Aristophanes’ Frogs

Drama to the Rescue…

Agenda

• Drama in Performance 1– Frog Chorus (pp. 106 ff.)

• Aristophanes’ Frogs– Background, Structure, Themes, etc.

• Drama in Performance 2: “To Hit or not to Hit…”– A Serious Side to Drubbing? Or, What Would

Plato Say?

Drama in Performance 1

Frog Chorus (pp. 106 ff.)

Frog Chorus … the Point??

• add to setting• Charon says frogs

help him to row• making d mad• interact – have say in

what’s going on• let us sing!

– thematically significant – foreshadowing

» forbidding frogs

• invading frogs home– trespasser

• serious place– comic relief

• satire– makes fun of dio every

chances gets

• not frightening– yet threaten d

Aristophanes’ Frogs

Background, Structure, Themes, etc.

Background

Historical• Production

– 405 BCE– Lenaea (Jan/Feb)– 1st prize, crown, encore

• Politics etc.– 413 Sicilian disaster– 411 exile of oligarchs– 405

» material pressures» military uncertainties» political tension

– 404» final defeat» democracy dissolved

Religious• Dionysian festival• mystery (Eleusinian)

evocations– Demeter, Persephone,

Iacchos-Dionysos– ritual insult– Chorus of Initiates

» us???

Dramatic• Aischylos, Sophokles,

Euripides, Agathon dead• Dionysos “yearning”• Athens bereft, desperate

Analysis• prologue (pp. 90 ff.)

– Xanthias, Dionysus, Herakles, Corpse, Charon

• choral dialogue 1 (106)– Frog Chorus (off-stage),

Dionysus• scene (109)

– Charon, D, X (Empusa)• parodos (114)

– lyric, chanting, dialogue. Mystic Chorus of initiates, D, X. hymn D, sex, personal abuse

• scene (119)– D, X, Aiakos, Maid. Door comedy

• scene (124)– dialogue, lyric. Chorus, D.

Persephone’s invite to “Herakles.”

– Barmaid, Plathane, X, D. Deadbeat “Herakles”

• scene (cont.)– lyric dialogues. Chorus, D, X.

Warning, fear, etc.– Aiakos, D, X. Drubbing scene

• parabasis (133)– advice to the city

• scene (135)– Pluto’s servant, X. Slave dialogue:

trouble in Hades• choral ode (140)

– tragic parody: consternation over poetic quarrel. (agōn prelude)

• AGŌNES (141-175)– Euripides v. Aischylos. Chorus, Pluto.

Contest in tragic poetry• exodos

– Pluto, Aischylos, Chorus. Farewell

“Are You Serious?”: “Comic Formula” & (serio?)-Comic Theme

• Plot contours– Return of Hephaestus– Aristophanes’ Frogs

Return of Hephaestus

“To Hit or not to Hit…”

A Serious Side to Drubbing? Or, What Would Plato Say?

Drubbing Scene (pp. 127 ff.)

• Aiakos– gatekeeper of Hades

• Dionysus– god of drama

• Xanthias– Dio’s slave

The Three Stooges

What Would Plato Say?

Positive• Herakles is getting

his just deserts• the punishment of an

imposter!!– of impious

impersonation

Negative• gods should not be

seen in lesser form• threat to the social

structure• Hubristic ambiguity

– issue with the forms» glorification of

masks/costumes