a comic play called The Babylonians,

西元前 426 年， 在雅典年度的戲劇節

written by a young poet named Aristophanes,

有一齣喜劇叫做《巴比倫人》，

was awarded first prize.

是由阿里斯多芬尼斯 這位年輕詩人所寫的，

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

該作品得到了第一名。

was so controversial that afterwards,

但這齣劇中對於伯羅奔尼撒 戰爭期間雅典的作為

a politician named Kleon took Aristophanes to court

有非常爭議性的描寫，以致於後來

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

有一位名叫克萊昂得政客， 把阿里斯多芬尼斯送上法庭，

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

理由是「在外國人 面前誹謗雅典人」。

In it, he openly mocked Kleon,

阿里斯多芬尼斯兩年後再次反擊， 推出一齣劇《騎士》。

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

在該劇中，他公開嘲弄克萊昂，

outside the city gates.

結局是克萊昂的角色 在城門外做著低下的

This style of satire was a consequence

香腸銷售員工作。

of the unrestricted democracy of 5th century Athens

會出現這種諷刺風格，是因為

and is now called "Old Comedy."

在第五世紀的雅典， 民主不受限制，

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

這種風格現在稱為「舊喜劇」。

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

阿里斯多芬尼斯的戲劇是 世界上存留下來最早的喜劇戲劇，

They often use wild situations,

充滿了滑稽模仿、歌曲、 性笑話，以及超現實的幻想。

like a hero flying to heaven on a dung beetle,

這類戲劇通常會用荒唐的情境，

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

比如英雄騎著蜣螂飛向天堂，

in order to subvert audience expectations.

或是在一間房子上蓋著一張網 來把屋主的父親困在屋內，

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

目的是要顛覆觀眾的期望。

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

它們形塑出了後續喜劇的 編劇和表演方式。

and "oide," – singing,

「喜劇（comedy）」這個詞來自 古希臘文「komos」——狂歡，

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

以及「oide」——唱歌，

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

喜劇和另一種相應的藝術形式 「悲劇」，在很多方面不同。

their comedies usually ended happily.

古雅典悲劇處理的是高位、 強大的人墮落的故事，

And where tragedy almost always borrowed stories from legend,

而喜劇總是快樂地收場。

comedy addressed current events.

悲劇總喜歡引用傳說的故事，

Aristophanes' comedies celebrated ordinary people and attacked the powerful.

喜劇則是用時事。

His targets were arrogant politicians,

阿里斯多芬尼斯的喜劇會 讚頌凡人、攻擊當權者。

war-mongering generals,

他針對的目標是自大的政客、

and self-important intellectuals,

製造戰爭的將軍，

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

以及妄自尊大的知識分子，

where everyone could see their reactions.

正是在劇院中會坐在前排的人，

As a result, they were referred to as komoidoumenoi:

而大家都可以看到前排人的反應。

"those made fun of in comedy."

因此，這些人被稱為 「komoidoumenoi」：

Aristophanes' vicious and often obscene mockery

「在喜劇中被玩弄的人」。

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

阿里斯多芬尼斯的嘲弄 很惡毒，常常也很猥褻，

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

他就是要這些領導者負責， 考驗他們對城市的投入。

the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.

有一個議題，特別是 阿里斯多芬尼斯創作的靈感來源：

In Peace, written in 421 BC,

雅典和斯巴達之間的 伯羅奔尼撒戰爭。

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

在西元前 421 年所寫的 《和平》一作當中，

where she'd been exiled by profiteering politicians.

一位中年雅典人把具像化成為人的 「和平」從一個洞穴中解放出來，

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

而她是被牟取暴利的政客 給放逐到那裡去的。

Aristophanes wrote "Lysistrata."

接著，在西元前 411 年， 在雅典海軍慘敗之後的時期，

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

阿里斯多芬尼斯寫了 《利西翠妲》。

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

在這部劇本中， 雅典女性厭倦了戰爭，

Other plays use similarly fantastic scenarios to skewer topical situations,

決定進行性罷工， 直到她們的丈夫談和為止。

such as in "Clouds,"

其他的劇作也用類似的奇幻情境 來串起很有話題性的情境，

where Aristophanes mocked fashionable philosophical thinking.

比如在《雲》中，

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

阿里斯多芬尼斯嘲弄了 流行的哲學思想。

where he learns how to prove that wrong is right

主角史粹普西底斯進入 蘇格拉底的新哲學學校就讀，

and that a debt is not a debt.

在那裡，他學到 如何證明錯的是對的，

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

證明債不是債。

Aristophanes also became the master of the parabasis,

不論這些劇作有多麼古怪， 到最後，主角總是會獲勝。

a comic technique where actors address the audience directly,

阿里斯多芬尼斯也成為 合唱隊主唱段的大師，

often praising the playwright or making topical comments and jokes.

合唱隊主唱段是一種技巧， 演員直接對觀眾演說，

For example, in "Birds,"

通常是讚美劇作家或是做 主題性的評論及說笑話。

the Chorus takes the role of different birds

比如，在《鳥》中，

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

合唱團扮演不同的鳥的角色，

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

並威脅雅典裁判，如果 他們的劇作沒得到第一名，

Perhaps the judges didn't appreciate the joke,

就會在他們在城市中行走時， 將鳥糞拉在他們身上。

as the play came in second.

也許裁判不欣賞這個玩笑，

By exploring new ideas

這部劇作得到第二名。

and encouraging self-criticism in Athenian society,

透過開發新點子

Aristophanes not only mocked his fellow citizens,

以及在雅典社會中鼓勵自我批判，

but he shaped the nature of comedy itself.

阿里斯多芬尼斯不僅僅 嘲笑他的市民同伴們，

Hailed by some scholars as the father of comedy,

他也形塑出了喜劇的本質。

his fingerprints are visible upon comic techniques everywhere,

有些學者稱他為喜劇之父，

from slapstick

在各處的喜劇技巧中 都看得見他的影子，

to double acts

從低俗鬧劇喜劇，

to impersonations

到雙人搭擋演出，到模仿，

to political satire.

到政治諷刺劇。

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

透過讚美自由言論 及讚頌平凡英雄，

his plays made his audience think while they laughed.

他的劇作讓觀眾在歡笑的同時 也能有所思考。

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

而他在西元前 425 年對克萊昂的 反擊，至今仍然在迴響著：

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

「我是位喜劇演員， 所以我會訴說正義，

no matter how hard it sounds to your ears.”

不論你聽起來覺得多麼不順耳。」