satyr play

American  

noun

1. a burlesque or ribald drama having a chorus of satyrs, usually written by a poet to follow the poet's trilogy of tragedies presented at the Dionysian festival in ancient Greece.

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satyr play British  

noun

1. (in ancient Greek drama) a ribald play with a chorus of satyrs, presented at the Dionysian festival

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Example Sentences

It was the satyr play, he argued, that gave Greeks the "metaphysical solace that, despite every phenomenal change, life is at bottom indestructibly joyous and powerful".

From The Guardian • Oct. 8, 2010