Aristophanes, the renowned ancient Greek playwright, is best known for his comedic works. Despite the loss or partial destruction of most of his plays, eleven of them have survived almost intact. Revered as The Father of Comedy and The Prince of Ancient Comedy, Aristophanes’ life remains largely mysterious, with information about him derived solely from his own works. Born into the Pandionis clan as an Athenian citizen, he embarked on his career as a playwright around 427 BCE. His plays often revolved around society and politics, targeting an educated and mature audience. Known for his clever dialogues, parodies, and imaginative fantasies, Aristophanes frequently participated in competitions and received numerous accolades, including the first prize at the City Dionysia for his play, The Babylonians. While his plays were highly political, Aristophanes himself did not directly engage in politics. Additionally, he served as a teacher, imparting his knowledge to a multitude of pupils.
Quick Facts
- Died At Age: -60
- Born Country: Greece
- Family: father: Philippus, children: Araros, Nicostratus, Philippus
- Died on: 386
- Place of death: Delphi, Greece
- City: Athens, Greece
- Quotes By Aristophanes
- Playwrights
Early Life and Background
Not much is known about Aristophanes’ childhood or early life. He was born around 446 BCE in Greece and was an Athenian citizen. However, his exact place of birth is disputed. His father’s name was Philippus, and the family belonged to a clan called Pandionis. It is believed that Philippus owned property on the island of Aegina, where young Aristophanes spent some time.
Literary Career
Aristophanes started staging his plays around 427 BCE. His first play, “The Banqueters,” directed by Callistratus and Philoneides, won the second prize at the City Dionysia. His second play, “The Babylonians,” won the first prize there. His third play, “The Acharnians or Acharnians,” produced in 425 BCE, is the earliest of his eleven surviving plays and became popular for its absurd humor, winning the first prize at the Lenaia festival.
In 424 BCE, his play “The Knights” was produced and is considered a masterpiece in the Old Comedy genre. It satirized the socio-political scene in classical Athens during the Peloponnesian War and won the first prize at the Lenaia festival. Aristophanes condemned rhetoric on both political and moral grounds in his fourth play, “The Clouds,” originally produced in 423 BCE. This play lampooned the intellectual fashions prevalent in classical Athens and is considered a fine example of the Old Comedy genre.
His play “The Wasps” was produced in 422 BCE and ridiculed the law courts while satirizing the Athenian general Cleon. Staged a few days before the Peace of Nicias was validated in 421 BCE, his play “Peace” emerged as the winner of the second prize at the City Dionysia, showcasing the citizens’ joyous anticipation of peace following the ending of a major war.
Aristophanes produced the plays “The Birds” in 414 BCE, “Lysistrata” and “The Poet & The Women or Thesmophoriazusae” in 411 BCE, and “The Frogs” in 405 BCE. “The Birds” tells the story of an Athenian who convinces the birds to create a great city in the sky, while “Lysistrata” and “The Poet & The Women or Thesmophoriazusae” focus on gender-based issues and the role of women in a male-dominant society. “The Frogs” is a story about the god Dionysus who travels to Hades to bring the deceased playwright Euripides back from the dead.
The last of his surviving plays is “Wealth,” first produced in 408 BCE and revised and performed again in c. 388 BCE. It is a satire featuring an elderly Athenian citizen, Chremylos, and his slave Cario.
Major Works
Aristophanes’ play “The Birds” is considered by modern critics to be a “perfectly realized fantasy.” It is one of the playwright’s longest surviving plays and has many allusions to Athenian political life. The play won the second prize at the City Dionysia. In his play “Lysistrata,” he presented a comic account of a woman’s outlandishly ambitious mission to end the Peloponnesian War by denying the men of the land any sex. While the original play wasn’t feminist, the modern adaptations of the same often are.
Family & Personal Life
There is hardly any information available about Aristophanes’ wife. However, it is known that he was married and had at least three sons. One of his sons, Araros, was also a comic poet and is believed to have been involved in the staging of the play “Wealth.” Aristophanes also had at least two other sons called Philippus and Nicostratus or Philetaerus. He died around 386 BCE, at the age of around 60.