar ayah pemilik rumah terjebak,

in order to subvert audience expectations.

untuk menumbangkan ekspektasi para penonton.

And they’ve shaped how comedy’s been written and performed ever since.

Dan mereka telah membentuk bagaimana komedi ditulis dan dipentaskan sejak itu.

The word "comedy" comes from the Ancient Greek "komos," – revel,

Kata "komedi" berasal dari kata Yunani Kuno "komos" - bersenang-senang,

and "oide," – singing,

dan "oide," - menyanyi,

and it differed from its companion art form, "tragedy" in many ways.

dan itu berbeda dari bentuk seni pasangannya, "tragedi" dalam banyak hal.

Where ancient Athenian tragedies dealt with the downfall of the high and mighty,

Tragedi Athena kuno berisi kejatuhan dari puncak kejayaan,

their comedies usually ended happily.

komedi ini biasanya berakhir bahagia.

And where tragedy almost always borrowed stories from legend,

Dan di mana tragedi hampir selalu memakai cerita dari legenda,

comedy addressed current events.

komedi berisi tentang kejadian saat itu.

Aristophanes’ comedies celebrated ordinary people and attacked the powerful.

Komedi Aristophanes merayakan orang biasa dan menyerang yang kuat.

His targets were arrogant politicians,

Targetnya adalah politikus sombong,

war-mongering generals,

jenderal yang suka perang.

and self-important intellectuals,

dan cendekiawan yang sok penting,

exactly the people who sat in the front row of the theatre,

orang-orang yang duduk di barisan depan teater,

where everyone could see their reactions.

di mana semua orang dapat melihat reaksinya.

As a result, they were referred to as komoidoumenoi:

Hasilnya, mereka dipanggil komoidoumenoi:

"those made fun of in comedy."

"mereka yang ditertawakan dalam komedi."

Aristophanes’ vicious and often obscene mockery

Olokan Aristophane yang ganas dan senonoh

held these leaders to account, testing their commitment to the city.

meminta pertanggungjawaban para pemimpin, menguji komitmen mereka terhadap kota.

One issue, in particular, inspired much of Aristophanes’ work:

Satu hal, khususnya, menginspirasi banyak karya Aristophanes:

the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.

Perang Peloponesia antara Athena dan Sparta.

In Peace, written in 421 BC,

Dalam "Damai",

yang ditulis pada tahun 421 SM,

a middle-aged Athenian frees the embodiment of peace from a cave,

warga Athena yang paruh baya membebaskan perwujudan damai dari gua,

where she’d been exiled by profiteering politicians.

di mana ia diasingkan oleh politikus pencatut.

Then, in the aftermath of a crushing naval defeat for Athens in 411 BC,

Lalu, setelah kekalahan angkatan laut untuk Athena pada tahun 411 SM,

Aristophanes wrote "Lysistrata."

Aristophanes menulis "Lysistrata."

In this play, the women of Athens grow sick of war

Dalam drama ini, para wanita Athena muak akan perang

and go on a sex strike until their husbands make peace.

dan melakukan pemogokan seks hingga suami mereka berdamai.

Other plays use similarly fantastic scenarios to skewer topical situations,

Drama-drama lain menggunakan keadaan fantastis untuk menceritakan

such as in "Clouds,"

keadaan hangat, seperti di "Awan."

where Aristophanes mocked fashionable philosophical thinking.

di mana Aristophanes mengejek pemikiran filosofis yang modis.

The hero Strepsiades enrolls in Socrates’s new philosophical school,

Pahlawan bernama Strepsiades mendaftar ke sekolah filosofi Socrates yang baru,

where he learns how to prove that wrong is right

di mana ia belajar membuktikan bahwa salah itu benar

and that a debt is not a debt.

dan sebuah utang bukanlah utang.

No matter how outlandish these plays get, the heroes always prevail in the end.

Tidak peduli seberapa anehnya drama ini, para pahlawan akan selalu bahagia.

Aristophanes also became the master of the parabasis,

Aristophanes juga menjadi ahli parabasis,

a comic technique where actors address the audience directly,

teknik komik di mana pemeran berbicara dengan penonton secara langsung,

often praising the playwright or making topical comments and jokes.

seringkali memuji dramawannya, atau membuat komen dan lelucon aktual.

For example, in "Birds,"

Contohnya, dalam "Burung,"

the Chorus takes the role of different birds

paduan suaranya memerankan burung-burung,

and threatens the Athenian judges that if their play doesn’t win first prize,

dan mengancam juri Athena bahwa jika drama mereka tidak menang juara satu,

they’ll defecate on them as they walk around the city.

mereka akan memberak saat mereka jalan-jalan di kotanya.

Perhaps the judges didn’t appreciate the joke,

Mungkin jurinya tidak menyukai leluconnya,

as the play came in second.

jadi dramanya meraih juara dua.

By exploring new ideas

Dengan menjelajahi ide baru

and encouraging self-criticism in Athenian society,

dan mendorong kritik diri dalam masyarakat Athena,

Aristophanes not only mocked his fellow citizens,

Aristophanes tidak hanya mengejek sesama warganya,

but he shaped the nature of comedy itself.

tetapi ia membentuk sifat dari komedi sendiri.

Hailed by some scholars as the father of comedy,

Dipuji oleh beberapa cendekiawan sebagai Bapak Komedi,

his fingerprints are visible upon comic techniques everywhere,

jejaknya dapat dilihat pada teknik komik di mana-mana,

from slapstick

dari dagelan,

to double acts

ke pentas duet

to impersonations

ke peniruan,

to political satire.

atau sindiran politik.

Through the praise of free speech and the celebration of ordinary heroes,

Melalui pujian kebebasan berbicara dan perayaan dari pahlawan biasa,

his plays made his audience think while they laughed.

dramanya membuat para penonton berpikir sambil mereka tertawa.

And his retort to Kleon in 425 BC still resonates today:

Dan balasannya untuk Kleon pada tahun 425 SM masih berlaku hingga hari ini.

“I’m a comedian, so I’ll speak about justice,

"Aku seorang pelawak, jadi aku akan ngomong tentang kebenaran,

no matter how hard it sounds to your ears.”

tanpa mempedulikan perasaanmu."