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Aristophanes' Acharnians was performed at the Lenaia festival in Athens in 425 BCE. The play is the story of an old peasant farmer, Dikaiopolis, who has grown so disgusted with the Peloponnesian War and the patent self-serving of the city's leading politicians (abetted by the stupidity of his fellow-citizens) that he concludes a separate peace with the enemy. As a result, he gains access to an immense supply of wonderful things, including wine, eels, thrushes, and a pair of beautiful and compliant women. Whether he is a traitor and a villain, or simply the cleverest and most daring man in the city, is a matter of extensive debate within the play. Acharnians itself, at any rate, took first place and is generally regarded as one of Aristophanes' two or three most brilliant surviving comedies. Olson offers the first complete new scholarly edition of the play in almost a century. The text and apparatus are based on a fresh examination of the papyri and manuscripts, many of which have never been studied systematically, and are supported by a new manuscript stemma. The Introduction contains sections on the poet himself; the historical setting and political argument of the play; the mythological and literary background; division of parts, costumes, and props; staging; the use of dialects; and the history of the text. The commentary covers a wide range of literary, historical, and philological issues, with particular attention to staging and details of everyday life. All Greek in the introduction and commentary not cited for technical reasons is translated, making much of the edition accessible to general scholarly readers. ... Read more

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only for specialists in classical Greek
The book is mostly incomprehensible, or at least it cannot be fully appreciated, without a good knowledge of classical Greek. The chapters give original text in Greek, often without any accompanying English translation. The footnotes for each chapter can take up most of the chapter.

This is not a complaint, mind you. The book is meant only for the specialist in ancient Greek. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Religious life/ Buddhism; Buddhism/ Doctrines; Religious life; Buddhism; Religious life - Buddhism; Buddhism - Doctrines; Religion / Buddhism / Zen; Religion / Buddhism / General; Religion / Buddhism / General; Religion / Buddhism / Rituals ... Read more

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Amusing ancient artifact
There are funny moments in "Peace," which in itself is remarkable since this comedy is 2400 years old.The opening scene is hilarious as we learn that Trygaeus's plan involves a giant dung beetle from the slopes of volcanic Mt. Etna. His interview with Hermes is also quite funny.

The previous reviewer has related the plot.Very few twists and turns here. As in his better-known Lysistrata, Aristophanes is interested in bringing peace to the warring Greek states.Except for the beetle, this comedy is less inventive than Lysistrata and generally less provocative. Very much a lesser "world classic."

A farmer rides a giant dung beetle to heaven to stop the war
A farmer by the name of Trygaeus is weary of war and despairing of relief he does want anyone would do: he rides a giant dung-beetle up to heaven to get the gods to end the war. However, the gods are sick and tired of the Greeks and their constantly little wars and have left War to do as he wants. However, the God of War (identified by the title rather than by Ares, to avoid offending religious sensibilities), has buried Peace in a pit and it is up to the Chorus of Farmers to dig her up. Of course, this greatly upsets the war profiteers. The play was performed at the Great Dionysia in 421 during the final months of the Peloponnesian War fought between Athens and Sparta. In fact, a few weaks after "Peace" was performed the Peace of Nicias was ratified and suspended hostilities between the two city-states for six years.

It is my understanding that scholars believe the text we have today of "Peace" is pieced together from two different versions, but whether this is the result of two different productions staged by Aristophanes or because of the efforts of some nameless soul recopying the ancient text at some point in history. Aristophanes appeals to me because his satire is usually based on "reductio ad absurdum," the great human impulse to take things to their logical extreme to render them ridiculous and therefore impotent. Certainly "Peace" is representative of Aristophanes as reformer, the gad-fly who wanted to persuade his audiences to change their foolish ways by ridiculing them on stage.

