Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics . Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned.
86-501: Alpha House is an American political satire television series produced by Amazon Studios . The show starred John Goodman , Clark Johnson , Matt Malloy , and Mark Consuelos as four Republican U.S. Senators who share a house in Washington, D.C. It was created by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau . The show premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 19, 2013. The series is inspired by several real Democratic Senators who share
172-399: A Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One and A Witch Trial at Mount Holly . Cartoons continued to provide commentary on American politics. In the late 1800s, editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast employed political satire to tackle issues like corruption. Amongst other notable political satirists is well-known author Mark Twain , who used satire to criticize and comment on slavery. In
258-484: A comedy. Aristotle claimed that Aeschylus added the second actor ( deuteragonist ), and that Sophocles introduced the third ( tritagonist ). Apparently, the Greek playwrights never used more than three actors based on what is known about Greek theatre. Tragedy and comedy were viewed as completely separate genres, and no plays ever merged aspects of the two. Satyr plays dealt with the mythological subject matter of
344-641: A direct, and illegal, attack on Napoleon's rule. The noble baron Montesquieu made the case for liberalism ; the Florentine political writer Machiavelli presented the case for cynical despotism . In this manner, Joly communicated the secret ways in which liberalism might spawn a despot like Napoleon III. The literacy rate in France was roughly 30 percent in the 19th century making it virtually impossible for people of lower classes to engage in political satire. However, visual arts could be interpreted by anyone, and
430-587: A form of alternative journalism . Utilizing satire has shown to be an attractive feature in news programming, drawing in the audiences of less politically engaged demographic cohorts. Moreover, satire news programming can be considered alternative because satire plays an important role in dissecting and critiquing power. In his article The Daily Show: Discursive Integration and the Reinvention of Political Journalism , Baym detailed how The Daily Show , then hosted by Jon Stewart , presented news stories. For
516-580: A hill, producing a natural viewing area known as the theatron (literally "seeing place"). In cities without suitable hills, banks of earth were piled up. At the foot of the hill was a flattened, generally circular performance space with an average diameter of 78 feet (24 m), known as the orchestra (literally "dancing place"), where a chorus of typically 12 to 15 people performed plays in verse accompanied by music. There were often tall, arched entrances called parodoi or eisodoi , through which actors and chorus members entered and exited
602-472: A man named Charles Philipon took advantage creating two weekly magazines, La Caricature and Le Charivari – the cheaper of the two. Philipon used his papers, which had become more and more popular across France, as a threat to the King, Louis-Philippe, as the papers used satire and humor to criticize the government and King. Several attempts to suppress the two magazines were made by the monarchy which would only make
688-524: A play entitled The Fall of Miletus and produced it, the whole theatre fell to weeping; they fined Phrynichus a thousand drachmas for bringing to mind a calamity that affected them so personally and forbade the performance of that play forever." He is also thought to be the first to use female characters (though not female performers). Until the Hellenistic period , all tragedies were unique pieces written in honour of Dionysus and played only once; what
774-563: A play, such as the Furies in Aeschylus ' Eumenides and Pentheus and Cadmus in Euripides ' The Bacchae . Worn by the chorus, the masks created a sense of unity and uniformity, while representing a multi-voiced persona or single organism and simultaneously encouraged interdependency and a heightened sensitivity between each individual of the group. Only 2 to 3 actors were allowed on
860-401: A political nature evokes negative emotions which consequently mobilizes political participation. It is documented that watching late-night comedy shows increases political participation due to the interpersonal discussions and online interaction that follows as a result of political satire. On the other hand, some scholars have expressed concern over the influence of political comedy shows, it
946-630: A right-wing news pundit. Both hosts' television programs were broadcast on Comedy Central . The Daily Show continues to run with Stewart as the Monday host, and featured Trevor Noah as the host from 2015–2022; Colbert became the host of The Late Show , succeeding David Letterman . With their shows, Stewart and Colbert helped increase public and academic discussion of the significance of political satire. Real Time with Bill Maher , Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver are also examples of satirical news shows. During
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#17327760137341032-473: A row house in Washington D.C. The series has a number of cameos from celebrities such as Bill Murray (as Senator Vernon Smits) and politicians such as Chuck Schumer as himself. Amazon Studios offered the first three episodes of Alpha House for free, with each subsequent episode released weekly thereafter for Amazon Prime members on Amazon Prime Video . On February 11, 2014, the series was renewed for
