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Aristophanes was an ancient Greek comic playwright and poet of Old Comedy. He wrote forty plays, of which eleven survive, and satirized prominent figures in politics, arts and philosophy.
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- Overview
- Life and career
- Dramatic and literary achievements
- Babylonians
- Acharnians
- Knights
- Clouds
- Wasps
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Aristophanes (born c. 450 bce—died c. 388 bce) the greatest representative of ancient Greek comedy and the one whose works have been preserved in greatest quantity. He is the only extant representative of the Old Comedy—that is, of the phase of comic dramaturgy (c. 5th century bce) in which chorus, mime, and burlesque still played a considerable pa...
Little is known about the life of Aristophanes, and most of the known facts are derived from references in his own plays. He was an Athenian citizen belonging to the clan named Pandionis, but his actual birthplace is uncertain. (The fact that he or his father, Philippus, owned property on the island of Aegina may have been the cause of an accusatio...
Aristophanes’ reputation has stood the test of time; his plays are still frequently published and produced in numerous translations, which manage with varying degrees of success to convey the flavour of Aristophanes’ puns, witticisms, and topical allusions. But it is not easy to say why his comedies still appeal to an audience more than two millenn...
This comedy, which is extant only in fragments, was produced at the festival of the Great Dionysia. The festival was attended by delegates of the city-states, which were theoretically “allies” but were in practice satellites of Athens. Because Babylonians (426 bce; Greek Babylōnioi) not only virulently attacked Cleon, the demagogue then in power in Athens, but also showed the “allies” as the slaves of the Athenian Demos (a personification of the Athenian citizen electorate), Aristophanes was impeached by Cleon. Though the details are not known, he seems to have been let off lightly.
Britannica Quiz
This is the earliest of the 11 comedies of Aristophanes that have survived intact. Acharnians (425 bce; Greek Acharneis) is a forthright attack on the folly of the war. Its farmer-hero, Dicaeopolis, is tired of the Peloponnesian War and therefore secures a private peace treaty with the Spartans for himself in spite of the violent opposition of a ch...
This play shows how little Aristophanes was affected by the prosecution he had incurred for Babylonians. Knights (424 bce; Greek Hippeis) consists of a violent attack on the same demagogue, Cleon, who is depicted as the favourite slave of the stupid and irascible Demos until he is, at last, ousted from his position of influence and authority by Agoracritus, a sausage seller who is even more scoundrelly and impudent than Cleon.
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This play is an attack on “modern” education and morals as imparted and taught by the radical intellectuals known as the Sophists. The main victim of Clouds (423 bce; Greek Nephelai) is the leading Athenian thinker and teacher Socrates, who is purposely (and unfairly) given many of the standard characteristics of the Sophists. In the play Socrates ...
This comedy satirized the litigiousness of the Athenians in the person of the mean and waspish old man Philocleon (“Love-Cleon”), who has a passion for serving on juries. In Wasps (422 bce; Greek Sphēkes) Philocleon’s son, Bdelycleon (“Loathe-Cleon”), arranges for his father to hold a “court” at home, but, since the first “case” to be heard is that...
Learn about Aristophanes, the greatest representative of ancient Greek comedy and the one whose works have been preserved in greatest quantity. Explore his life, career, dramatic achievements, and notable plays such as Acharnians, Knights, and Lysistrata.
Learn about Aristophanes, the prolific and acclaimed comic playwright of ancient Greece, who satirized his contemporaries and wrote eleven plays that survive. Explore his life, works, major themes and influences in this comprehensive guide.
Mar 13, 2013 · Learn about Aristophanes, the most famous writer of Old Comedy plays in ancient Greece. Explore his life, works, and influence on Greek theatre and society.
- Mark Cartwright
Learn about Aristophanes, the greatest comic dramatist of ancient Greece, and his 11 surviving plays that typify the Old Comedy. Find out how he used satire, wit, and burlesque to criticize his contemporaries and society.
Apr 14, 2024 · Learn about the life, works, and legacy of Aristophanes, a playwright who wrote some of the only surviving Greek comedies from the 5th century BCE. Discover how he shaped the genres of Old and Middle Comedy, criticized Athenian politics and society, and influenced later authors.
Sep 29, 2023 · Aristophanes was an ancient Greek playwright famous for his comedies that critiqued Athenian society's values and social hierarchy.
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