What were Aristophanes comedies about?
386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion (Latin: Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete….
| Aristophanes | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 427 BC – 386 BC |
| Known for | Playwright and director of Old Comedy |
What is the meaning of Aristophanes?
Definitions of Aristophanes. an ancient Greek dramatist remembered for his comedies (448-380 BC) example of: dramatist, playwright. someone who writes plays.
What is Aristophanes best known for?
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.
What did Aristophanes write about Socrates?
In his play The Clouds, Aristophanes revisits an old theme; the old or traditional versus the new or innovative. The conservative anti-war author wrote against a changing Athens and chose the philosopher Socrates as a symbol of this change. To him, Socrates represented all that he disliked about a new Athens.
What did Aristophanes believe in?
Aristophanes is typically associated with political, religious, and moral conservatism. He tends to hold up Athens of the Persian war period, distrusting the Athenian empire’s involvement with other Greek city-states. He disapproves of mob-rule. He upholds the worship of the traditional Greek gods.
What period is Aristophanes?
Aristophanes (c. 450-after 385 B.C.) was the greatest of the writers of the Old Comedy, which flourished in Athens in the 5th century B.C., and the only one with any complete plays surviving. He wrote at least 36 comedies, of which 11 are extant.
Who was Herodotus and what did he do?
Herodotus is undoubtedly the “Father of History.” Born in Halicarnassus in Ionia in the 5th century B.C., he wrote “The Histories.” In this text are found his “inquiries” which later became to modern scholars to mean “facts of history.” He is best known for recounting, very objectively, the Greco-Persian wars of the …
What is the moral lesson in Aristophanes the clouds?
Reconciling Science and Religion The Clouds is a play primarily concerned with education. Nevertheless, it is a play with a strong moral message and a tragic arc that ends with the reassertion of the gods: Strepsiades shrieks, “Revenge for the injured gods!” as he stones the fleeing sophists (II. i. 1506).
How does Aristophanes define love Eros in his speech in Plato’s Symposium?
Love is the desire we have to find our other half, in order to become whole. Agathon follows Aristophanes, and his speech sees Eros as youthful, beautiful, and wise; and as the source of all human virtues. Before Socrates gives his speech he asks some questions of Agathon regarding the nature of love.
Why are the plays of Aristophanes so politically conservative?
Thus the political conservatism of the plays may reflect the views of the wealthiest section of Athenian society, on whose generosity all dramatists depended for putting on their plays. When Aristophanes’ first play The Banqueters was produced, Athens was an ambitious, imperial power and the Peloponnesian War was only in its fourth year.
What does Aristophanes say about male-male relationships?
Aristophanes applauds male-male relationships between men and boys since such couples value boldness, braveness, and masculinity, both in themselves and in others. When we find our other half, we are overwhelmed with affection, concern, and love for that person.
What is love according to Aristophanes?
“Love” is the name that we give to our desire for wholeness, to be restored to our original nature. Aristophanes observes that if we are disobedient or disorderly toward the gods, Zeus might split us in two once more, so we must strive ourselves, and encourage others, to behave well toward the gods.
How do scholars learn about Aristophanes’ life?
In the absence of clear biographical facts about Aristophanes, scholars make educated guesses based on interpretation of the language in the plays. Inscriptions and summaries or comments by Hellenistic and Byzantine scholars can also provide useful clues.