Democracy and the Athenians Flashcards
When was Solon Archon?
594/3BC
Reason for Solon’s reforms?
discontent between eupatridai and the poor masses. Solon was a eupatrid but apparently from a more modest family so he was chosen to be eponymous archon to mediate the dispute
What does Seisachtheia mean?
the ‘shaking off of burdens’
What did the reform of Seisachtheia do? (4)
- cancelled all debts of Athenians
- ended debt enslavement
- banned money-borrowing on the security of a human
- abolished the custom of paying 1/6th of income for land - thus abolishing ‘hektamoroi’
Who chose the archons before allotment was introduced?
the council of the Areopagus chose and supervised archons
What was the 500 bushel class called?
Pentakosiomedimnoi
What was the 300 bushel class called?
Hippeis
What was the 200 bushel class called?
Zeugitae
What was the <200 bushel class called?
Thetes
What property classes under Solon could be archons, generals or treasurers?
The Pentakosiomedimnoi and Hippeis
Why did Solon ban the export of all foods except olive oil from Attica? (source Plutarch)
If Plutarch is correct, it can be inferred that the aristocrats had previously been exporting grain for a better price than what they could get in Attica which would surely cause food shortages or famine for the poorer families
What roles could the Zeugitae fulfil?
junior magistrates such as managing the state prison or tax collection
What political rights did the Thetes have?
they could vote in the assembly or serve as jurors
Who may have introduced a Boule of 400?
Solon
Who instituted the selection of most officials by lot (excluding strategoi)?
Solon
Who standardised Athenian currency?
Solon
Who introduced written laws?
Draco
Who updated and built on Draco’s lawcode?
Solon
(with the exception of those regarding homicide)
What were Kyrbeis?
rotating panels displayed in the Agora on which Solon inscribed his legislation to allow for maximum publicity
Who instituted the right of any Athenian citizen to appeal to the Heliaia?
Solon
- lawsuits were still decided by archons and the Areopagus but Solon gave citizens the right to appeal to a jury of citizens
Who ensured the Assembly would meet regularly and that any male citizen could attend?
Solon
Aristotle on the importance of Solon’s introduction of the Heliaia?
‘when the people have the right to vote in courts they control the constitution’
Plutarch on Solon’s answer to what city he considered best governed of all?
A city where ‘those who have not been wronged show themselves just as ready to punish the offender as those who have’
Plutarch on some of the laws Solon introduced?
- laws on adultery, public speaking ill of the dead, and grieving too demonstrably in public
- laws on making of wills and the rights of heiresses
Basileus
King-archon
Polemarch
commander of the army
Archon (eponymous archon)
Senior Civic Magistrate
Thesmothetai
oversee disputes and the law courts
Who made up the Areopagus?
ex-archons
How many members did the Areopagus have?
150 ish
What did Solon do after his year as eponymous archon?
Herodotus says he made the Athenians swear an oath not to change his reforms, he then left for 10 years to travel abroad
In what years after Solon’s reforms was no archon appointed due to civil tension, according to Aristotle?
586BC
582-80BC
What 3 factions formed due to discontent at Solon’s reforms?
The Hill Party - Pisistratus
The Coast Party - Megacles
The Plain Party - Lycurgus
When did Peisistratus finally take control of Athens?
546BC
In what year had Peisistratus taken power in Athens, after which he had been thrown out twice before 546?
561/0BC
When did Peisistratus die?
527BC
How do the sources present Peisistratus what was his main policy?
Presented as a good ruler who significantly advanced Athens. He sought to consolidate rather than reverse Solon’s reforms and the only reform we see of his own is the introduction of local judges to solve disputes in the villages of Attica
Who took over after Peisistratus?
his son Hippias, with support from his younger brother Hipparchus.
Hippias in power?
after his brother Hipparchus was assassinated in 514BC Hippias’ rule apparently became cruel and as such he was driven out in 510BC
When was the Peisistratid tyranny forced out of Athens? By who?
510BC
- a group of Athenian aristocrats aided by King Cleomenes of Sparta
Who was Cleisthenes’ father?
Megacles leader of the Hill Party
(Herodotus says se was an Alcmaeonid too)
Who did Cleisthenes fight for power with until 508/7BC?
Isagoras, leader of the rival aristocratic faction
Around what percentage of the adult population of Attica had citizenship?
10-20%
How did Cleisthenes change the organisation of Athens in 508/7BC?
He split it into ten tribes and introduced the deme.