I have always maintained that in studying Greek plays, whether the comedies of Aristophanes or the tragedies of Euripides, it is important to understand the particular structure of these plays and the various dramatic conventions of the theater. This involves not only the distinction between episodes and stasimons (scenes and songs), but elements like the "agon" (a formal debate on the crucial issue of the play), and the "parabasis" (in which the Chorus partially abandons its dramatic role and addresses the audience directly). "Peace" is usually considered a second tier comedy by Aristophanes, below "Lysistrata" and "The Clouds," but I still consider it an above-average comedy by the only Greek who managed to have any of his plays survive. ... Read more

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Contains The Birds, The Clouds, and The Wasps
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best translations of Aristophanes available
Although I don't read Greek (yet--I'm working on it) I'm pretty familiar with Latin/Greek classics of all kinds in translation, and when I consider buying something new, I always check with expert classical scholars for advice & discussion--either from my alma mater, or at loxias@classicspage.com, an excellent site for those interested in the subject. The consensus is that Arrowsmith is the best with Aristophanes--he has also highly regarded transl ations of Satyricon (a fascinating and hilarious novel fragment) and several of the Tragedies originally published in the Chicago University Press series, now by Random House. So why only 4 stars? Because, frustratingly, the 3 editions of Aristophanes translated by him duplicate 2 of the plays in another!-Anyhow, others translated by Barrett & Sommerstein are worth looking at. Also "Socrates and Aristophanes" by Leo Strauss, and a book on Aristophanes' Comedy by Kenneth J Dover--and finally the article on A. in the Oxford Classical Dictionary--an indispensable reference book.

Good selections of comedies
Aristophanes is undoubtedly one of the greatest playwrights that has ever walked on the face of this Earth.The 3 comedies presented in this book are The Birds, The Clouds, and The Wasps. Among the best of the comedies isThe Clouds, which is pretty much a scathing satire on the philosophicalbeliefs of Socrates. Not only is it humorous, but also shows the flaws ofSocratic ideas. It is interesting to note the comedic devices that are usedin the stories.The satire is hilarious! ... Read more

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These three plays by the great comic playwright Aristophanes (c. 446-386 BCE), the well-known Lysistrata, and the less familiar Women at the Thesmophoria and Assemblywomen, are the earliest surviving portrayals of contemporary women in the European literary tradition. These plays provide a unique glimpse of women not only in their familiar domestic roles but also in relation to household and city, religion and government, war and peace, theater and festival, and, of course, to men.

This freshly revised edition presents, for the first time in a single volume, all three plays in faithful modern translations that preserve intact Aristophanes’ blunt and often obscene language, sparkling satire, political provocation, and beguiling fantasy. Alongside the translations are ample introductions and notes covering the politically engaged genre of Aristophanic comedy in general and issues of sex and gender in particular, which have been fully updated since the first edition in light of recent scholarship. An appendix contains fragments of lost plays of Aristophanes that also featured women, and an up-to-date bibliography provides guidance for further exploration.

In addition to their timeless humor and biting satire, the plays are unique and invaluable documents in the history of western sexuality and gender, and they offer strikingly prescient speculations about the social and political future of the female sex.

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Aristophanes's farcical attempt at dramatic criticism
On the one hand Aristophanes's comedy "The Frogs" is obviously a farce, but it is of more interest because it presents the earliest known example of dramatic criticism. Presented in 405 B.C., the play tells of how Dionysus, the god of drama, had to go to Hades to fetch back Euripides, who died the previous year, because Athens no longer had any great tragic poets left. The first part of the comedy involves Dionysus, who has disguised himself as Heracles, and his slave Xanthias on their way to Hades and features several interesting songs by the chorus of blessed mystics and the chorus of frogs. However, the high point of the comedy is the contest between Euripides and Aeschylus.

Each of the two great tragic poets denounces the other and quotes lines from their own works to prove their superiority. We discover that Euripides writes about vulgar themes, corrupts manners, debases music and has prosaic diction. In contrast, Aeschylus finds obscure titles and is guilty of turgid prose. In the end Dionysus finds that artistic standards of judgment are useless and turns to a political solution. This makes sense since the problem facing Athens is a political one: what to do about the tyrant Alcibiades. What is most interesting is the implicit belief that the tragic poets had a social responsibility towards the audiences of their dramas.

