Aristophanes: Frogs and Other Plays: A Verse Translation, with Introduction and Notes (Oxford World's Classics)

Aristophanes is the only surviving representative of Greek OldComedy, an exuberant form of festival drama which flourished inAthens during the fifth century BC. One of the most originalplaywrights in the entire Western tradition, his comedies areremarkable for their brilliant combination of fantasy and satire,their constantly inventive manipulation of language, and their useof absurd characters and plots to expose his society's institutionsand values to the bracing challenge of laughter.This vibrant collection of verse translations of Aristophanes'works combines historical accuracy with a sensitive attempt tocapture the rich dramatic and literary qualities of Aristophaniccomedy. The volume presents Clouds, with its famous caricature ofthe philosopher Socrates; Women at the Thesmophoria (orThesmophoriazusae), a work which mixes elaborate parody of tragedywith a great deal of transvestite burlesque; and Frogs, in whichthe deadtragedians Aeschylus and Euripides engage in a vituperative contestof 'literary criticism' of each other's plays. Featuring expansiveintroductions to each play and detailed explanatory notes, thevolume also includes an illuminating appendix, which providesinformation and selected fragments from the lost plays ofAristophanes.