The Poetic Comedy of Aristophanes:

Comedy as Political Commentary

  1. Historical Background:

    1. Dates: c. 450-385 BCE

    2. The Rise of the Athenian Empire

    3. The Peloponnesian War

  2. Contributions to Old Greek Comedy:

    1. Surviving Plays: 11 (out of 40)

    2. Comedy as Political Dissent (social criticism)

  3. The Clouds:

    1. The Main Characters -

      1. Strepsiades

      2. Pheidippides - son of Strepsiades

      3. Socrates - a philosopher

      4. Logic

      5. Antilogic

      6. The Chorus (clouds)

    2. The The Main Themes -

      1. The Folly of Greed

      2. The Dangers of Rhetoric (and Philosophy)

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