Change to the administration of demes under Cleisthenes?
each Athenian had to register in his local deme, and as such even if he moved to another area remained a member of his original deme.
- deme officials were required to keep a record of all men in the deme registered as citizens and at 18 young men had to register in their father’s deme and pass a citizenship test
How many tritties were in a tribe?
3
Change to naming system under Cleisthenes and its effect? (source: Aristotle)
he encouraged Athenians to identify themselves by the name of their deme, not their father, making a relatively classless naming system as compared to the previous system
How many men from each tribe joined the Council of 500?
50 from each tribe
eponymous heroes?
10 Athenian heroes whose names were given to the tribes. A statue of each was placed in the agora
Change to phratries under Cleisthenes?
this old tribal system where citizens registered with their phratry, that was led by and aristocratic family had no more political function but was kept for religious functions
How long did council members serve for?
One year. They could serve twice in a lifetime.
Age condition for a councillor?
over 30
Aristotle on the importance of sortition to Athenian democracy?
‘it is regarded as democratic when the offices are assigned by lot, and as oligarchic when they are elected’
What is meant by sortition?
the political system in which citizens were chosen by lot to work as a government force
How long was an ostracised citizen exiled for?
10 years
Who probably introduced Ostracism?
Cleisthenes (Aristotle credits him though it was twenty years after his reforms that the first ostracism was held)
Did an Ostracism happen every year?
only if it was voted for in advance
How many votes were required to ostracise an individual?
6000
When did the first Ostracism take place in Athens?
487BC
When would it be decided to hold an Ostracism each year?
December
When was an ostracism held?
Feb or March
Archaeological evidence of rigged ostracisms?
190 ostraka found on the acropolis with the name ‘Themistocles’ all written by a few hands. Themistocles was ostracised around 470BC
When was the office of strategos established?
Aristotle says 501/0BC and that it was based on the reforms of Cleisthenes.
Who tried 3 times to attack Athens in order to remove Cleisthenes?
Spartan King Cleomenes
When was Cleisthenes and 700 Athenian families driven out of Athens? What happened after?
- Cleomenes drove them out in 507BC
- the Athenian people rose up against Cleomenes’ actions, who was trying to establish Isagoras’ faction in power, and welcomed Cleisthenes and the families back again
What official did each tribe elect annually?
The general (strategos)
Herodotus on the strength democracy gave to the Athenians, in reference to their defeating of Cleomenes’ second attempted attack in 506BC when they had defeated both Boeotians and Chalcidians in one day?
He says that ‘while they were oppressed by tyrants, they had no better success in war than any of their neighbours, yet, once the yoke was flung off, they proved the finest fighters in the world’
isegoria
‘equal right to speech’
isonomia
‘equality in law’
What body of Athenian democracy had much more power after Cleisthenes’ reforms?
The Ekklesia
Who had no political rights in Athens?
Women, metics and slaves
How many demes were there?
139
From when could the Zeugitae become Archons? ( a reform of Pericles)
457BC
From when were Archons chosen by lot?
487/6BC
When was new silver discovered in the mines of south Attica and what was done with it?
483/2
Themistocles encouraged the building of 200 new triremes with the money - which were then used to defeat the Persians
‘it is right that the poor and the ordinary people there should have more power than the noble and the rich, because the ordinary people who man the fleet and bring the city her power’
The old oligarch on the link between democracy and the fact that the navy was mostly manned by the thetes
From when was payment introduced (by Pericles) for citizens serving in political institutions including magistrates, councillors etc.?
From the late 450s
What 3 powers did the Areopagus have stripped?
eisangeliai
dokimasia
euthynoi
What cases did the Areopagus keep jurisdiction of after reforms according to Aristotle?
murder cases
certain sacrilegious cases like destruction of the sacred olive trees
Who had jurisdiction over orphans?
The Areopagus
What was eisangeliai?
the ability to impeach magistrates
What was dokimasia?
the responsibility to vet officials BEFORE they took office
What was euthynoi?
the responsibility to vet officials AFTER their term
Who reformed the Areopagus in 462/1BC?
Ephialtes
Who took the power of eisangeliai away from the Areopagus?
The law courts
Who took the powers of dokimasia and euthynoi away from the Areopagus?
The council
Who could become a citizen of Athens?
any male with two Athenian parents (born in Athens)
When were the rights of citizienship restricted and by whom?
in 451BC by Pericles
Who introduced juror pay?
