While Greek comedies didn't always equate to modern day comedies, some of the extant plays and writings give us a pretty good idea of what the Greek considered fun. In the case of, say, Lysistrata, that humour was pretty juvenile and crude.
Do we have similar sources for Egyptians? Do we know what the ancient Egyptians considered funny and joked about, especially in plays or other works of literature?
(1/2) I have to begin with the disclaimer that ancient humor is notoriously difficult to identify. You and I may find very different things amusing, so you can only imagine how difficult it is to grasp the humor of a culture separated from us by thousands of years. There are pieces of ancient literature that readers today find amusing, but it is not always clear whether the authors intended them to be humorous. Most of the "jokes" from Egypt and Mesopotamia are in fact maxims and wisdom sayings that people today have found humorous. I won't dive into the theoretical approaches to ancient humor here, but the first half of Mary Beard's Laughter in Ancient Rome: On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up is a good place to start for those interested in the topic.
Most of the humor in ancient Egyptian literature is in the form of satire. The Egyptians were particularly fond of satirizing the king and royal rhetoric. Many Egyptian historical texts incorporate a literary form Egyptologists call the Königsnovelle. In these texts, the king, surrounded by his courtiers, announces his intentions to build a temple, begin a military campaign, or engage in some other such royal activity. In response, the courtiers frequently flatter the king, praising him for his brilliance and bravery. In a text on a leather scroll in the Berlin Museum, for example, the king announces his intention to build a temple. His courtiers respond with effusive praise:
Then spoke the royal companions in answer to their god: Hu is in your mouth, Sia is behind you, O King! What you plan comes about: the King's appearance at the Uniting-of-the-Two- Lands, to stretch the cord in your temple. It is worthy to look to the morrow as something of value for a lifetime. The people cannot succeed without you. Your Majesty is in everyone's eyes!
On other occasions, the courtiers attempt to persuade the king not to pursue his goal. They invariably fail to dissuade him, however, and the king's inevitable success is all the more remarkable because of the supposed opposition from his court. When planning his attack on the city of Megiddo (in modern Israel), for example, Thutmose III announces that he is going to approach the city via a dangerously narrow pass, much to the panic of his followers.
They said to his majesty: "How will it be to go on this road which becomes narrow, when it is reported that the enemies are waiting there beyond and they are numerous? Will not horse go behind horse and soldiers and people too? Shall our vanguard be fighting while the rearguard waits here in Aruna, unable to fight? There are two (other) roads here. One of the roads is to our east and comes out at Taanach. The other is on the north side of Djefti, so that we come out to the north of Megiddo. May our valiant lord proceed on whichever of these seems best to him. Do not make us go on that difficult road!"
As it turned out, Thutmose was lucky, and his troops were able to approach Megiddo undetected.
The author of a Late Period composition concerning Ahmose II had this literary convention in mind. Turning the Königsnovelle on its head, the tale presents the king as a buffoon who fails to heed the prudent advice of his courtiers. Rather than engage in an activity befitting the dignity of his office, the king wishes to drink an entire vat of wine and suffers the consequences.
A day occurred in the reign of Pharaoh Amasis when Pharaoh said to his great men: "I want to drink a vat of Egyptian wine!" They said: "Our great lord, drinking a vat of Egyptian wine is overpowering." He said to them: "Do not oppose what I shall say!" They said: "Our great lord! The wish of Pharaoh, may he do it." Pharaoh said: "Let them set off for the sea shore!" They acted in accordance with what Pharaoh had commanded.
Pharaoh washed himself for a meal together with his wives, with no other wine before them at all except a vat of Egyptian wine, so that the faces of Pharaoh and his wives were cheerful. He drank an extremely large quantity of wine because of the craving that Pharaoh had for a vat of Egyptian wine. Pharaoh lay down at the sea shore on that same night. He slept beneath a grapevine toward the north. Morning came, and Pharaoh was unable to raise himself because of the hangover that he had. The time drew near and he was unable to raise himself. The council lamented, saying: "Is it a thing that can happen? It’s happened that Pharaoh has a terrible hangover!"