Product Description
Aristophanes of Athens (ca. 446-386 B.C.), one of the world's greatest comic dramatists, has been admired since antiquity. He wrote at least 40 plays, of which eleven have survived complete. Here Jeffrey Henderson presents a freshly edited Greek text of three of the plays and a lively, unexpurgated translation. ... Read more

Product Description
The acknowledged master of Greek comedy, Aristophanes brilliantly combines serious political satire with bawdiness, pyrotechnical bombast with delicate lyrics. "The Birds," a portrayal of a flawed utopia called Cloudcuckooland, is an enchanting escape into the world of free-flying fantasy that explores the eternal dilemmas of man on earth. "The Birds" was performed in 414 BCE at the City Dionysia where it won second prize. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs. Unlike the author's other early plays, it includes no direct mention of the Peloponnesian War and there are few references to Athenian politics and yet it was staged not long after the commencement of the Sicilian Expedition, an ambitious military campaign that had greatly increased Athenian commitment to the war effort.The longest of Aristophanes' surviving plays, "The Birds" is a fairly conventional example of Old Comedy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Essential Aristophanes
The Birds is considered one of Aristophanes' best plays - a worthy work that is still funny, entertaining, and thought-provoking after nearly 2,500 years and also now of great historical value. Though not Aristophanes funniest or most bitingly satirical work, it may have the best story and is likely the most imaginative. The plot is typically absurd but very creatively so, the amazingly thought out setting is truly remarkable, and the characters are very memorable. The play is also a powerful reminder of the easily overlooked fact that Aristophanes was an excellent poet; it has some of his best - and funniest - songs. He was also of course a brilliant satirist, and this is a preeminent example. His methods are as always diverse, including slapstick, but there are serious themes beneath the silly surface. The Birds is indeed a subtle religious critique and a nuanced look at all forms of tyranny as well as resistance. It also deals with issues of escapism - perhaps a clever and even half-mocking self-reference - and the concept of utopia. Simply put, it is essential for anyone interested in Greek comedy.

Trusting Pisthetaerus builds a utopian city for the Birds
The problem with "The Birds" ("Ornithes") is that for once Aristophanes does not seem to be attacking some specific abuse in Athens. Still, we suspect that even this little fantasy is not simply escapist entertainment. Certainly there are those who see it as a political satire about the imperialistic dreams that resulted in the disastrous invasion of Sicily (which happened the year before his play was produced in 414 B.C.). Then again, this could just be Aristophanes bemoaning the decline of Athens.

Pisthetaerus ("Trusting") and Euelpides ("Hopeful") have grown tired of life in Athens and decide to build a utopia in the sky with the help of the birds, which they will name Necphelococcygia (which translates roughly as "Cloud Cuckoo Land"). Pisthetaerus and his feathered friends have to fight off those unworthy humans, malefactors and public nuisances all, who try and join their utopia. Then there are the gods, who come to make some sort of agreement with the new city because they have created a bottleneck for sacrifices coming from earth.

Because it is a more general satire, "The Birds" tends to work better with younger audiences than most comedies by Aristophanes. Besides, the chorus of birds lends itself to fantastic costumes, which is always a plus with young theater goers. In studying any of the Greek plays that remain it is important to I have always maintained that in studying Greek plays you want to know the dramatic conventions of these plays like the distinction between episodes and stasimons (scenes and songs), 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). Understanding these really enhances your enjoyment of the play. ... Read more

Product Description
Carlo Ferdinando Russo's acclaimed work examines Aristophanes' comedies as plays intended for the stage--not the page. Russo's in-depth philological analysis of the plays is founded on an ever present perception of the realities of Greek theatre. He shows how deviations in the text can often be explained with reference to the actual competitions they were written for. He also considers the invention of printing as a cause of root changes in the nature of drama: the modern reader is inclined to see Aristophanes as an author of texts for reading, rather than of fluid libretti for performance. First published in Italy in 1962, it is now finally available in English and much updated. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book Professor Silk presents a radically new critical study of Aristophanes. Through an exploration of Aristophanes' comic poetry, informed by a wide range of theory from Kierkegaard to Adorno, a particular consideration of Aristophanes' own understanding of his medium, and challenging comparisons with modern literature, this book adds a new chapter to the long-standing debate about the nature and potentialities of comedy. ... Read more

