Aristophanes' Wasps (oxford Greek And Latin College Commentaries)

Aristophanes' Wasps (422 B.C.) is an entertaining comedy that plunges us into the life of a family in classical Athens, while treating themes that readers of any time and place can appreciate. A father and son argue about politics, household servants try to please their master, a disruptive gang of the father's friends decide to intervene, a dog becomes a lightning-rod for his antics in the kitchen, attempts are made at reform and reconciliation, and it all ends with a drinking party that goes disastrously wrong. The father, Philocleon, and his friends, the chorus of wasp-like old men for whom the play is named, are some of the great creations of comic drama. The characters of the Wasps make constant references to the everyday world they are living in: its political demagogues, court system, religious rituals, social niceties, class distinctions, diseases, clothes, food, toilets, paychecks, geography, weather, household items, literary and mythological allusions, military experiences, and much more. These references give the play its immediacy, but their unfamiliarity to modern students can pose a challenge. This edition provides a full introduction devoted to the political, social, and literary background of the play, as well as notes to the text explaining historical details. Aristophanes' Wasps (422 B.C.) is an entertaining comedy that plunges us into the life of a family in classical Athens, while treating themes that readers of any time and place can appreciate. A father and son argue about politics, household servants try to please their master, a disruptive gang of the father's friends decide to intervene, a dog becomes a lightning-rod for his antics in the kitchen, attempts are made at reform and reconciliation, and it all ends with a drinking party that goes disastrously wrong. The father, Philocleon, and his friends, the chorus of wasp-like old men for whom the play is named, are some of the great creations of comic drama. 0The characters of the Wasps make constant references to the everyday world they are living in: its political demagogues, court system, religious rituals, social niceties, class distinctions, diseases, clothes, food, toilets, paychecks, geography, weather, household items, literary and mythological allusions, military experiences, and much more. These references give the play its immediacy, but their unfamiliarity to modern students can pose a challenge. This edition provides a full introduction devoted to the political, social, and literary background of the play, as well as notes to the text explaining historical details Cover 1 Series page 4 Aristophanes’ Wasps 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Map of Attica 10 Map of Greece and the Aegean 12 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction 14 An Overview of Wasps 16 Father and Son 17 Cleon, Politics, and the Peloponnesian War in 422 bc 18 The Jury System of the Athenian Democracy 19 Philocleon the Juror 20 The Chorus of Wasps 22 Social Values in Wasps 23 The Culture of Symposium Society 24 The Comedy of Wasps 25 The Festivals of Dionysus at Athens and Aristophanic Comedy 27 Wasps in Aristophanes’ Career 27 The Structure of Wasps 29 Stage, Costume, and Performance 30 The Language of Aristophanes 31 Word Roots 32 Abbreviations Used in the Commentary 34 Commentary 36 Appendix A: Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms 230 Appendix B: Legal Procedure and Language in Classical Athens and Wasps 234 Appendix C: The Structure and Meters of Wasps: An Overview 236 Appendix D: Metrical Scansion 240 Vocabulary 244 Further Reading 258 An overview of Wasps -- Cleon, politics, and the Peloponnesian War in 422 B.C. -- The jury system of the Athenian democracy -- Philocleon the juror -- The chorus of Wasps -- Social values in Wasps -- The culture of symposium society -- The comedy of Wasps -- The festivals of Dionysus at Athens and Aristophanic comedy -- Wasps in Aristophanes' career -- The structure of Wasps -- Stage, costume and performance -- The language of Aristophanes -- Word roots -- Abbreviations -- Commentary -- Appendix A: a glossary of grammatical and rhetorical terms -- Appendix B: legal procedure and language in classical Athens and Wasps -- Appendix C: the structure and meter of Wasps -- Appendix D: scansion of meters in Wasps This edition of Aristophanes' Wasps, which includes a comprehensive introduction, extensive lexical and grammatical notes, and appendices on meter and legal terms, will make the comedy readily accessible to intermediate and advanced students of ancient Greek