Scholars of classical literature divide ancient Greek comedy into two categories: Old Comedy and New Comedy. The former was farcical political satire, whereas the latter focused more on everyday life and personal relationships. Roman writers like Plautus wrote comedies inspired by Greek New Comedy. You've now read an example of each type of comedy, "The Birds" by Aristophanes and "The Rope" by Plautus. How do these works illustrate the difference between Old Comedy and New Comedy?