Aristophanes

Old Comedy's master: Athens' wars, philosophers, and politicians roasted in fantasy and song.

Specifications & Metrics

era

c. 446 – 386 BC

language

Ancient Greek

region

Athens

notable works

Lysistrata, The Clouds, The Frogs, The Birds

Core Principles & Analysis

• Eleven of his roughly forty comedies survive, the only Old Comedy that does.
• The Frogs was so successful it was re-performed — a rare official second run.
• His caricatures of Socrates and Euripides are primary evidence and libel at once.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Aristophanes