Le Navet Bete are making their triumphant return to the Dukes with their new show Oh Zeus! To celebrate, we’re looking back on some of the Ancient comedy that came before them. From the Greek plays that shaped modern comedy, to film and TV inspired by the Roman Empire, to classic sketches. If comedy is the last of the great species of poetry Greece gave to the world, let’s see what we’ve been doing with it!

Lysistrata

Lysistrata is one of the most widely adapted Greek comedies. Aristophanes’ story is about a woman’s mission to end the Peloponnesian War by convincing the wives of both parties to go on strike, refusing to sleep with their husbands until they agree to end the conflict. Film adaptations have been made around the world, including Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq (2015) which adapts the premise to modern-day gang violence in Chicago. 

Carry on Cleo

"Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!"

The tenth in the Carry On series (and often considered the best), Carry on Cleo is the quintessential Ancient Roman slapstick. A parody of the historical epics that dominated the 1960s, especially Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra, it gave us some of the most iconic lines and images (it’s nice to know the origins of Markus and Spencius). And I don’t know about you, but Kenneth Williams’ fabulous Caesar lives in my head rent free. 

Plebs

Set in Ancient Rome, the characters in Plebs are plucked straight out of the modern day. Marcus, Stylax, and Grumio bumble their way through bachelorhood in Ancient Rome, navigating the violent, mad laws of the time on their not-so-epic quest to drink, date, and party.

Horrible Histories

In the immortal words of Menelaus, “Helen, you is well fit”. The Groovy Greeks have taught generations of kids about the Ancient Greeks through Terry Deary’s books, with a few artistic liberties thrown in. Menelaus and Paris squabble over Helen like a couple of teenagers, and the fight between Achilles and Hector is covered by modern sports commentators. Who’d have thought Achilles’ Achilles’ heel would be his Achilles heel? 

Philosophy Football

Monty Python’s famous sketch sees Greek and German philosophers heading off in a stellar game of thought. Socrates wins the match with a cracking header but Marx demands it was offside. It’s one of those Python sketches that reminds you they met at Oxford.

Disney’s Hercules

Hercules went through different script iterations before landing on a screwball comedy concept. James Woods and Danny DeVito’s voices (and characters designed to look like them) inject fun meta Hollywood elements, and the adorable animation style of Renaissance Disney gives us the most precious Zeus. Look at his little face. 

Speaking of Zeus, don’t miss out on his latest antics: a dastardly plan to thwart his daughter's wedding! Book here for Oh Zeus!

And for some different takes on Greek mythology, you can also catch The Odyssey and Hadestown at the cinema.