Product Description
In Aristophanes’ most popular play, sex is a powerful agent of reconciliation. As war ravages ancient Greece, a band of women, led by Lysistrata, promise to deny their husbands all sex until they stop fighting. And the battle of the sexes begins… ... Read more

Product Description

The eleven plays by Aristophanes that have come down to us intact brilliantly illuminate the eventful period spanned by his forty-year career, beginning with the first production in 427 BCE. But the Athenians knew much more of his work: over forty plays by Aristophanes were read in antiquity, of which nearly a thousand fragments survive. These provide a fuller picture of the poet's ever astonishing comic vitality and a wealth of information and insights about his world. Jeffrey Henderson's new, widely acclaimed Loeb edition of Aristophanes is completed by this volume containing what survives from, and about, his lost plays, hitherto inaccessible to the nonspecialist, and incorporating the enormous scholarly advances that have been achieved in recent years.

Each fragmentary play is prefaced by a summary of what can be inferred about its plot, characters, themes, theatricality, and topical significance. Also included in this edition are the ancient reports about Aristophanes' life, works, and influence on the later comic tradition.

Customer Reviews (1)

More Hilarious Aristophanes!!!
Here we have a fantastic translator of Aristophanes, Jeffrey Henderson who has translated all 11 of Aristophanes' plays, who in this handy volume presents us with all the remaining fragments of the great comic playwright.

Translated and published in 2007, this is a welcome edition to go along with whatever you already know about Aristophanes!

I believe that without these fragments of his unknown plays, our picture of Aristophanes is incomplete and somewhat biased.And this goes for Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides as well.People who love the ancient playwrights need to know about what else they did besides what is already out there.That's why I love these Loeb Fragments editions!They reveal so much more about the dramatists' genius, art and ouvre.

Here's the breakdown of this ultra-rara Aristophanes volume:

1) TESTIMONIA (of Aristophanes):
Life, Father, Mother, Sons, Homeland, Era, Works and Competitions, Actors and Producers, Feud with Cleon, Socrates, Eupolis and Plagiarism, Baldness,Portraiture, Critical Judgements, Metrical Art, Editions and Commentaries, Epigrams.
2) ATTRIBUTED FRAGMENTS (of 36 Plays)
3) UNATTRIBUTED FRAGMENTS
4) DUBIOUSLY ATTRIBUTED FRAGMENTS
5) INDEX

This is a fantastic accompaniment to those seeking more comic relief outside Aristophanes' already known plays!










... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains Lysistrata, The Congresswomen, The Acharnians, and The Frogs
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Lysistrata begat Sex and the City
I looked at two of Aristophanes plays in this book: Lysistrata and The Frogs.In reading these plays I made notes for each time I laughed or smiled.I even took notes when I didn't laugh but thought that maybe someone else would.Rather than try to find a theory of humor, I simply recorded what it was that I thought made the line or scene funny.The list is somewhat shocking about the nature of humor, but the list is funny in itself.

Some of the things that I found funny in the Lysistrata were:filing down a male body part, leather toys, filthy slang, slow talking yokel foreigners, taking pride in being called trampy, adultery, dumping a bucket of nasty on a stiff bureaucrat, threats of abuse, using lies and excuses to seduce, using a child as a tool to coax a wife into bed, desperate impatience and insensitivity, an abusive relationship happy in its misery, the mockery of a famous Greek homosexual, a logical argument against staying sober, perpetual arousal, ignoring the moral of the story while ogling a woman, and, finest of all, a drunken pile of people.

Another moment in the Lysistrata that caught my attention was the misinterpretation of a line that reminded me of the movie Airplane:
Lysistrata: "We want to get laid."
Koryphaios of Women:"By Zeus!"
Lysistrata:"No, no.Not by him."

Co-Pilot:"Surely you can't be serious."
Leslie Nielson: "I am serious.And don't call me Shirley."

