The Plays of Aristophanes

The Plays of Aristophanes (425 BC-388 BC) is a collection of comedies by Athenian playwright Aristophanes. Noted for his exploration of fantasy, sexuality, and contemporary politics, Aristophanes was a leading figure in Old Attic Comedy whose award-winning plays continue to delight and inspire nearly 2,500 years after they were first performed. This collection includes some of his best-known work, showcasing his talent as an unmatched humorist and shrewd social commentator whose words drew ire from Athenian general Cleon, Socrates, and Plato. In The Clouds, an indebted Athenian aristocrat enters a philosophical school despite his advanced age in order to sharpen his argumentative skills. There, he learns the recent teachings of Socrates and gets a chance to meet the legendary figure himself. Despite his earnest desire for enlightenment, Strepsiades proves shockingly inept and is forced to beg his young son for help. The Birds follows a pair of middle-aged men on a walk through the wilderness, where they encounter a former king who has been transformed into a bird. When a group of enraged birds holds them captive, suspecting the men of ill-intent, the two devise a plan to inspire the birds to challenge the Olympians and assert their power in the universal order. In Lystistrata, the title heroine leads a courageous campaign to put an end to the brutal Peloponnesian War. Her bold plan involves encouraging women throughout the warring city states of Greece to withhold sex from men until the violence is stopped. The Plays of Aristophanes is an invaluable collection of comedies from a leading playwright of Ancient Greece, a man whose work has survived for centuries while inspiring countless writers, readers, and audiences around the world. This edition of Aristophanes’ The Plays of Aristophanes is a classic of Ancient Greek literature reimagined for modern readers.

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