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AristofanAncient Greek playwright, the founder of the entire trend of comic poetry in world literature, `father of comedy
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Content:
Biography of Aristophanes
Aristophanes, the ancient Greek playwright and pioneer of comedic poetry in world literature, was born in Attica, in the deme of Kydathene, around 448 BC (some sources suggest a different date - 445 BC), into a prosperous family. His father, Philipp, owned a piece of land on the island of Aegina. Aristophanes served as a clerus - an Athenian colonist on the island of Aegina. A surviving inscription from the beginning of the 4th century BC mentions his name as a member of the Council of Five Hundred as part of the prytany of Pandionis. Aristophanes started writing at a very young age, and his first works (427-425 BC) - "The Banqueters," "The Babylonians" (426 BC), and "The Acharnians" (425 BC), of which only the latter survived - were performed under the name Callistratus, as he was unknown and unable to pay for the chorus. In 426 BC, after the production of the play "The Babylonians," Aristophanes was brought to court by Cleon, the leader of the Athenian deme, on charges of insulting the people and its representatives in front of allies. The details of the trial are unknown, but it seems that Aristophanes easily escaped the accusations.
Work and Legacy
Aristophanes occasionally appeared as an actor as well (for example, he played the role of Paphlagonian Cleon in "The Knights" (424 BC)). "The Clouds," which was performed in 423 BC, was a failure, and Aristophanes had to revise the text several times. His last surviving work, the comedy "Wealth," was produced by him in 388 BC. After that, he wrote the comedies "Cocalus" and "Eolosicon," but they were staged after Aristophanes' death by his son Araros (he had three sons, and all three were playwrights). Aristophanes passed away around 385-380 BC.
Works
Aristophanes wrote over 40 comedies in total, but only eleven have survived to this day: "The Acharnians" (425 BC), "The Knights" (424 BC), "The Clouds" (1st version in 423 BC), "The Wasps" (422 BC), "The Peace" (421 BC), "The Birds" (414 BC), "Lysistrata" (411 BC), "The Thesmophoriazusae" (around 411 BC), "The Frogs" (405 BC), "The Ecclesiazusae" (392 or 389 BC), and "Plutus" (388 BC).
Themes
In his comedies, Aristophanes satirizes not only newcomers, loudmouths, and ignorant individuals from the lower class but also aristocrats and the "golden" youth.
