Aristophanes is. not the most profound or exalted of Greek poets, but he is the most creative. Others deal with the world as it is, glorifying it, perhaps, or justifying its flaws, discovering hidden valuta in it and suggesting how they may be realized; Aristophanes erases the world that is and constructs another. The tragedies We have are all based on traditional myths which the playwrights might interpret and embellish-- provided the embe]]ishmes~t Were appropriate and probable--but they could not significantly alter the ancient "history."

Extravagant power of invention and remarkable comic vitality make Aristophanes one of the most brilliant of the ancient Greek playwrights. From the hilariously bawdy yet fundamentally serious play LYSISTRATA, to the creative fantasy of the BIRDS, to his comic masterpiece the FROGS, Aristophanes displays the biting satire, exquisite lyricism, and licentious frankness that continue to make audiences laugh at the immensity of their own follies.

A poet who hated an age of decadence, armed conflict, and departure from tradition, Aristophanes" comic genius influenced the political and social order of his own fifth-century Athens. But as Moses Hadas writes in his introduction to this volume "His true claim upon our attention is as the most brilliant and artistic and thouahffu wit our world has known."

Introduction

ACHARNIANS

KNIGHTS

CLOUDS

WASPS

PEACE

BIRDS

LYSISTRATA

THESMOPHORIAZUSAE

FROGS

ECCLESIAZUSAE

PLUTUS