1118-416: A score of 83% based on reviews from 6 critics. Political satire Political satire is usually distinguished from political protest or political dissent , as it does not necessarily carry an agenda nor seek to influence the political process. While occasionally it may, it more commonly aims simply to provide entertainment. By its very nature, it rarely offers a constructive view in itself; when it
1204-601: A second season and the production for the second season began filming in July 2014. The entire second season became available on Amazon.com on October 24, 2014. The series was canceled after the second season. On February 11, 2014, the series was renewed for a second season. Production for the second season began filming in July 2014, and the entire season premiered on Amazon.com on October 24, 2014. Filming took place on stages at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens . ADR recording
1290-456: A topic. Baym proposes that as these shows are alternative , they have no obligation to "abide by standard practices". Unlike traditional news sources, which may be required to adhere to certain agendas, like political affiliation or advertising restrictions, hosts of satire news shows are free and zealous to showcase personal contributions through their mentions of disdain, qualms, and excitement. Critics of satire in news shows thus believe that
1376-469: Is Bassem Youssef . In Syria, in the year 2001 a satirical newspaper known as the Lamplighter was first published and resonated with the public as it sold out immediately. It was the first independent paper in the country since 1965 and was created by cartoonist and satirist Ali Farzat . A 2002 example of censorship resulted in satirist Ali Farzat having to remove two articles and a cartoon about
1462-452: Is a fake news segment on the show that satirizes politics and current events. It has been a part of SNL since the first episode of the show on October 11, 1975. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report use stylistic formats that are similar to Weekend Update . On The Daily Show , host Jon Stewart used footage from news programs to satirize politics and the news media. Stephen Colbert performed in character on The Colbert Report as
1548-424: Is argued that rather than increase political participation it has the adverse effect. Rather than mobilize participation it can actually demobilize participation due to the negative analysis of political figures, leading to cynicism towards the government and electoral system. Research has shown that voter attitude shifts positively in relation to political figures who find humor in their ridicule. This has to do with
1634-515: Is certainly rooted in the very nature of Greek religion, and there is no doubt that this attitude contributed to the gradual undermining of the old belief in the gods. [...] To tell immoral and scandalous stories about the gods did not offend average religious feeling; it troubled only advanced spirits like Xenophanes and Pintar [...] and it is clear that people no longer believed either in the story or in Zeus. Satire and derision progressively attacked even
1720-522: Is normally regarded as the Golden Age of Greek drama. The center-piece of the annual Dionysia , which took place once in winter and once in spring, was a competition between three tragic playwrights at the Theatre of Dionysus . Each submitted three tragedies, plus a satyr play (a comic, burlesque version of a mythological subject). Beginning in a first competition in 486 BC each playwright submitted
1806-542: Is presently known, was created in Athens around 532 BC, when Thespis was the earliest recorded actor. Being a winner of the first theatrical contest held in Athens, he was the exarchon , or leader, of the dithyrambs performed in and around Attica, especially at the Rural Dionysia . By Thespis' time, the dithyramb had evolved far away from its cult roots. Under the influence of heroic epic, Doric choral lyric and
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#17327760137341892-645: Is primarily extant today are the pieces that were still remembered well enough to have been repeated when the repetition of old tragedies became fashionable (the accidents of survival, as well as the subjective tastes of the Hellenistic librarians later in Greek history, also played a role in what survived from this period). After the Achaemenid destruction of Athens in 480 BC, the town and acropolis were rebuilt, and theatre became formalized and an even greater part of Athenian culture and civic pride. This century
1978-441: Is somewhat idealistic. Nevertheless, Faina argues that the potential still exists. Not to mention, with the rise in technology and the growing ubiquity of cellular phones, it can be argued that civic participation is all the more easy to accomplish. Modern studies of the effects of political satire have shown that political satire has an influence on political participation, in fact research has shown that an exposure to satire of
2064-538: Is the Pronomos Vase where actors are painted at a show's after party. Costuming would give off a sense of character, as in gender, age, social status, and class. For example, characters of higher class would be dressed in nicer clothing, although everyone was dressed fairly nicely. Contrary to popular belief, they did not dress in only rags and sandals, as they wanted to impress. Some examples of Greek theatre costuming include long robes called chiton that reached