In reading The Frogs, I made another list, a much different list but perhaps a worse indictment of mankind's sense of humor than the previous list because it covers much more than sex.The short list I made begins with a dookie, or in other words stifling a number two while carrying a heavy load.It continues with laziness, whining, mocking a the same Greek homosexual with a joke, advice on suicide, bartering with a corpse, lampooning gods and heroes, excuses and lies, name calling, disrespecting superiors,imitations of nature, the inherent comedy of discomfort and injury, mocking the audience, making light of death and hell, false bravery followed up with fear and insecurity, mutation--in particular a leg made of number two--and handicaps, snobbery and pompous behavior, strange asides with interjections about a pair of perkies in the audience, undermining public figures by questioning their legitimacy, defamation of character, taking a large item--such as a tombstone--in an uncomfortable place, a disgruntled Greek slave, mutilation, dismemberment, disguise and surprise, misplacement of a sponge over an exposed "area", a frightened "member", role reversals and ensuing reversals of fortune, dancing girls, a subordinate having fun as a superior and then being disciplined, insults, kissing and dooking simultaneously, gluttony, mistaken identity, threats and violent imagery, torture, burial, a superior appealing to a subordinate using flattery, reusing an argument against the original speaker, promising things that don't exist, treachery and betrayal, suppression of pain to appear fine-and-dandy, a deity praying to another deity, portraying a serious figure as an idiotic bird, criticizing government and institutions, misery loving company among slaves, making fun of the venerable dead, a fight between corpses, bums, execution, and a reference to a toot in the face.

The least funny part of The Frogs is the contest between the poets, although if I could see and hear the actual play I might feel differently.My laughs turned into dying smirks as the humor became highbrow, and as the argument between Aeschylus and Euripides went on I yearned for an interjection of a bar pianist or something childish.

... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there.Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free.Subtitle: Translations by E.d.a. Morshead, E.h. Plumptre, Gilbert Murray and B.b. Rogers, With Introductions, Notes and IllustrationsOriginal Publisher: P.F. Collier Publication date: 1909Subjects: DramaGreek drama; Oedipus (Greek mythology); Antigone (Greek mythology); Drama / Ancient, Classical ... Read more

Product Description
In one of his last books, Socrates and Aristophanes, Leo Strauss's examines the confrontation between Socrates and Aristophanes in Aristophanes' comedies. Looking at eleven plays, Strauss shows that this confrontation is essentially one between poetry and philosophy, and that poetry emerges as an autonomous wisdom capable of rivaling philosophy.

"Strauss gives us an impressive addition to his life's work--the recovery of the Great Tradition in political philosophy. The problem the book proposes centers formally upon Socrates. As is typical of Strauss, he raises profound issues with great courage. . . . [He addresses] a problem that has been inherent in Western life ever since [Socrates'] execution: the tension between reason and religion. . . . Thus, we come to Aristophanes, the great comic poet, and his attack on Socrates in the play The Clouds. . . [Strauss] translates it into the basic problem of the relation between poetry and philosophy, and resolves this by an analysis of the function ofcomedy in the life of the city." --Stanley Parry, National Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The madness of war
While the introduction, conclusion and first essay (on "Clouds") is apparently anchored in anargument between philosophy and poetry, the further Strauss leaves "Clouds" behind, the more we see throughhis close reading of the plays, in a way we never do from the youngerPlato, the cultural disintegration of Athens under the assault of the war.Euripides, not Socrates, emerges at the real opponent and comedy triumphsover both tragedy and philosophy as the best teacher. This brings us closeto an historical experience so often lost in classical studies,particularly in political philosphy, the madness in the streets of Athensand the fully-formed, transcendent characters which emerge with the comictreatment. These are not the spoiled aristocratic youth clustered aroundSocrates or the sophists (Plato's real enemies - not the poets). These arethe men and women at the corner bar. This book makes you wish Strauss haddone a "Hobbes and Shakespeare." His evident enjoyment of hissubject leaks through with increasing intensity the further he seems todrift from his dichotomy. Could it be Strauss wished to remind hisfollowers, ever so gently, to, like, lighten up and read a good comedy,even in the Greek some labor so hard to acquire? The book at least raisestwo questions: how did the bold Aristophanes avoid capital punishment? whydid the ironic, diplomatic Socrates accept his?

