The Frogs

AristophanesProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 81K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Frogs by AristophanesAuthor: Aristophanes, 446? BCE-385? BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2005

Editor's review

Aristophanes' The Frogs is a landmark of Old Comedy. Its plot follows Dionysus' descent to Hades in search of a tragic poet and incorporates a literary contest between Aeschylus and Euripides, combining absurd comedy with serious dramatic criticism. Choral songs, farcical banter and political satire are interwoven throughout, giving readers a sense of late Athenian democracy while offering a valuable early example of theatrical criticism. This Project Gutenberg English translation is convenient for comparative reading and suits beginners of ancient Greek drama or as supplementary material for classical literature courses. When reading, pay attention to the choral passages and the argumentation of the poets' contest: the former conveys the ritual atmosphere of the theater, the latter reflects the author's judgment of contemporary dramatic taste. The play is short and well suited to close reading act by act with notes for the allusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners interested in ancient Greek drama and classical literature
Students taking courses in Western theater history or comparative literature
Readers curious about early literary criticism and comic satire

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a continuous plot like a modern vernacular novel
Those unfamiliar with Greek mythology and Athenian politics who are unwilling to consult notes

Reading tips

Read the plot summary and character list first, then proceed act by act to avoid interruptions from dense allusions.
Look up notes on mythological names and political metaphors as you go, and highlight the choral odes.
After finishing the poets' contest, revisit earlier foreshadowing to appreciate Aristophanes' satirical structure.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read The Frogs without any background in ancient Greek drama?

Yes, but it is best to first learn the basics about Dionysus, Hades, Aeschylus and Euripides. The plot is absurd and direct; the difficulty lies mainly in allusions and political satire, and notes will help you follow the main story.

Is this edition suitable as a textbook for theater history?

It can serve as supplementary reading. The Project Gutenberg edition is a public-domain English text, easy to access and compare, but it lacks a systematic introduction and detailed notes; for systematic study, pair it with an academically annotated edition or course handouts.

What is most worth paying attention to while reading?

First, how the comic framework of Dionysus' descent to Hades generates humor; second, the standards of literary criticism embodied in the poets' contest; third, the ritual atmosphere and political attitudes in the choral songs.

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About the author

Aristophanes Author · Ancient Greek

Aristophanes (c. 446 BCE–c. 385 BCE) was a comic poet of ancient Athens and the foremost representative of Old Comedy. Public sources on his life are limited, and later readers have come to know his work chiefly through his plays. Tradition holds that he wrote about forty comedies, of which eleven survive, including The Clouds, The Acharnians, The Birds and Lysistrata; the library holds seventeen of his works. His plays often take Athenian political and social life as their subject, using exaggerated plots and fantastic invention to mount sharp satire, and their witty, imaginative language had a profound influence on the later development of European comedy.