Old Comedy and the Law

Abstract

This paper aims to challenge the notion that utterances in Old Comedy were subject to the same laws as any others made in other contexts in fifth-century Athens. With this goal in mind, it re-examines the various ancient accounts that have been adduced to reflect attempts to censure Old Comedy9s slandering and mocking capacity; some anecdotes that may suggest an influence of comedy on the political and social life of the city; the alleged subjection of comedy to the various laws on slander; and, in particular, the purported prosecution of Aristophanes by Cleon.