Ancient Greek comedy was divided into three disciplines - 'old', 'middle' and 'new', of which varying amounts of each survive. Aristotle defines Greek comedy in his 'Poetics' as representing laughable people, involving mischief and stupidity that, though amusing, has no lasting damage. Whilst true, early Greek comedy was also known for its potent political satire, mixed together with slapstick and innuendo. The works of Aristophanes, who wrote old comedy, made mockery of important figures such as Socrates in 'Lysistrata'. Aristophanes, along with his contemporaries Hermippus and Eupolis, defined the genre. Little is known about middle comedy, as no examples exist beyond fragmented excerpts. New comedy denoted a shift from slapstick to comedies of situation and manners. Greek comedy, of all styles, has influenced the modern form hugely - new comedy continues to influence a raft of sitcom writing, whilst the subtle, skewering slapstick of old comedy helped inform the madcap work of groups such as Monty Python.
