Escritas

Poems List

Old men are children for a second time.

Clouds, l. 1417

3

Haven’t you sometimes seen a cloud that looked like a centaur? Or a leopard perhaps? Or a wolf? Or a bull? 2

Clouds, l. 346

3

To make the worse appear the better reason.

Clouds [423 B.C.E. ], l. 114 and elsewhere

2

You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.

Knights, l. 217

3

For then, in wrath, the Olympian Pericles Thundered and lightened, and confounded Hellas Enacting laws which ran like drinking songs. 1

Acharnians [425 B.C.E. ], l. 530

2

When men drink, then they are rich and successful and win lawsuits and are happy and help their friends. Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.

Knights [424 B.C.E. ], ll. 92–95

2
The wise learn many things from their enemies.
4
You should not decide until you have heard what both have to say.
5
High thoughts must have high language.
5
A man's homeland is wherever he prospers.
2

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Aristophanes was born in Athens around 447 BC and died in Athens around 385 BC. He is the best-known representative of ancient Greek Comedy. His work is a fierce critique of the customs, politics, and morals of his time. Using humor, satire, and parody, Aristophanes questioned power, war, and hypocrisy. Plays such as "The Clouds" satirize Socrates, "Lysistrata" proposes a sex strike to end the Peloponnesian War, and "The Frogs" criticizes the tragic poets. His language is rich, inventive, and full of puns and wordplay, reflecting the intellectual liveliness of classical Athens. Although many of his works have been lost, those that remain offer a unique glimpse into Athenian society and the comic genius of their author.