2150-599: Is unclear at best, but his name has been given a longer life in English as a common term for performer—i.e., a "thespian." The dramatic performances were important to the Athenians – this is made clear by the creation of a tragedy competition and festival in the City Dionysia (or Great Dionysia). This was organized possibly to foster loyalty among the tribes of Attica (recently created by Cleisthenes ). The festival
2236-403: Is used as part of protest or dissent, it tends to simply establish the error of matters rather than provide solutions. Because of the exaggerated manner of these parodies, satirical news shows can more effectively sway their audiences to believe specific ideas by overemphasizing the flaws of the critiqued subject. This can be very harmful to the reputation of public figures or organizations since
2322-697: The 2020 presidential campaign , perennial candidate Vermin Supreme was recruited by members of the Libertarian Party to run a serious presidential campaign ( Vermin Supreme 2020 presidential campaign ) which utilizes his satirical character to promote libertarianism . As early as the Ottoman Empire , political satire was used to express political dissent and mobilize public opinion through shadow puppet shows, improvised folk theater and cartoons. The Ottoman Empire's first satirical magazine
2408-582: The Golden Age such as the Danaids , Phoenician Women and Alcestis . He was the first poet we know of to use a historical subject – his Fall of Miletus , produced in 493–2, chronicled the fate of the town of Miletus after it was conquered by the Persians. Herodotus reports that "the Athenians made clear their deep grief for the taking of Miletus in many ways, but especially in this: when Phrynichus wrote
2494-528: The 18th and 19th centuries editorial cartoons developed as graphic form of satire, with dedicated satirical magazines such as Punch (launched 1841) appearing in the first half of the 19th century. A local satirical newspaper, The Town Crier , launched in Birmingham in 1861, has been described as setting out, through humour, to compare "municipal government as it was – in incompetent hands – with municipal government as it might be". The early 1960s saw
2580-455: The 1930's, political satire dominated Broadway . Lyricist Irving Berlin and playwright Moss Hart co-wrote the popular musical As Thousands Cheer . The Broadway show poked fun at politics by referencing topical news articles. Satire became more visible on American television during the 1960s. Some of the early shows that used political satire include the British and American versions of
2666-470: The 1960s. Greek mask-maker Thanos Vovolis suggests that the mask serves as a resonator for the head, thus enhancing vocal acoustics and altering its quality. This leads to increased energy and presence, allowing for the more complete metamorphosis of the actor into his character. In a large open-air theatre, like the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens , the classical masks were able to create a sense of dread in
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2752-650: The 19th century as thousands of new magazines emerged in Germany. Magazines and newspapers began to exceed the consumption of books and became one of the most popular forms of media in Germany at the time. The UK has a long tradition of political satire, dating from the early years of English literature. In some readings, a number of William Shakespeare 's plays can be seen – or at least performed – as satire, including Richard III and The Merchant of Venice . Later examples such as Jonathan Swift 's A Modest Proposal are more outright in their satirical nature. Through
2838-573: The Prime Minister from a magazine, which was deemed insulting. Farzat's newspaper was subsequently shut down and his printing license was revoked. According to the findings of the 2004 Pew Survey , both younger and older audiences are turning to late-night comedy shows as not only a source of entertainment, but also for an opportunity to gain political awareness. For this reason, Geoffrey Baym suggests that shows that make use of political satire, such as The Daily Show , should be considered as
2924-725: The United Kingdom include people such as Peter Brookes who has been a political cartoonist for The Times since 1992 and Nicola Jennings who features regularly in The Guardian . Comedian Tom Walker is famous for playing a political correspondent under the name of " Jonathan Pie " Street artists like Banksy have used dark political humor and witty political and social commentaries, primarily through graffiti , to comment on various themes such as capitalism, imperialism and war. Banksy's pieces which feature street art on political satire include "Stop and Search" which illustrates
3010-475: The United States than the United Kingdom, as commentators who are both Liberal and Conservative are being used more often as the "main way" in which young viewers learn about current affairs. This is particularly troublesome when commentators use polemic and sarcasm in their satire as opposed to witty humour or impersonations. The fact that the gods could be brought down to a human or 'far too human' level
3096-474: The actors' voices could be heard throughout the theatre, including the very top row of seats. The Greek's understanding of acoustics compares very favorably with the current state of the art . There were several scenic elements commonly used in Greek theatre: The Ancient Greek term for a mask is prosopon (lit., "face"), and was a significant element in the worship of Dionysus at Athens likely used in ceremonial rites and celebrations. Many masks worshipped
