Management of Emotions
the Case of 'Fear' in Aristophanes’ Comic Hero
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25187/codex.v11i2.62358Keywords:
Emotions Studies, Ancient Greek Comedy, Fear, Comic HeroismAbstract
Aristophanes' comedy does not present a monolithic model of comic heroism; nevertheless, it is possible to detect a considerable number of recurrent common features in its protagonists – among others, an admirable courage, responsible for the agency of social change that comedy normally procures in consonance with the audience's desires. This exemplary courage is based on a total lack of fear (aphobia) that the discourse takes care of underlying in images and metaphors of a warlike nature, in which the protagonist is assimilated to a brave warrior. In this direction, this paper proposes to investigate the role of fear in the characters of Aristophanic comedy whose protagonism has been questioned or controversial, as in the case of Agoracritus in Knights or Strepsiades in Clouds. Likewise, given that fear is a politically inspired emotion, and ancient comedy aims to educate its audience politically, we will ask about the advice about fear that comedy intends to give to its audience.
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