Aristophanes: The Frogs

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AristophanesThe Frogs
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Comedy vs. Tragedy

• Aristotle, Poetics Poetry is divided into two
  kinds. The first is Tragic Drama (Tragedy),
  which represents noble actions and noble persons
  the second is Comic Drama (Comedy), which
  represents the actions of the ignoble
• From Aristotles deductions, the division between
  the two dramatic forms can be seen to include the
  following characteristics

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Tragedy
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• The characters of Tragedy are kings, princes, or
  great leaders

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• Tragedy deals with great and terrible actions

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• Tragedy begins happily (or at least pleasantly),
  and progresses to a terrible ending

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• The style and language of Tragedy are elevated
  and sublime

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• Tragedy generally deals with mythological and
  historical subjects

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• Tragedy deals with such lofty issues as exile,
  revenge, and bloodshed

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Comedy
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• The characters of Comedy are humble and private
  citizens

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• Comedy deals with familiar and domestic situations

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• Comedy begins turbulently and ends joyfully, or
  in an upbeat way

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• The style and language of Comedy are humble and
  colloquial

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• Comedy generally deals with ridiculous, invented
  situations

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• Comedy deals with universals such as
  love/seduction, the generation gap, and the
  stubbornness of people

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Aeschylus
525 456 BC
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• Generally regarded as the founder of Greek
  Tragedy
• Born at Eleusis, 30 km northwest of Athens
• Actually fought at the Battle of Marathon (490).
  He also fought at Salamis (480), which is
  described in his play The Persians (472).
• 484 Won his first victory in dramatic
  competition was again successful with The
  Persians In 458 had his last victory with the
  Oresteia trilogy

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• He wrote between 80-90 plays, of which 7 survive
  The Persians, Seven Against Thebes, The
  Suppliants, The Oresteia, and Prometheus Bound.

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• After his death, Aeschylus was honoured as a
  classic even had the unique honour of having
  his plays staged posthumously
• His innovations include introducing a second
  character, who was independent from the chorus
• By diminishing the part of the chorus, he made
  true dialogue and dramatic action possible

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• Not so much his spectacle that deserves mention,
  as his grandeur of language, use of silence, and
  choreography
• Chose themes of utmost grandeur (as most Tragedy
  topics from mythology The Oresteia) and
  history (Persians)
• Delighted in picturesque language and bold
  metaphors lavishes epithets upon characters
• Noble characters must be beyond reproach

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• For many, Aeschylus religious and moral ideas
  give his drama a lasting significance
• His most important dramatic component is poetry
  which evokes powerful emotion

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Euripides
480 406 BC
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• Third of the great Attic tragedians (the other
  being Sophocles (496-406 BC))
• Born on the same day of the Battle of Salamis
• Wrote between 80-90 plays, 18 of which survive,
  including Alcestis, Medea, Hippolytus, Trojan
  Women, Helen, Orestes, Bacchae, Hecuba and
  Andromache

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• As a rule, the situations in his Tragedies
  involve violent stress men and women in the
  grip of passion, torn by conflicting impulses
  closer to everyday life than Aeschylus and
  Sophocles
• Euripides did not unquestioningly accept
  traditional religion and values reflects the
  influence of the Sophists, who questioned old
  beliefs and criticised the old ways
• Made use of prologues
• Clear, natural expression

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• Aristotle Sophocles presents men as they ought
  to be. Euripides presents them as they are.
• Frequently ended his plays with a divine epilogue
  (similar to Jerry Springer), where gods tell of
  the characters fates (again, like Springer, the
  god of Trash)
• Used the chorus as a lyrical interlude, taking
  attention away from the action
• c/f Aeschylus, whose choruses reflected on it

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• His characters are mere humans, who question the
  goodness and justice of the gods, who are
  presented as lazy, and might not do their duty
• Euripides most potent aspect is his realism
  see Electra Orestes revenge disillusioned and
  unhappy with the murders he has committed

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The Bacchae
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The Great Poetic Debate
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Frogs, pp184 - 190

• Xanthius and another slave explain that Aeschylus
  and Euripides are arguing about the Chair of
  Poetry in Hades
• Aeschylus held it until Euripides death, but now
  the criminals have so loudly applauded Euripides
  argumentative skill that he is claiming it
• To settle the dispute, Pluto has ordained a trial
  in which each poet will argue his case. Dionysus
  will be the judge

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• Aeschylus and Euripides emerge bickering from the
  house. Dionysus urges quiet, telling them to
  pray. Aeschylus prays to Demeter (p.189), while
  Aristophanes plays upon Euripides agnosticism,
  and shows him praying to his mind and his
  sentient nostrils!

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Frogs, pp.190-210

• Euripides attacks Aeschylus His characters use
  long silences his choral passages are
  interminable when his characters finally speak,
  they use verbose, bombastic language.
• Euripides claims that in his plays everything is
  made clear in the prologue, and he uses
  realistic, everyday characters, and writes about
  familiar subjects.
• He has also taught men to examine all questions
  and speak their mind freely

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• Aeschylus replies (p.193ff) by saying that
  Euripides realistic characters are immoral and
  set bad examples, while noting his were real
  heroes
• He justifies his use of highly poetic language by
  holding it appropriate to lofty subject matter.
  He notes that the duty of the poet is to teach.
• Euripides, fluent in the speechmaking arts, has
  taught people to babble and prate, while
  Aeschylus inspires through presentation of lofty
  subjects

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Frogs, p.197ff

• The focus then turns to the form of the plays
  Euripides attacks Aeschylus for redundancy and
  wordiness
• Aeschylus, with his bottle of oil, shows
  Euripides monologues to be repetitive and
  monotonous (p.199)
• Euripides shows Aeschylus choral odes to be too
  dependant on exaggerated verbal noise (crash),
  and too reliant on the same rhythm (p.201)
• Euripides choruses are full of cheap and trivial
  effects, which Aeschylus notes, recall his
  cheap characters

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• Dionysus is confused. He decides to weigh
  their lines Aeschylus wins due to his heavier
  content
• Dionysus finally asks each poet how we would save
  Athens. He finds Aeschylus advice sensible (and
  clearer than Euripides), and therefore chooses
  Aeschylus, whose plays present the good old
  days, and act as a cohesive, moral tool

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ALF