Aristophanes
Ancient Greek comic playwright of Old Comedy.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Aristophanes, an Athenian citizen from the deme of Kydathenaion, was a comic playwright active during the late 5th and early 4th centuries BC. He wrote forty plays, of which eleven survive nearly intact, and these are considered the most valuable surviving examples of Old Comedy. His comedies were staged at major religious festivals, primarily the City Dionysia and the Lenaia, where several earned first prize. Often called "The Father of Comedy," his works feature preposterous premises, explicit language, wordplay, and sharp political satire. He frequently caricatured real contemporaries, including the tragedian Euripides, the politician Alcibiades, and the populist Cleon. His ridicule was so feared that Plato later blamed his play *The Clouds* for contributing to the trial and execution of Socrates, though other comic poets had also lampooned the philosopher. Aristophanes’s second play, *The Babylonians* (now lost), was denounced by Cleon as slander against Athens, possibly leading to a court case; in response, Aristophanes mercilessly caricatured Cleon in later works, especially *The Knights*, which he directed himself. Through his choruses, he often spoke directly to the audience in a section called the parabasis, providing biographical details about his career. He claimed to write for a discerning audience and sometimes boasted of his originality, yet his plays consistently oppose radical new influences, favoring the older generation of Marathon victors and staunchly opposing the Peloponnesian War. This conservatism may reflect the views of the wealthy citizens who funded the choruses, or the dominant group in an audience that might not have included many poorer Athenians. His plays recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author.
- born
- c. 446 BC
- died
- c. 386 BC
- field
- Comic playwright
- nationality
- Athenian (Ancient Greek)
- known_for
- Old Comedy, political satire, caricature of contemporaries
Lore & Background
Aristophanes came from the deme of Kydathenaion in the Attic tribe of Pandionis. His father was Philippus and his mother Zenodora; his family was assumed in antiquity to have connections with the island of Aegina. Little is known about his life beyond what his plays suggest, and the conventional parabasis in Old Comedy provided some biographical clues, mostly about his career. He often used directors such as Callistratus and Philoneides for his early and later plays, complicating reliance on the plays as direct autobiography.
His plays dealt with real-life figures like Euripides, Alcibiades, and Cleon, and contemporary events such as the Peloponnesian War. They are characterized by preposterous premises, explicit language, wordplays, and political satire. His second play, The Babylonians, was denounced by Cleon as slander against the polis, possibly leading to a trial whose details are not recorded. Aristophanes caricatured Cleon mercilessly in later plays, including The Knights, the first he directed himself.
He claimed to write for a clever audience and sometimes boasted of originality, yet his plays consistently opposed radical new influences. He caricatured leading figures in arts, politics, and philosophy, including Socrates, whom Plato singled out in The Clouds as contributing to Socrates' trial and death. The plays express pride in the older generation and opposition to the war with Sparta, but the conservative views may reflect the attitudes of wealthier citizens who funded choruses.
Reader's Guide
Aristophanes is significant as the most valuable surviving example of Old Comedy, a genre that combined political satire, personal caricature, and fantastical premises. His plays recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author, according to the source. His powers of ridicule were feared by influential contemporaries, and his caricature of Socrates in The Clouds was cited by Plato as contributing to the philosopher's condemnation. The plays also document tensions in Athenian democracy, such as the conflict between populists like Cleon and traditional values. Aristophanes's work evolved over his career, with his last surviving play, Wealth II, showing a structure closer to New Comedy. His legacy includes the title 'Father of Comedy' and 'Prince of Ancient Comedy,' though the source notes uncertainty about whether he led or responded to changes in audience expectations. The plays remain a primary source for understanding Athenian society, politics, and intellectual life during the Peloponnesian War and its aftermath.
Did You Know?
- Aristophanes wrote forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete.
- His second play, The Babylonians, was denounced by Cleon as slander against the Athenian polis.
- Plato singled out Aristophanes's play The Clouds as slander that contributed to the trial and condemning to death of Socrates.
- Aristophanes's plays were performed at the religious festivals of Athens, mostly the City Dionysia and the Lenaia.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"οἱ βάρβαροι γὰρ ἄνδρας ἡγοῦνται μόνους τοὺς πλεῖστα δυναμένους φαγεῖν τε καὶ πιεῖν." — Aristophanes "τὸ γὰρ δίκαιον οἶδε καὶ τρυγῳδία.
ἐγὼ δὲ λέξω δεινὰ μέν, δίκαια δέ." — Aristophanes "ἡ δημαγωγία γὰρ οὐ πρὸς μουσικοῦ ἔτ᾿ ἐστὶν ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲ χρηστοῦ τοὺς τρόπους, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς ἀμαθῆ καὶ βδελυρόν." — Aristophanes "ὅπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰς ἐγχέλεις θηρώμενοι πέπονθας.
ὅταν μὲν ἡ λίμνη καταστῇ, λαμβάνουσιν οὐδέν· ἐὰν δ᾽ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω τὸν βόρβορον κυκῶσιν, αἱροῦσι· καὶ σὺ λαμβάνεις, ἢν τὴν πόλιν ταράττῃς." — Aristophanes
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