3182-400: The altar of Dionysus after performances. Nevertheless, the mask is known to have been used since the time of Aeschylus and considered to be one of the iconic conventions of classical Greek theatre. Masks were also made for members of the chorus, who play some part in the action and provide a commentary on the events in which they are caught up. Although there are twelve or fifteen members of
3268-462: The articles more critical. Philipon was eventually taken to court and sentenced to 13 months in prison following several more arrests. The drawings that originally sent Philipon to court were drawings that turned the King into a pear over the course of the drawings. The people of France began to recognize that King Louis-Philippe really did look like a pear and could not separate the two. People began to sarcastically state that pears should be banned in
3354-542: The audience creating large scale panic, especially since they had intensely exaggerated facial features and expressions. They enabled an actor to appear and reappear in several different roles, thus preventing the audience from identifying the actor to one specific character. Their variations help the audience to distinguish sex, age, and social status, in addition to revealing a change in a particular character's appearance, e.g., Oedipus , after blinding himself. Unique masks were also created for specific characters and events in
3440-433: The bottom of the theatron where the chorus and actors performed; the word means "dancing space", as the chorus also danced in early periods. Originally unraised, Greek theatre would later incorporate a raised stage for easier viewing. This practice would become common after the advent of "New Comedy," which incorporated dramatic portrayal of individual characters. The coryphaeus was the head chorus member, who could enter
3526-410: The character Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz being searched by a police officer. Banksy mocks politicians opinions on police brutality as innocent Dorothy is being questioned by the police which is a representation of police brutality. "Bomb Hugger" is another one of Banksy's pieces which displays a young woman hugging a bomb which was dropped by military planes. He criticizes the nature of war and
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3612-471: The country as cutting one would be a threat towards the King, Louis-Philippe. According to Santayana , German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was actually "a keen satirist". "Nietzsche's satire" was aimed at Lutheranism. Kladderadatsch and Simplicissimus were two sources of political satire in Germany during the 18-19 century, both of which show how satire can be used to see cultural history in societies. Popularity in press and satirical jokes flourished in
3698-518: The digital online magazine and website sources such as The Onion . An early and well-known piece of political satire is a poem by Dante Alighieri called Divine Comedy ( c. 1308 –1320). In this piece, Dante suggests that politicians of that time in Florence should travel to hell. Another well-known form of political satire through theater is William Shakespeare 's play Richard II , which criticized politics and authority figures of
3784-473: The feeling of relating to politicians, who allow themselves to be seen as the comedians joke. Political satire may also be used to cover a presidential aspect that America has a problem with. Joe Biden utilized humor in his campaign for presidency as he joked about the concern of his age. Though satire in news is celebrated as a vehicle toward a more informed public, such view is not universally shared among scholars. Critics have expressed their hesitancy toward
3870-454: The floor for actors playing gods, heroes, and old men. Actors playing goddesses and women characters that held a lot of power wore purple and gold. Actors playing queens and princesses wore long cloaks that dragged on the ground and were decorated with gold stars and other jewels, and warriors were dressed in a variety of armor and wore helmets adorned with plumes. Costumes were supposed to be colourful and obvious to be easily seen by every seat in
3956-410: The fundamental and most sacred facts of faith, above all faith in the gods' power, and it was from this that doubt began to grow. The power of the gods, whose dignity and stringth were impressively reflected in most of the tragedies, however different the religious attitudes of the tragic poets were, this same power was on the same festival days belittled and questioned by the comic poets who made fun of
4042-408: The general population. Meanwhile, Joseph Faina has considered the satire used in news shows as a facilitator in developing a public journalism practice. Faina explains in his article that the nature of satire encourages viewers to become politically engaged, and a civic participant , in which the humor exercised by hosts elicit responses in viewers. However, Faina has acknowledged that this model
4128-458: The general population. The Roman period, for example, gives us the satirical poems and epigrams of Martial . Cynic philosophers often engaged in political satire. Due to the lack of political freedom of speech in many ancient civilizations, covert satire is more common than overt satire in ancient literature of political liberalism . Historically, public opinion in the Athenian democracy
4214-463: The god Dionysus . Tragedy (late 500 BC), comedy (490 BC), and the satyr play were the three dramatic genres emerged there. Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies. Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece , from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes , stock characters , and plot elements. The word τραγῳδία , tragodia , from which
