Aristophanes' Birds

Question 1

who are the main characters in Aristophanes’ Birds?

Answer 1

• Peisetairos (Mr. Persuasive Companion)
• Eulepides (Mr. Good Hope)
• Hoope (Thracian king Tereus): r.f. rape of Philomela/betrayl of Procne
• Chorus of birds

Question 2

what were the main plot points of Birds?

Answer 2

• Peisetairos & Euelpides leave Athens (cf. Peloponnesian War/Sicilian Expedition)
• search for the hoopoe (Tereus)
• est. Cloudcuckooland (cf. ‘Sparta’)
• starves gods into submission by intercepting their sacrifices
• Peisetairos becomes tyrannical (r.f. cooking & eating anti-democratic birds)
• Peisetairos usurps Zeus by wielding his scepter & marrying daughter Basileia (‘sovereignty’) → r.f. Prometheus

Prometheus advised Peisetairos to not accept peace terms w/ Zeus

Question 3

which main themes of the course are reflected in Birds?

Answer 3

• animal fable (cf. Aesop’s fables)
• utopia (characters seeking utopian society in place of Athens)
• dysopia (Peisetairos becomes a tyrannical/authoritarian ruler)
• ‘pure’ fantasy? (i.e. a work of fiction)
• humour/comedy vs. political commentary (satire underlies darker themes)
• megalomania (obsession w/ the exercise of power)

Question 4

what is the literary & historical context of Birds?

Answer 4

• composed during the 5th c. BCE
• first performed at City Dionysia festival in Athens (414 BCE)
• written during the Peloponnesian Wars (political allegory? escapism for its contemporary audience?)