"Frogs," in addition to being one of the better comedies by Aristophanes, is also of interest because it contains the only fragments from several tragedies by Euripides and Aeschylus that have been long lost to us. As always, I urge that if you are studying Greek plays, whether the comedies of Aristophanes or the tragedies by those other more serious fellows, it is important to understand the particular structure of these plays and the various dramatic conventions of the Greek theater. This involves not only the distinction between episodes and stasimons (scenes and songs), but elements like the "agon" (a formal debate on the crucial issue of the play), and the "parabasis" (in which the Chorus partially abandons its dramatic role and addresses the audience directly). ... Read more

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Find This If You Can
There is an unfortunate idea current, that sex was invented in the 20th century and before that Victorian ideas held sway all the way back to the dawn of time. This book is a refreshing antidote to that idea, with itsmerry quotations from over 2,000 years of erotic writings. It also has someexamples of bowdlerized and direct translations, which are interesting notonly in themselves but as a way of recognizing stealthy censorship.All inall, this is a marvelous resource. ... Read more

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More than 2,400 years after his death, Socrates remains an iconic but controversial figure. To his followers, he personified progressive Greek ideals of justice and wisdom. To his detractors, he was a corruptor of the young during wartime and one of the reasons Athens had suffered a humiliating defeat to Sparta in 404 BC. Socrates' story is one of historic proportions and his unyielding pursuit of truth remains controversial and relevant to the present day.

Socrates on Trial presents the story of Socrates as told to us by Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, and others. The play uses fresh language to emphasize what is important in the works of these ancient authors, while at the same time remaining faithful to the general tenor and tone of their writings. Andrew Irvine has created a script that not only fits comfortably into the space of a single theatrical performance, but is also informative and entertaining. Suited for informal dramatic readings as well as regular theatrical performances, Socrates on Trial will undoubtedly appeal to instructors and students, and its informative introduction enhances its value as a resource.

Complete with production and classroom notes, this modern recasting of the Socrates story will make riveting reading both inside and outside the classroom.

Product Description
Thesmophoriazusae is perhaps the funniest of allAristophanes' comedies, in which gender inversion and transvestism runriot as the tragic dramatist Euripides is made to take part in ahilarious spoof on some of his own favourite plot lines, with his ownlife at stake as well as that of his loyal and much-put-upon oldrelative.

This edition offers a freshly constituted text making use of papyripublished within the last few years, together with the first fullyannotated English translation there has been of this play. ... Read more

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Immortal Comedy
As the only ancient Greek comedian whose work has survived, Aristophanes' importance is impossible to exaggerate. He has not only immensely influenced comedy - and drama and literature generally - but is also practically the only source giving any idea what Greek comedy was like, making his work of immense historical value. Of course, as with all comedy that is truly universal, one need not know or even think about any of this. He is more than entertaining in his own right - indeed, still screamingly funny. Reading him, we get a profound sense of just how little comedy has changed. It is not just that what was funny nearly 2,500 years ago is still funny; techniques are basically unchanged, subject matter only being ephemeral. Aristophanes was above all a satirist, which inevitably means that many of the things he mocked and parodied are no longer intelligible without notes. We can still appreciate these with help, but what truly makes him worth reading is that the spirit of the satire - what really matters in contrast to passing fodder - continues to shine through distinctly. Human folly has changed little - has probably only increased if anything. His general observations are thus still funny - and, to those who look below the surface, still damning. Perhaps more immediately, it is striking to see that humor many think of as distinctly modern - religious blasphemy, bathroom humor, sexual humor - was as common and at least as good this long ago. Aristophanes also delights in more "serious" humor like puns and other wordplay; simply put, whether one prefers high- or low-brow, he has something for all. Humor aside, his sheer creativity still impresses; his plots and characters show near-boundless imagination and would be a significant accomplishment in even the most ostensibly serious artist. All this makes him almost unbelievably accessible - in translation of course; his tragedian contemporaries take a certain mindset and considerable dedication to appreciate, all but excluding casual readers. However, anyone can read Aristophanes with enjoyment, which is not the least of his virtues.