4300-476: The gods and represented traditional and sacred forms in a starling manner. Ancient Greek theatre A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens , which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as part of a festival called the Dionysia , which honoured
4386-555: The higher power, the gods, making masks also very important for religion. Most of the evidence comes from only a few vase paintings of the 5th century BC, such as one showing a mask of the god suspended from a tree with decorated robe hanging below it and dancing and the Pronomos vase, which depicts actors preparing for a satyr play . No physical evidence remains available to us, as the masks were made of organic materials and not considered permanent objects, ultimately being dedicated at
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#17327760137344472-400: The infiltration of lighthearted practices to cover more dire topics like political affair. Potentially off-color remarks, or vulgar comments made by the likes of Stephen Colbert of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , or Samantha Bee , host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee , can be used as examples of what critics are concerned about. Here, satire is believed to diminish the gravity of
4558-545: The innovations of the poet Arion , it had become a narrative, ballad-like genre. Because of these, Thespis is often called the "Inventor of Tragedy"; however, his importance is disputed, and Thespis is sometimes listed as late as 16th in the chronological order of Greek tragedians; the statesman Solon , for example, is credited with creating poems in which characters speak with their own voice, and spoken performances of Homer 's epics by rhapsodes were popular in festivals prior to 534 BC. Thus, Thespis's true contribution to drama
4644-411: The masked actor from the theatrical character. The mask-makers were called skeuopoios or "maker of the props", thus suggesting that their role encompassed multiple duties and tasks. The masks were most likely made out of light weight, organic materials like stiffened linen, leather, wood, or cork, with the wig consisting of human or animal hair. Due to the visual restrictions imposed by these masks, it
4730-447: The mouth and an integrated wig. These paintings never show actual masks on the actors in performance. They are most often shown being handled by the actors before or after a performance. This demonstrates the way in which the mask was to 'melt' into the face and allow the actor to vanish into the role. Effectively, the mask transformed the actor as much as memorization of the text. Therefore, performance in ancient Greece did not distinguish
4816-584: The opinions of politicians on the subject as the woman represents innocence being directly impacted by the "dark" bomb symbol. Political satire has played a role in American Politics since the 1700s. Under King George 's rule, the colonies used political cartoons to criticize the parliament and fight for independence. Founding father Benjamin Franklin was a notable political satirist. He employed satire in several essays, including Rules by Which
4902-443: The orchestra and also served as an area where actors could change their costumes. After 425 BC a stone scene wall, called a paraskenia , became a common supplement to skené . The paraskenia was a long wall with projecting sides, which may have had doorways for entrances and exits. Just behind the paraskenia was the proskenion ("in front of the scene"), which is similar to the modern day proscenium . The upper story
4988-423: The orchestra. In some theatres, behind the orchestra, was a backdrop or scenic wall known as the skené . The term theatre eventually came to mean the whole area of theatron , orchestra , and skené . The theatron was the seating area, built into a hill to create a natural viewing space. The first seats in Greek theatres (other than just sitting on the ground) were wooden, but around 499 BC,
5074-735: The other actors. The actors with comedic roles only wore a thin-soled shoe called a soccus or sock. For this reason, dramatic art is sometimes called " sock and buskin ." Male actors playing female roles would wear a wooden structure on their chests ( posterneda ) to imitate the look of breasts and another structure on their stomachs ( progastreda ) to make them appear softer and more lady like. They would also wear white body stockings under their costumes to make their skin appear fairer. Most costuming detail comes from pottery paintings from that time as costumes and masks were fabricated out of disposable material, so there are little to no remains of any costume from that time. The biggest source of information
5160-663: The parallel exposure of political scandals to performances (including television shows). Examples include musicians such as Tom Lehrer incorporating lyrics which targeted the army and the church, live performance groups like the Capitol Steps and the Montana Logging and Ballet Co. , and public television and live performer Mark Russell who made satirist comments to both democrats and republicans alike. Additional subgenres include such literary classics as Gulliver's Travels and Animal Farm , and more recently,
5246-502: The power of the spoken word, and it was their main method of communication and storytelling. Bahn and Bahn write, "To Greeks, the spoken word was a living thing and infinitely preferable to the dead symbols of a written language." Socrates himself believed that once something has been written down, it lost its ability for change and growth. For these reasons, among many others, oral storytelling flourished in Greece. Greek tragedy , as it