How the other half lives
This book follows the typical Strauss pattern: In the first few pages he makes a blanket statement (in this case, Aristophanes is a reactionary; in Thoughts on Machiavelli it was, Machiavelli is evil), then follows it upwill a torturous and nuanced analysis of the thinker's ideas until youbegin to wonder: In what way is Aristophanes a reactionary or Machiavelli,evil. He tells you the picture is black and white, then he brings you in soclose that it all turns gray.Be this as it may, Plato's Symposium andRepublic (especially Republic X where Socrates bans the poets from his justcity) tells only half the story (philosophy's side). In this book Strausstells the other half (poetry's side). In essence, Symposium and Republic(and to a certain extent, Phaedo) make up Plato's case as to why philosophyshould be the teacher of public morality instead of poetry. Strauss' booktakes Aristophanes' eleven existing plays and presentshis opposingarguments, his defence of poetry and attack on philosophy. Interesting readfor we who sit the other side of Plato's Republic (i.e. MedievalChristendom, where there is no longer any contest between Thomas Aquinasand Dante Aligheri).

Aristophanes: the Neglected Political Philosopher
In this book Leo Strauss takes Aristophanes depiction of Socrates as a serious political attack. No longer is Aristophane's attack rationalized away asa mistake as it is ussualy done by many authors (e.g.that hemistook Socrates as a Sophist) or thatSocrates was an easy target forriducule because of his 'ugly' looks. Strauss, writes that Aristophanespersonally knew Socrates (unlike for example Aristotle), and as seen in thePlatonic dialogue 'The Symposium' he was also a good friend of Socrates.Thus, Aristophanes attack on Socrates is not done out of hate, rather itwas done in friendship. The same kind of friendship that we also see inPlato's Republic, where Socrates attacks Thrasymachus while at the sametime becoming his friend. What Aristophanes depicts in his play 'TheClouds' is a "young" Socrates, one who does not know yet thewisdom of respecting a city's Gods. The Socrates that we all know and like,emerges much later and it is the Platonic Socrates, not the Socrates thatAristophanes knew. The Aristophenian Socrates had yet to learn his'lessons'.Strauss is not biased against the profane language found inAristophanes plays and does not view Aristophanes any less of a wise manfor it. Indeed, Strauss seems to share some of the same convictions inregards to Aristophanes as Friedrich Nietzsche. In Nietzsche's book BeyondGood and Evil, one reads: "As for Aristophanes-that transfiguring,complementary spirit for whose sake one forgives everything Hellenic forhaving existed, provided one has inderstood in its full profundity all thatneeds to be forgiven and transfigured here-there is nothing that has causedme to meditate more on Plato's secrecy and sphinx nature than the happilypreserved petit fait that under the pillow of his deathbed there was foundno "Bible", nor anything Egyptian, Pythagorean, or Platonic-but avolume of Aristophanes. How could even Plato have endured life-a Greek lifehe repudiated-without an Aristophanes? (section, 28)

Philosophy versus Poetry- Who wins and why care!
This book is a detailed analyasis of Aristophanes plays, their themes and their political, if we must say it- cultural, sigfigance on Athenians and the larger Greek world. This book is so interesting because a philosopheris anyalysis the works of art and then comaparing them with his intimateknowledge of classical political philosophy. The highlight is how wellAristophanes does in depecting accurately the life of 'the' philosopher,the philosopher par excellance- Socrates. If you have a favourableprejudice towards Socrates, you may not like this book because Strauss isrigourous in his insistence on detailing the real Socrates, the famousnatural philosopher who is fascinated by insects and what they can tell himabout the whole of life, even morality. Morality seems to be a distant,almost unimportant concern to the natural philosopher Socrates. But nay, itis this very point where Aristophanes' perspective on Socrates falters andit is why poetry cannot comprehend philosophy. Strauss subtly argues only aphilosopher, like Socrates and Plato, can be the ultimate judge of good andevil. Where Aristophanes is dependent upon the city for approval, and looksto the city for his poetry, although he claims to be the originator of it,Socrates looks beyond the city, philosophy is concerned with thetranspolitical. ... Read more

