The Acharnians

utopian themes that were used to satirize various aspects of 5th century Greece, often in Athens. The present essay will first define utopia and the automatist subtype. Then it will explore Aristophanes’ usage of automatist utopian themes in his plays Acharnians and Peace. Specifically, this paper will argue that Aristophanes used themes associated with automatist utopia to satirize war, the excess of the aristocracy, and the ignorance of the lower classes in 5th century Greece. Before analyzing specific

He creates a private and individual peace treaty with the Spartans, and he finally receives his peace. His land and his home become war-free (The Acharnians, lines 195-204). The Acharnians were appalled that Dikaiopolis had signed a peace treaty. They form a mob and head to his home. There, they insult him and they threaten his life. But the whole time this is going on, Dikaiopolis is mocking them. He is insulting

through” (The Acharnians, line 515-519). Lamachus, a general of the army, is brought into the play and mocked by Dikaipolis for collecting coin from the war, and only going on paid missions. “Nothing’s tolerable to you, unless you’re drawing pay for it” (The Acharnians, line 619). Dikaipolis also names off other notable elected officials who receive money from various aspects of the war. Lamachus then proclaims that “I shall never stop making war on the Peloponnesians” (The Acharnians, line 620-621)

are still present and continue to hold a place in current society. The Acharnians is a clear example of an ancient Greek play that uses satire to relay a message, and “The Word: Armistice” is a news broadcast that plays as evidence that satirical methods used in the past are still present today. Both hold many similarities, and their differences reveal how much society and satire have changed throughout the years. The Acharnians is a satirical, ancient Greek play by playwright Aristophanes demonstrating

dialogue immediately gives us the image of members from lower classes being caring, hardworking and religious people. This shows that Menander must’ve held a certain degree of respect for the working class. The opening scene of Aristophanes the acharnians sets the premise that this play will be one

When choosing a poet to give Athens much needed advice to hopefully save it from what seems to be the inevitable end to the Peloponnesian war, one might consider either Euripides or Aeschylus. Both are excellent tragedians. Based on one’s political beliefs, one will probably easily choose one over because they stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Euripides is for a more socially progressive state whereas Aeschylus is for a more conservative form. However, there is a third, and in fact

The writer Aristophanes wrote the play “The Acharnians” in 425 BCE. It is set during the Peloponnesian War, which is between the Spartans and the Athenians. The main character, Dicaeopolis, is an Athenian farmer that is part of the very small handful of people that actually want peace in Athens and to end the war with Sparta. After the general assembly, the government officials in Athens, refuses to make a peace treaty to end the war, Dicaeopolis take his problems into his own hands and creates a

Peloponnesian war was a difficult time for the people of Athens. Along with the general discomforts of war, the Athenians also experienced famine, disease, and political unrest. These factors influenced Aristophanes during his productions of Lysistrata and Acharnians. When performed Aristophanes made sure to include some political agenda lines as well as some comedy so as to keep it light. This form was used to undermine the support of democracy in Athens by showing the audience the folly of the current system

In Aristophanes’ Peace written in 421 BCE, the automatist utopian trope of food is used to satirize 5th century Athens, particularly the aristocracy. In the opening scene of the play, two Athenian slaves are kneading cakes made of dung for the pet dung beetle of their master Trygaeus (Peace 1-2). Cakes are generally viewed as a decadent treats. However, theses cakes are not made out of appetizing ingredients but dung. These dung cakes are meant to parody Athenian obsession with food. After all, scholars

The Influence of Comedy in Ancient Athens “In every tragedy, an element of comedy is preserved. Comedy is just tragedy reversed.” (Wisława Szymborska). The most entertaining comedies are often born through moments of darkness. We laugh during times of uncomfort to ease the truth of our reality. Comic genius Aristophanes (c.450-385 BC), and many other comic dramatists, harnessed this idea during the tragic period of the Peloponnesian War. Despite the firm-rule that tragedy based dramas had on the