Thesmophoriazusae, elsewhere translated as The Poet and the Women, tackles gender identity issues that, if anything, are more pertinent than ever. The question of what makes femininity and masculinity is variously dramatized, provoking much thought even with the comic handling. The play gives great insight into Greek culture, particularly how men and women were viewed. Current society likes to think of the Greeks as barbaric in these matters, yet it is astonishing to realize that we have not answered these questions; it is easy to dismiss the treatment as silly, but we can likely learn more from it than we are willing to admit. All this makes it sound serious, but it may even be Aristophanes' funniest work. The humor is more than usually slapstick, and sexual jokes abound; a phallus prop even figures prominently, which is probably all that need be said. The highfalutin may scoff, but The Poet probably has the most universal humor in any of his plays, rivaled only by Lysistrata as most likely to delight a current audience. Though not his best play, it has the significant virtue of leading to other Aristophanes works and is more than worthy in itself.

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Wise as Bentley, unpretentious as Moliere
Quite simply, this is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. The author is as wise as Eric Bentley and unpretentious as Moliere. I first got this book when I was seventeen years old, and it changed the way I looked at comedy - it introduced me to Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and Woody Allen. It encouraged me to consider comedy as a profession for myself and I am forever in its debt. It is still a book that I return to and keep finding new things in; I learn more from it as my own experience grows. I think that this is one of those books that nearly anyone could get something out of. I strongly encourage at least taking a look at it. It is very hard to put down again. I do not give my five-star rating very often but this book easily deserves it.

Wide ranging, informative and somehow funny
It is not easy to draw a line through a few thousand years of drama and find similarities, but Bermel manages to do so in a way that should satisfy and surprise both general readers and the more academically inclined.Rather than look on the dramatic heritage of a few thousand years,collecting a body of works into a category called 'farce' and thenexplaining that body of work away, Bermel instead finds farce as a mode ofexpression, finding it in (hitherto) unlikely places. I found his writingon Joe Orton a wonderful introduction to that playwright's work; but hisfinding of farcical modes in places such as Beckett's work and theabsurdists gives the reader good food for thought, and good things to thinkwith for the next time they go to the theatre, or even rent out a video. ... Read more

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Lysistrata is the most often performed of all Aristophanes' comedies. It is also, perhaps, the most misunderstood. This collection of essays by eight leading academics, written for sixth-form students and the general pubic alike, sets the play firmly in its historical and social context, while exploring Aristophanes' purpose in writing it and considering the responses of modern audiences and directors. The collection has been assembled and edited by David Stuttard, whose energetic new performing version is included in this volume.Contributors: Alan Beale; Edith Hall; Lorna Hardwick; James Morwood; Martin Revermann; James Robson; Alan H. Sommerstein; Michael Walton. ... Read more

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Among extant Greek comedies, the Frogs is unique for the light it throws on Classical Greek attitudes to tragedy and to literature in general. It merits a much more extensive commentary than it has so far received, and the establishment of the text itself has rested for over a century on collations which were inadequate and inaccurate. At the same time, its most problematic passages have been the subject, in recent years, of more scholarly articles than those of any other Greek play. In this introduction, edition, and commentary, Sir Kenneth Dover presents the relevant data, arguments, and considerations as fully as can reasonably be done in one volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great comedy has no expiration date......
I re-read this play recently after being asked to submit a few choices to direct at a local theater, and fell in love with the humor of Aristophanes all over again.

His comedies are virtually unparalelled in the surviving classical works. The humor of the plays, particularly the Frogs, is just as fresh and vibrant today as it was thousands of years ago.

Dionysus, Greek God of theater, has grown despondant that upon the death of Euripides there are no great poets left on Earth. He resolves to travel to Hades and beg Pluto to allow him to resurrect Euripedes so that he might continue his work.

Dionysus, accompanied by his faithful porter Xanthias, travels first to the house of Heracles, dressed as the Greek hero, to ask his advice...as well as directions. Heracles suggests conventional methods (death by ones own hands) before he reveals the path he himself followed.

The two then set out to rescue Euripides. Xanthias, being a slave, is given a foot route to follow, while Dionysus enjoys a boat ride courtesy of Charon, the ferryman of the dead. Upon arrival at Pluto's house, and after a case of mistaken/disguised identity ends up in a draw, Dionysus finally meets up with Euripides.