Product Description
Aristophanes' comedies are famous for their comic characters and earthy humor. But they are also highly topical, with many contemporary political allusions easily missed today. This book provides students with a long needed accessible and essential introductory guide to the plays, focusing particularly on information about the Athens of the day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Strong Opinions, and a Fine Overview
Professor MacDowell here gives a play by play breakdown of the works of Aristophanes. Included are short summaries, or surmises on the missing plays when there is some evidence - extracts, period refernces, etc. Professor MaDowell writes clearly and his thoughts are easy to follow - something I cannot say for a majority of his tribe. He can also be quite blunt about views not in accord with his own conclusions! A great deal of his attention focuses on Aristophanes' efforts to sell his ideas - with special emphasis on the political - to the Athenian audience through his plays, a valid and persuasive starting point for examination of the works as well as one which gives a strong immediacy to the discussion. The reader receives a steady stream of up-to-date information as to the how and the where and the why for each play's production. MacDowell's approach does not categorically eschew topicality; he makes an apt and enlightening analogy between the younger Aristophanes' plays and the films of Hitchcock and the differing roles of producer and artist. Overall this book represents much diligent and careful thought: MacDowell is as well versed as anyone in the literature and it shows. While I differ on several points, his overall conception shows much distinction. The Chapters vary in quality, but all are thoroughly discussed and several, such as the essays on the Akharnians and Wasps, are very fine indeed.
A thought-provoking book; not only a good overview of the works for someone who wishes to further and more closely examine this most perplexing of comic masters, but also an excellent addition to a classical library of critical works.

intro to aristophanes
For anyone who is new to the crude and seemingly inaccessible humour of Aristophanes, this book should come as a blessing. Not only does it give detailed analysis of the political background necessary to appreciate theclever allegories, but acquaints the general reader with the overallmessages of Aristophanes' plays that can be outrageously funny and clever.Arisophanes and Athens is very accessible, and sheds light on literatureover 2000 years old that is surprisingly relevant to our society today. ... Read more

Product Description
The ideal single-volume introduction to the greatest masterpieces of ancient comedy

From the fifth to the second century B.C., theatrical comedy flourished in Greece and Rome. This new anthology brings together four essential masterworks of the genre: Aristophanes’ bold, imaginative The Birds; Menander’s The Girl from Samos, which explores popular contemporary themes of mistaken identity and sexual misbehavior; and two later Roman comic plays—Plautus’s The Brothers Menaechmus, the inspiration for Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors; and Terence’s bawdy yet sophisticated double love plot, The Eunuch. Together, these four plays capture the genius of classical comedy for students, theatergoers, actors, lovers of satire, and anyone interested in the ancient world. ... Read more

Product Description
Plato, Aristophanes, and the creators of the 'Orphic' gold tablets employ the traditional tale of a journey to the realm of the dead to redefine, within the mythic narrative, the boundaries of their societies. Rather than being the relics of a faded ritual tradition or the products of Orphic influence, these myths can only reveal their meanings through a close analysis of the specific ways in which each author makes use of the tradition. For these authors, myth is an agonistic discourse, neither a kind of sacred dogma nor a mere literary diversion, but rather a flexible tool that serves the wide variety of uses to which it is put. The traditional tale of the journey to the Underworld in Greek mythology is neither simple nor single, but each telling reveals a perspective on the cosmos, a reflection of the order of this world through the image of the other. ... Read more

Product Description
The Clouds (Νεφέλαι / Nephelai) is a comedy written by the celebrated playwright Aristophanes lampooning intellectual fashions in classical Athens. It was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423 BC and it was not well received, coming last of the three plays competing at the festival that year. It was revised some time between 420-417 BC and thereafter it was circulated in manuscript form. No copy of the original production survives and scholarly analysis indicates that the revised version is an incomplete form of Old Comedy. This incompleteness however is not obvious in translations and modern performances. The Clouds can be considered not only the world's first extant 'comedy of ideas' but also a brilliant and successful example of that genre. The play gained notoriety for its caricature of the philosopher Socrates ever since its mention in Plato's Apology as a factor contributing to the old man's trial and execution. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clouds)



This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever.You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A great playwright mocks a great philosopher
This is one of the near 10,000 books that people can upload for free from [...].

This comedic play by the fifth century BCE Athenian Greek playwright Aristophanes was written to satirize the playwright's contemporary philosopher Socrates, who is portrayed in a ridiculous fashion in the play. Strepsiades, a name meaning slippery and scheming, is upset because his son is addicted to horse racing and betting has put him in debt. He goes to the "thinking shop" where Socrates is teaching to find out from the man who he considers a faker, wretch, humbug, trickster, and quack, how he can deceive his creditors and not have to pay his son's debts.