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#17327760137345332-442: The practice of inlaying stone blocks into the side of the hill to create permanent, stable seating became more common. They were called the prohedria and reserved for priests and a few of the most respected citizens. The diazoma separated the upper and lower seating areas. After 465 BC, playwrights began using a backdrop or scenic wall, called the skené (from which the word scene derives), that hung or stood behind
5418-577: The program That Was the Week That Was (airing on the American Broadcasting Company , or ABC, in the U.S.), CBS 's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , and NBC 's Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In . During the months leading up to the 1968 presidential election, Richard Nixon appeared on Laugh-In and repeated the program's catch-phrase "Sock it to me." Other forms of satire of the 1960s and early 1970s typically used
5504-492: The satire frames them in a comical way. Satire can be traced back throughout history; wherever organized government , or social categories have existed, so has satire. The oldest example that has survived until today is Aristophanes . In his time, satire targeted top politicians, like Cleon, and religion, at the time headed by Zeus. "Satire and derision progressively attacked even the fundamental and most sacred facts of faith," leading to an increased doubt towards religion by
5590-406: The satire news show, presenting information in a comprehensive manner was used to give viewers a greater perspective of a situation. Often, Stewart studded his segments with additional background information, or reminders of relevant and past details. For example, The Daily Show displayed the full video of Bush's comments regarding Tenet's resignation in 2004. This was a deliberate choice by
5676-434: The show in attempt to give a more sincere representation of the event. Moreover, it can be seen as a challenge and critique of what more traditional news shows failed to include. In this way, satire news can be seen as more informative than other news sources. Notably, research findings released by National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES) concede that followers of satire news are more knowledgeable and consume more news than
5762-475: The show to satirize Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin . In addition to Fey's striking physical resemblance to Palin, the impersonation of the vice presidential candidate was also noteworthy because of Fey's humorous use of some of exactly the same words Palin used in media interviews and campaign speeches as a way to perform political satire. Saturday Night Live also uses political satire throughout its Weekend Update sketch. Weekend Update
5848-413: The showcasing of an overly and openly frustrated host will induce or perpetuate "cynicism in viewers". The Financial Times argues that political satire can contribute to "media led populism", this is argued to be due to the mockery of politicians and public officials that is required to be accountable only to "audience maximisation", it is argued that this form of media led populism is more prevalent in
5934-480: The sitcom format, such as the show All in the Family . When Saturday Night Live debuted in 1975, the show began to change the way that comedians would depict the president on television. Chevy Chase opened the fourth episode of the show with his impersonation of a bumbling Gerald Ford . Chase did not change his appearance to look like President Ford, and he portrayed the president by repeatedly falling down on
6020-655: The so-called " satire boom ", of which the most prominent products were the stage revue Beyond the Fringe (debuted 1960), the fortnightly magazine Private Eye (launched 1961) and the BBC TV show That Was the Week That Was (1962–1963). More recent examples have included topical television panel shows such as Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week , and television series such as Ballot Monkeys , The Mash Report and Spitting Image . Key political cartoonists in
6106-435: The stage at one time, and masks permitted quick transitions from one character to another. There were only male actors, but masks allowed them to play female characters. The modern method to interpret a role by switching between a few simple characters goes back to changing masks in the theatre of ancient Greece. The actors in these plays that had tragic roles wore boots called cothurnus ( buskin ), that elevated them above
6192-432: The stage. Some of the other famous presidential impersonations on Saturday Night Live include Dan Aykroyd 's Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter caricatures, Dana Carvey as George H. W. Bush , Darrell Hammond and Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton , Will Ferrell as George W. Bush , Jay Pharoah and Fred Armisen as Barack Obama . Hartman was the first in a long string of cast members to impersonate Donald Trump , who
6278-439: The story as a character able to interact with the characters of a play. Plays often began in the morning and lasted into the evening. The theatres were built on a large scale to accommodate a large number of performers on stage and in the audience—up to fourteen thousand . Physics and mathematics played a significant role in the construction of these theatres, as their designers had to be able to create acoustics in them such that
