The Frogs - Aristophanes - Dr Naomi Scott

Historical and political context: 

• First produces in the Lenaia festival – 405BC 

• Turbulent period in Athens’ history – at war with Sparta for 3 years – a year after The Frogs premiere it was finally defeated 

• 6 years before this in 411 – aftermath of a substantial military disaster in Sicily – a brief oligarchic coup had overturned the Athenian democracy in favor of the rule of first 400 then 5,000 aristocrats 

• Although this only lasted a few months before the democracy was restores, it served to undermine the political divisions which had always simmered beneath Athens’ surface 

• 405 – the Athenians were optimistic – they had won a substantial naval battle at the battle of Arginusae  

• Thereis no reason to believe that Aristophanes or his audience would have anticipated Athens’ imminent defeat in the Peloponnesian war  

• Despite these military successes – Athens' cultural life had taken a hit – two of the city's most famous and popular tragedians (Euripides and Sophocles) died within a few months of one another  

• The Frogs in the 9th of Aristophanes’ plays which survived with us in full  

• It was popular in antiquity – first prize at the festival – and some evidence that the frogs was granted a special re-performance because of its parabasis  

• The evidence from this comes from the ancient biographical tradition – the life of Aristophanes written later in antiquity and the hypothesis of the play  

• Not from the 5th century  

• Political background of the play – 2 major respects  

• Lines 31-4 – Xanthias “Blast my luck, why wasn’t I in the sea battle? Then I'd be telling you to go to hell” - wouldn’t have to put up with his master bullying – slaves that contributed to this victory were set free as a reward – unusual move from the Athenians – and could be socially disruptive. Sence of the disruption of hierarchy is evident throughout the play – Xanthias is rebellious – constantly seems to succeed in getting one over on his master – the two exchange roles when Dionysus tries to evade the angry inn keeper, fluidity to their relationship and we begin to wonder who is really in charge  

• Xanthias’ role has distinctly political resonances – reversal of hierarchy is a standard feature of comedy  

• Major point of politics in the play – the parabasis  

• Set feature of old comedy – the Greek chorus step forward to address the audience directly – out of character 

• Often claim to be telling the audience the poets views  

• The chorus rail against the political situation in Athens at the time – one hand, slaves have been given freedom for fighting at sea – on the other hand, fully fledged citizens have been punished for the oligarchic uprising  

• All well rising up those at the bottom –…