Strepsiades finds Socrates' students lying on the ground with their head on the earth and their rumps high so that they can learn about the underworld while their rump is studying astronomy. He sees Socrates hanging from the roof in a basket because if one wants to speculate about the sun, one needs to do so near the sun.

Strepsiades conversation with Socrates is filled with nonsense designed to show that Socrates was at best a shyster who played with language but made no sense. The playwright shows that Socrates is neglecting religion and morality and that he is turning justice into nothing more than a sophistical sleight of hands. Socrates is made to say such things as Jupiter is not god; the true gods are the clouds; and thunder is not produced by Jupiter but by the clouds farting. Socrates advice to Strepsiades is similar illogical and nonsensical ideas. Indeed, Aristophanes portrays Socrates as a ridiculous Sophist, the group of people who trained their disciples how to persuade others through the use of language, a group that Plato, Socrates' pupil, says that Socrates despised.

Strepsiades realizes all these faults that Aristophanes portrays Socrates to have, and in disgust ends the play by setting fire to Socrates' "Thinking Shop."

Will the Real Socrates Please Step Out!
If you've never read "Clouds", go do so now! Or at least read the synopses offered by previous reviewers. Unless you want to reimburse me for completing your humanistic belle-lettristic education by PayPal, that is. I've taken a lesson from the sophist think-tank depicted by Aristophanes, and decided to convert my hobby to a cash-in-advance enterprise. No more free history lessons! No tips on investments based on my insider's contacts with the Obama's dog! And no fire insurance for homes where intellectual conversations occur!

The orthodox opinion on "Clouds" has been that Socrates is unfairly and inaccurately portrayed as an unscrupulous shyster and philosophical fraud. There has been ink spilled about the angry suggestion that Aristophanes's representation of Socrates as a 'disbeliever' in Zeus and the other Homeric Gods was a specific causative factor in the trial and execution-by-suicide of Socrates, the martyr for free thought. Well now, hold on! We have basically only two depictions of Socrates the man and teacher: 1. this obviously satiric portrayal by the acidulous Aristophanes, done from life with the subject in the audience, and 2. the post-trial accounts by disciples of Socrates, Xenophon and Plato, the latter colored by adulation and plainly committed to the exposition of Plato's own complex philosophical notions. Almost everything we think we know about Socrates is myth and legend of later centuries. Unless we CHOOSE to prefer Plato's Socrates to the doofus portrayed by Aristophanes, the honest thing to do would be to admit that all we know is nothing. But Plato was a slippery character, a literary type, and you know what they're like! Whereas Aristophanes was a comedian writing for a sophisticated contemporary audience; if his portrayal of Socrates wasn't at least close to the mark, the audience would have sat on their hands. Taking my precedent from another play -- Frogs, in which Dionysius rationalizes his verdict in favor of Aeschylus over Euripides on a purely pragmatic basis -- I hereby conclude that the Aristophelian Socrates seems far more plausible as a historic figure than the Platonic.

This is a solid 'reading' translation, as literal as any, with a well-argued introduction reaching the opposite verdict, and with clear explanatory notes, which you will need. The play is replete with allusions to living figures of Aristophanes's Athens. What I think might be fun would be to gather a crowd of friends and read the thing aloud together, appropriately lubricated with libations (but not on the carpet!) and followed by furious debate over the possibility that the chorus of Clouds were cryptic harbingers of anthropogenic climate change.

Thought Provoking and Troubling
Aristophanes' comedy "Clouds" is a humorous send-up of Greek rationalism, science, atheism, and lawyerly sophistry, as supposedly represented by Socrates and the philosophical and sophistic schools of Athens. Aristophanes portrays intellectuals as an arrogant class of effete and pasty skinned unbelievers. Except for their skills in rhetoric, which help them get around the law and rip people off, their knowledge is of little worldly or practical value. In other words, their heads are figuratively in the clouds (hence the play's title).