6364-636: The time. One example is Maurice Joly 's 1864 pamphlet entitled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu ( Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu ), which attacks the political ambitions of Napoleon III . It was first published in Brussels in 1864. The piece used the literary device of a dialogue between two diabolical plotters in Hell , the historical characters of Machiavelli and Montesquieu , to cover up
6450-581: The tragedies, but in a purely comedic manner. The power of Athens declined following its defeat in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta . From that time on, the theatre started performing old tragedies again. Although its theatrical traditions seem to have lost their vitality, Greek theatre continued into the Hellenistic period (the period following Alexander the Great 's conquests in the fourth century BC). The primary Hellenistic theatrical form
6536-415: The tragic chorus, they all wear the same mask because they are considered to be representing one character. Stylized comedy and tragedy masks said to originate in ancient Greek theatre have come to widely symbolize the performing arts generally. Illustrations of theatrical masks from 5th century display helmet-like masks, covering the entire face and head, with holes for the eyes and a small aperture for
6622-432: The word " tragedy " is derived, is a compound of two Greek words: τράγος , tragos or "goat" and ᾠδή , ode meaning "song", from ἀείδειν , aeidein , 'to sing'. This etymology indicates a link with the practices of the ancient Dionysian cults . It is impossible, however, to know with certainty how these fertility rituals became the basis for tragedy and comedy . The Ancient Greeks valued
6708-548: Was called Karagöz , which translates to "Black eye." Turkey is home to the political satire magazine known as LeMan , which published its 1000th issue in 2010. LeMan is known for its political cartoons highlighting corruption, lampooning and shedding light on serious situations using humor. One of the most-widely read satirists is Egyptian writer Lenin El-Ramly , who is credited with over 30 scripts for films and television series and 12 plays. Another notable Egyptian satirist
6794-518: Was called the episkenion . Some theatres also had a raised speaking place on the orchestra called the logeion . By the end of the 5th century BC, around the time of the Peloponnesian War, the skené was two stories high. The death of a character was always heard behind the skené , for it was considered inappropriate to show a killing in view of the audience. Conversely, there are scholarly arguments that death in Greek tragedy
6880-409: Was created roughly around 508 BC. While no drama texts exist from the sixth century BC, the names of three competitors besides Thespis are known: Choerilus, Pratinas, and Phrynichus . Each is credited with different innovations in the field. Some information is known about Phrynichus. He won his first competition between 511 BC and 508 BC. He produced tragedies on themes and subjects later exploited in
6966-518: Was done at Cherry Beach Sound in Toronto . In Australia, where Prime Video was not yet available, the series premiered on SoHo on July 14, 2014, and returned for season two on February 26, 2015. Reaction to Alpha House has been generally positive. Metacritic gives season 1 an average rating of 68/100 based on reviews from 21 critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives season 1 a score of 76% based on reviews from 38 critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives season 2
7052-416: Was imperative that the actors hear in order to orient and balance themselves. Thus, it is believed that the ears were covered by substantial amounts of hair and not the helmet-mask itself. The mouth opening was relatively small, preventing the mouth being seen during performances. Vervain and Wiles posit that this small size discourages the idea that the mask functioned as a megaphone, as originally presented in
7138-516: Was most famously impersonated by Darrell Hammond and Alec Baldwin , and currently James Austin Johnson impersonates him. Johnson also impersonates Joe Biden , who was also impersonated by Jason Sudeikis and Jim Carrey . Political elites like Hillary Clinton are also famously impersonated on Saturday Night Live . During the 2008 presidential campaign , Saturday Night Live gained wide attention because former cast member Tina Fey returned to
7224-408: Was not tragedy but New Comedy , comic episodes about the lives of ordinary citizens. The only extant playwright from the period is Menander . One of New Comedy's most important contributions was its influence on Roman comedy, an influence that can be seen in the surviving works of Plautus and Terence . Most ancient Greek cities lay on or near hills, so seating was generally built into the slope of
7310-399: Was portrayed off stage primarily because of dramatic considerations, and not prudishness or sensitivity of the audience. A temple nearby, especially on the right side of the scene, is almost always part of the Greek theatre complex. This could justify, as a transposition, the recurrence of the pediment with the later solidified stone scene. The orchestra was a circular piece of ground at
7396-436: Was remarkably influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theatres . Watching or reading satire has since ancient times been considered one of the best ways to understand a culture and a society. During the 20th and 21st centuries, satire was found in an increasing number of media (in cartoons such as political cartoons with heavy caricature and exaggeration and political magazines ) and
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