However, Aeschylus isn't about to give up without a fight...Pluto has arranged for a contest between the two famed poets to determine the better of them...as Aeschylus decries Euripides as merely a 'flavor of the month' among the people of Hades. A dialogue ensues between he and Euripides, with Dionysus left to judge the merits of each.

Full of delightful comic insight into the works of both poets, The Frogs is a completely accessible foray into classical theater that you don't need to be a scholar to understand. While a basis of Euripides and Aeschylus helps to augment enjoyment of the work, it stands apart on its own.

An enchanting, intriguing, and entertaining read.

A wonderful edition, and a wonderful play.
As a struggling (college) student of Classical Greek, I found K.J. Dover's edition of Frogs to have a wonderful amount of translation help and historical notes, without being overwhelming (or overly expensive).Since the second half of the play is a gentle parody of Aeschylus and Euripides, it helps to have read those authors (preferrably in the original) to get some of the jokes -- if you're new to Greek Comedy, take a look at K.J. Dover's edition of Clouds, which I haven't yet tackled, but intend to.(That one parodies Plato and Socrates...)

N.B. -- this edition doesn't include a translation, which is how I prefer it, but some may not.

One of his best
In "Frogs" (Batrakhoi), the god Dionysus, complaining that the art of poetry has declined, goes down to Hades to bring the playwrightAeschylus back from the dead. Once he gets there, however, Euripides (oneof Aristophanes' favorite targets) claims that he is better than Aeschylus,and a contest of wits ensues. This my favorite of Aristophanes' plays andhas a tidier ending than most of them. Watch out, though-this book (ed.Kenneth Dover) is the original Greek text. If you don't know Greek, buy thePenguin translation.

Entertaining
My friend and I were doing a project for school on the internet and we stumbled across the whole text of this play (we were reasearching ancient Greece).We decided to bookmark it, and then during lunches we readthrough it until we finished it.It's very amusisng, I highly recommendit!I love the songs! ... Read more

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These four plays, translated into blank verse by C.A. Wheelwright, exemplify the wide range of this playwright's imagination. From war and peace to politics and society to the relationships between men and women, no topic is off-limits. ... Read more

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This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features the table of contents linked to every volume and chapter. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the Kindle, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display.

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Alan Sommerstein joined the staff of the University of Nottingham in 1974 and remains there to this day. During this period he has produced a stream of distinguished books, editions and articles on many aspects of Greek drama and society. Among all these, one work stands out: the complete edition of the plays of Aristophanes in twelve volumes (one for each play, followed by an index volume), of which the first appeared in 1980 and the last early in 2003. This edition has been universally admired for the vividness and accuracy of the translation, the lucidity and accessibility of the exposition, and the high quality of the scholarship. This book comes out of a colloquium held to celebrate this remarkable achievement. ... Read more

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Lysistrata_ is the greatest work by Aristophanes. This blank and rash statement is made that it may be rejected. But first let it be understood that I do not mean it is a better written work than the _Birds_ or the _Frogs_, or that (to descend to the scale of values that will be naturally imputed to me) it has any more appeal to the collectors of curious literature than the _Ecclesiazusae_ or the _Thesmophoriazusae_. On the mere grounds of taste I can see an at least equally good case made out for the _Birds_. That brightly plumaged fantasy has an aerial wit and colour all its own. But there are certain works in which a man finds himself at an angle of vision where there is an especially felicitous union of the aesthetic and emotional elements which constitute the basic qualities of his uniqueness. We recognize these works as being welded into a strange unity, as having a homogeneous texture of ecstasy over them that surpasses any aesthetic surface of harmonic colour, though that harmony also is understood by the deeper welling of imagery from the core of creative exaltation. And I think that this occurs in _Lysistrata_. The intellectual and spiritual tendrils of the poem are more truly interwoven, the operation of their centres more nearly unified; and so the work goes deeper into life. It is his greatest play because of this, because it holds an intimate perfume of femininity and gives the finest sense of the charm of a cluster of girls, the sweet sense of their chatter, and the contact of their bodies, that is to be found before Shakespeare, because that mocking gaiety we call Aristophanies reaches here its most positive acclamation of life, vitalizing sex with a deep delight, a rare happiness of the spirit.
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The humor in LYSISTRATA is the focus of this latest adaptation.Playwright Edward Einhorn, known for his comic absurdist plays, translates the ancient Greek humor into something equally amusing to a modern audience, without losing the flavor of the ancient text.Complete with essays, selected music, and a second version of the play for inventive directors, this newest adaptation of Aristophanes' philosophical comedy focuses on three elements of the human condition that have not changed in nearly 2500 years: war, sex, and, most of all, laughter. ... Read more

