Aristophanes Comedy In Athens

Aristophanes was one of the most preeminence comic playwrighter of ancient Greece, whose plays were survived alone at that time. Besides the high qulity of literature, his comedies also related to a lot of serious and important social problems, thus they are valubable to the social intellcatul history. This essay chose three themes, the Peloponnesian War, the political institution of polis, and the change of social thought.In Chapter One, the author focuses on the Aristophanes’ opinion on the origin of the Peloponnesian War. The comic poet regard Pericles as the initiator of the war, and Cleon as the bellicose war party, the ongoing war was the method to control the demos. Then, the author discusses the influence of the long-standing war, and how comedy peoclaimed to peace. Last, the author analyses the outlook on war and polis of the comic poet.In Chapter Two, the author examines the relationship between demos and demagogs, and the origin of and the function of demagogs in the democratic politics. Base on the case study of Cleon, the author surey the fuction of middle class in the democracy. Then the author’s study moves to the relationship between demos and aristocrat. Base on the case study of Alcibiades, the author analyse how aristocratic elites take part in the democracy, and the competetion btween the demagoge and aristocratic elites. Later, the author examines the twice Oligarch coup of Athens and the self-adjust of polis. At Last, the author surveys the changed style of comedy and the control of the public voice.In Chapter Three, the author review the strike by new thoughts which caused by the sophist movement, and the crisis of traditional value during the period of the the Peloponnesian War when Athens from mythos to logos. Then, the author discusses the competition of public voice and the comic poet’s critic to the ’New Thought’ which represented by’unjust logos’. Finally the author analyse the relationship between polis’ education and ideal polis.By investigating three chapters, the comedy was put into a special context, the author examines the advice of Aristophanes on the the Peloponnesian War, the political institution of polis, and the change of social thought. In the conclusion, the author argues that the ultimate aim of the comic poet was justice.