Aristophanes (450/445-mid 380s BCE) was born at the foot of the Acropolis, in the area of Kydathenaion, at around the same time as the Parthenon was starting to be built. At an early age, he experienced the political and cultural flourishing of Athens, while later witnessing the decline of Athenian democracy during the Peloponnesian War, which culminated in the fall of the city in 404 BCE. As the only great dramatist of the classical period who lived after the defeat of Athens, his works are indicative of the radical changes that ancient Greek comedy went through until the end of the era of Athenian dominance. From his very first steps in comedy, he enjoyed enormous success, defeating the oldest masters of the genre in dramatic competitions. He frequently referred to his development as a playwright in the parabasis of his comedies (where the chorus speaks to the audience on behalf of the author). His late plays marked a transitional stage between Old and Middle Comedy, and had a decisive influence on its development. The historical and political background for nine of his eleven surviving works is the 27-year Peloponnesian War, which he vehemently condemned, considering it ruinous for Athens and the progress of its citizens. Aristophanes criticised jingoism, pseudo-heroism, slanderers and demagogues, believing that the salvation of the city lay in the values of the past and ancestral principles. His work survived the cultural changes of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, constituting an inexhaustible source of information not only about the methods, techniques and themes of Old Comedy, but also about the social and political life of the city.

 

Surviving plays:
The Acharnians, The knights, The clouds, The wasps, Peace, The birds, Lysistrata, Ecclesiazousae, The frogs, Thesmophoriazousae, Plutus.

 

You first must become an oarsman
Before taking the tiller and pointing
The prow according to the winds.
When you are captain you will navigate
Alone. (The knights)

 

If our arrogance causes us
To puff ourselves up and strut around, while
Our city is battered by waves,
The time will surely come
When our imprudence is laid bare. (The frogs)

 

There is so much to see and be astounded by while one still lives (Lysistrata)

 

I want to achieve everything through female virtues: through our nature, grace and boldness; through our wisdom. (Lysistrata)