![]() ![]() What part he played in the war is not known, but he probably saw some active service before it finally ended in 404.Īlready famous as a young man, Aristophanes used the power of comedy throughout his long career to ridicule and deplore the shortcomings of his society. When the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta broke out in 431, Aristophanes was still a youth. ![]() All of Aristophanes' boyhood was spent in the Periclean Age, an interlude of peace between 445 and 431. In addition, he was well acquainted with the latest philosophical theories. He had an excellent education and was well versed in literature, especially poetry, and above all Homer and the great Athenian tragic dramatists. Little is known about his family except that it was not a poor one. 450 bce, a time when the city was one of the two leading political powers in Greece and the most important center of artistic and intellectual activity. It is believed that he was born in Athens, Greece, in c. Works in Biographical and Historical ContextĮqual-Opportunity Satirist Knowledge of Aristophanes is confined almost entirely to his career as a dramatist. Parody was one of his specialities, and he had a devastating way of deflating pomposity in politics, social life, and literature. He brought to his art a command of every kind of comedy, from slapstick to intellectual farce. He paid little attention to consistency of time, place, or character and was not very interested in the logical development of a dramatic plot. Although he used the language brilliantly, Aristophanes was above all an inspired creator of bizarre fantasy worlds that defy fundamental laws of rationality and logic. It was a mixture of fantasy, political and personal satire, farce, obscenity, and, in the case of Aristophanes at least, delightful lyric poetry. Old Comedy was a form of drama that has no parallel in subsequent European literature. MAJOR WORKS: The Acharnians (425 bce) Peace (421 bce) The Birds (414 bce) Lysistrata (411 bce) The Frogs (405 bce) OverviewĪristophanes was the greatest writer of Old Comedy in Athens in the fifth century bce and the only playwright from that era with any complete plays surviving. ![]()
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