"Clouds" is funny in places, but also disturbing in its anti-intellectualism and nostalgia for marshal virtues and doubt-free theism. If Aristophanes were alive today, he might be a caustic, and very conservative, Republican (or even a Fascist). For all this, his play has an undeniably contemporary feel in its critiques of rhetoric, and makes a good primer for reflection on the nihilistic and shameless uses of argumentation (as when oil company representatives engage in blatant sophistries to cast doubt on global warming science).

But when, at the end of the play, the lead character (Strepsiades) gleefully burns down the school of Socrates, one is sobered by the reactionary nature of the play. The ending reminds one of humanity's long and tragic history of genocide and iconoclasm (the destroying of a rival ideology's texts, idols, symbols, or buildings). The ending of Aristophanes' play clearly suggests that the killing of an entire class of people in his society would be a positive development. It is not without reason that Plato famously attributed Socrates' death, at least in part, to the popular prejudice generated against him by Aristophanes' "Clouds."

In short, Aristophanes' play is thought-provoking, funny, and sobering. It's an easy read and, even after 2500 years, still relevant.

Excellent translation.
All dramatists, playwrights and intellectuals should be thoroughly familiar with Aristophanes.His work will live on for thousands of more years!

Aristophanes attacks Socrates the sophist as a Sophist
The legend is that when Aristophanes' comedy "The Clouds" was first performed in Athens in 423 B.C., his target, Socrates, stood throughout the performance so that everyone in the audience was aware that he was there and hearing what was said of him. The portrait of Socrates clearly satirical and most critics consider it to be inaccurate. But Aristophanes is making fun of Athens' renowned "Think-tank" the "Phrontisterion," the school where the rich young men of Athens were taught the fine art of rhetoric. Instead of anything lofty the comic poet suggests the primary purpose of such an education is to be clever and out-reason greedy creditors.This is an especially good translation of the play, which includes insightful notes and essays on both Old Comedy and the Theater of Dionysus that helps readers understand the conventions of staged comedy at the time of Aristophanes.

In this comedy Socrates is consulted by an old rogue, Strepsiades (sometimes translated as "Twisterson"), who is upset with the mountain of debts his playboy son Phidippides, who loves fast horses and fast living. Phidippides agrees to go to Socrates' school of logic where he can learn to make a wrong argument sound right. After graduation is able to use the system of "unjust logic" to outwit his father and kick him out of the family home. The Chorus of Clouds comments on the proceedings and in the end the Phrontisterion is burned to the ground by Strepsiades.

The flaw of the play is Aristophanes is trying to satirize the Sophists, who were popularizing a new philosophy that denied the possibility of ever reaching objective truth, he picked the wrong target. The Sophists were mostly teachers who were not native to Athens, such as Isocartes and Gorgias. "Sophist" basically meant teacher, so while Socrates was a "sophist" he was not a "Sophist." Twenty-four years later, when Socrates was condemned to death for "corrupting the youth of Athens," the only accuser he said he could name was a certain "comic poet." For contemporary audiences who are untutored in the traditions of classical Greek philosophy it is easy to see Socrates as the prototype for the absent-minded professor, but historically that is, of course, far from the truth. Ironically, even today, Socrates is still one of the few "sophists" that a contemporary audience would recognize by name if not by reputation.

The version of "The Clouds" that has passed down to us is not the original version, which was defeated by Cratinus' "Wine Flask" at a comedy competition during the Great Dionysia celebrations. We know this is a revised version because the Chorus complains about Aristophanes finishing third in that competition. However, critics assume it is essentially the same play, albeit a more polished version. Once you forgive Aristophanes for his unfair characterization of Socrates, "The Clouds" is a great comedy employing all of his standard tricks of the trade from fantasy and ribaldry to funny songs and obscene words. ... Read more