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Lysistrata is an excellent contribution to theater shelves, though the raunchy subject matter is decidedly for adults only.
Lysistrata is playwright Edward Einhorn's new off-Broadway adaptation of the 2500-year-old classical Greek play by Aristophanes. In addition to the text of the play itself, Lysistrata features essays by Einhorn, sample musical scores, and also a version of the play with the characters and stage directions removed, for directors who wish to make the decisions of who speaks what line for themselves. Retaining the bawdy humor of the original, Lysistrata is undeniably a laugh-out-loud comedy of war, sex, and wicked fun. Lysistrata is an excellent contribution to theater shelves, though the raunchy subject matter is decidedly for adults only. ... Read more

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Thesmophoriazusae was performed in Athens in 411 BCE, most likely at the City Dionysia, and is among the most brilliant of Aristophanes' eleven surviving comedies. It is the story of the crucial moment in a quarrel
between the tragic playwright Euripides and Athens' women, who accuse him of slandering them in his plays and are holding a meeting at one of their secret festivals to set a penalty for his crimes. Thesmophoriazusae is a brilliantly inventive comedy, full of wild slapstick humour and devastating literary parody, and is a basic source for questions of gender and sexuality in late 5th-century Athens and for the popular reception of Euripidean tragedy.
Austin and Olson offer a text based on a fresh examination of the papyri and manuscripts, and a detailed commentary covering a wide range of literary, historical, and philological issues. The introduction includes sections on the date and historical setting of the play; the Thesmophoria festival; Aristophanes' handling of Euripidean tragedy; staging; Thesmophoriazusae II; and the history of modern critical work on the text. All Greek in the introduction and commentary not cited for technical reasons is translated.
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Other reviewer didn't even read this book
Apologies for the commentary, but I thought it important enough for the unsuspecting to mention that this edition is in Attic Greek; it is not translated as the other reviewer states. In fact, if you do an search on Amazon for "Thesmophoriazusae" you'll find he pasted the beginning of his review on every edition on offer--are we to believe that he's compared every edition and found no differences worth mentioning?

Perhaps it's a ridiculous endeavor to warn other readers of this since few would shell out 90+ dollars for a translation, but I thought it might be helpful nonetheless. ... Read more

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The Clouds, Lysistrata, Peace, The Acharnians, The Knights ... Read more

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A Good Reference - but beware!
This book is a reprint of one first published in 1912.I purchased a used copy of it last year.Although the translations are old, they are fairly accurate, if you're looking for a literal version of the Greek in English prose.There are also numerous foot notes explaining the more obscure jokes.(And unlike many modern editions of ancient texts, these notes are printed right on the bottom of the page you're reading, instead of in the back)That said, if you want a funny translation, this is not the best.Being literal, I believe, hurts Aristophanes more than it helps.I generally only use my copy of this book to reference along side other more imaginative translations; such as those by say Douglass Parker. ... Read more

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This new verse translation of Aristophanes' comedies offers one of the world's great comic dramatists in a form which is both historically faithful and theatrically vigorous. Aristophanes' plays were produced for the festival theatre of classical Athens in the fifth century BC and remarkably encompass the whole gamut of humor, from brilliantly inventive fantasy to obscene vulgarity.There is a substantial general introduction to the author and introductory essays for each of the plays, as well as full explanatory notes and an index of names. ... Read more