Product Description
All 11 comedies, literally translated. Two volumes in one file. On 5/30/2009, we added a table of contents with links to each of the plays. If you bought a copy before then, you should be able to download the new version at no extra cost. Includes: Knights, Acharnaians, Peace, Lysistrata, The Clouds, The Wasps, The Birds, The Frogs, The Thesmophoriazusae, The Ecclesiazusae, and Plutus. According to Wikipedia: "Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης, ca. 446 BCE – ca. 386 BCE), son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a prolific and much acclaimed, comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays have come down to us virtually complete. These, as well as fragments of some of his other plays, provide us with the only real example we have of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy and they are in fact used to define the genre. Also known as the Father of Comedy and the Prince of Ancient Comedy, Aristophanes has been said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author.His powers of ridicule were feared and acknowledged by influential contemporaries - although more than one contemporary, satirical playwright caricatured the philosopher Socrates, his student Platosingled out Aristophanes' play The Clouds as slander contributing to his old mentor's trial and execution. The demagogue Cleon once prosecuted Aristophanes successfully for slandering the Athenian polis with his second play 'The Babylonians' (now lost). Details of his trial and punishment are not recorded but Aristophanes evidently was not intimidated since he replied with merciless caricatures of Cleon in his subsequent plays, especially The Knights."
... Read more

Product Description
Text with facing translation, commentary and notes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

avoid the Matt Neuberg job, unless you're a classics major
This review of "Lysistrata" by Matthew Neuburg, a brilliant Yale- and Cornell-trained classicist who later abandoned his teaching career and begin writing programming guides for Appple OS.He is, for example, the author of the highly regarded Frontier: The Definitive Guide and AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition.

But I wouldn't recommend his translation of this Greek classic (Chicago: 1991).It was meant to be, I assume, a translation for students of Greek, since it's highly nit-picky and literal.Heck, the guy is parsing the Greek (complete with diacritical marks) in the middle of the text!But I guess you're given a fair heads-up there in his subtitle:"A New Translation for Performance and Study."

I sought out this particular one because I had on several occasions been blown away by Professor Neuburg in person, but unfortunately, his "Lysistrata" is just not readable -- although I'm sure it's worth its weight in gold if you're also studying or performing the play in Greek and will be asked questions about scansion, stress, and iambo-choriambic tetrameters!

For the layman, then, I would recommend the Signet Classics edition, which also contains three other plays:Four Plays by Aristophanes: Lysistrata, The Frogs, A Parliament of Women, Plutus (Wealth).That translation (not to mention the typeface) is much more conducive to a non-academic read.

Not as Bad as I Thought
I thought that this would be a very dry and difficult read. It is actually very interesting, and fairly easy to read.

Overly clever translation that should be avoided.
This is obviously a translation meant to be read and not performed, and thus has lost the purpose of Lysistrata, and best to be avoided at all costs. Professor Parker's tortured retelling of this very funny play sucks the humor out in favor of clever witticisms and offensive stereotypes. He has forgotten that this was a play written during the Peloponnesian Wars, and was a direct response to that conflict. If he had not, then why the references to Hamlet and other plays? Are we supposed to follow the story or applaud Parker's precocious re-telling? If you read this play as part of a class and use the anthology "The Living Theatre", do yourself a favor and get another translation.

Pick your translation carefully
Having read several different translations of Lysistrata, I can report that the one you select may make all the difference in your opinion of this early comedy.Roche's translation is very vulgar but has good footnotes: get ready for cockney Spartans, however.Jack Lindsay's translation, done in 1925 (included in the Bantam edition of Aristophanes) seems to be overly literary in comparison to the original but lacks notes. It reads well, though sounds a little old-fashioned. The bawdry is present but made less direct; in this one the Spartan dialect is Scottish.

I found Parker's translation to be the least satisfactory. The "hillbilly" dialect he gives the Spartans is painfully overdone,not to mention inaccurate, and the speeches are awkward and pedestrian. An excellent edition overall is Alan H. Sommerstein's in the Penguin Classic "Aristophanes: Lysistrata and Other Plays."The introduction and notes are extremely informative, and the translation itself strikes the right note to represent Aristophanes' style in English.(Once again, though, the Spartans are Scots.)

But perhaps the best choice is Sarah Ruden's 2003 edition. Her dialogue is unusually funny without straying too far from the original. Added value comes from her four very readable essays on Greek democracy, warfare, women, and comedy. It's also printed on quality paper and comes with a great cover!

Such an awful book
I had to read this book in english class this year and it was absolutely horrid. The jokes weren't funny and the story was just stupid. Also, if you actually like the book, don't buy this edition because it falls apart. The book is about the battle of the sexes and it's stupid, pointless and boring. On top of it, you'll be really confused at times because of the old english. It's not a fun read more like a frustrating read. This is definitely one of my least favorite books of all time. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more