Pericles
How many times a year did the Assembly meet?
40
How many people attended the Assembly on average?
6000 - could reach tens of thousands out of 30,000 estimated citizens
Where did the Assembly meet?
on the Pnyx hill
What did the Boule do?
- set the agenda for the assembly
- managed most day-to-day running of the polis
How many men were in the prytany?
50
How long did a prytany serve for?
35 days (or 1/10th of the year)
Who was the chairman?
effectively the head of state - chosen randomly from the prytany every day to manage any meetings that would take place
Who could accept, reject or change any proposals put forward by the council?
the Assembly
By what time were the council probably paid by?
the late 5th century BC
How many jurors were selected each year?
6000
How were the jurors selected?
by lot from a pool of volunteers
What conditions did a juror have to meet?
- over 30
- citizen
- no criminal record
What was the usual size of a jury?
201 or 501
How many days a year did a jury most likely actually serve on?
less than 200 days per year
Who had to undergo dokimasia by the Boule and lawcourts before they served?
magistrates
What scrutiny did the magistrates have to undertake after their term?
euthunai - focusing on financial conduct, the magistrate had to give an account of his year in office
Who was responsible for state wealth?
the treasurers of Athena (tamiai)
Who was responsible for state lease sales?
the sellers (poletai)
Who was responsible for receiving money payable to the polis?
the receivers (apodektai)
who was responsible for checking the receiver’s work?
the auditors (logistai)
Who were posted in the agora to listen to citizen complaints?
the examiners (euthynoi)
Who decided whether or not citizen issues would go to court?
the examiners (euthynoi)
‘the city needs metics because of the multiplicity of her iindustries and for her fleet’
The Old Oligarch
What proportion of the free male population may have been metics around 431BC?
a third
When was the treasury of the Delian league moved to Athens?
454/3BC
Cleruchies and their role for Athenians?
Cleruchies were established, often to punish a revolt in an allied people. The Athenians settled there retained their citizenship, and since they were usually from the thetes class, they immediately gianed wealth and status from living in a cleruchy
Benefit of trials of capital cases from allied states being held in Athenian courts?
Brought in money from visitors and because there was more jury work to do.
Politically, enabled the Athenians to promote democratic systems and prosecute men who were seen to be hostile to Athenian interests
What does Aeschylus’ Eumenides (458BC) depict?
The founding of the Athenian legal system, as created by Athena. It is an aetiology (a study of the cause of something). The play gives weight to the idea of the law courts, by depicting them with divine origins. It gives confidence to the legal system, since this is something Athena created.
‘accept neither Anarchy nor Tyranny and do not banish Fear from the city’
Aeschylus Eumenides.
In his funeral speech, Pericles also says that though Athenian democracy has liberty, it is not anarchic because of it’s respect for law
‘this court of judges will forever rule’
‘neither profit nor lust should violate it’
Athena lays out the rules of the courts in Aeschylus’ Eumenides
Key theme of Aeschylus’ Persians?
The contrast between the slavery of living under a tyrant like Xerxes, and the freedom that the Greeks enjoy
Euripides’ Suppliants subject?
the suppliants are women from Argos begging Athenian King Theseus to make Theban King Creon to allow them to bury their sons, who lie dead on the battlefield outside Thebes. Theseus has to fight Creon’s forces but the notable element is that Theseus is not the ‘ruler’ and he asks the people’s permission before takinga ction
Main arguments of the Theban herald who makes fun of democracy in Euripides’ Suppliants?
- Democratic politicians speak in a misleading way - only trying to please the people to their own advantage
- the average polis member does not have the time or intelligence to properly understand the business of a state
When was Suppliants first performed?
c.420
Theseus’ counterarguments in favour of democracy in Suppliants?
- living under a king means being at the whims of one man
- a king causes jealousy whilst in a democracy the people feel pride in their leading men
- everyone has the opportunity to contribute to debate. “he who has a good idea for the city let him bring it before his citizens”
Importance of the fact that Acharnians was held at the Lenaea, when foreigners were unlikely to be there?
That in 426 Cleon had taken up legal proceedings against Aristophanes for slandering the city in the presence of foreigners with the play Babylonians at the Dionysia
‘however, the council resisted and the common people gathered in force’
Aristotle Constitution of the Athenians on the council and people resisting Cleomenes’ attempt to transfer power from the Spartans to Isagoras
‘many of Solon’s laws had been consigned to oblivion by the tyranny, through not being used’
Aristotle Constitution of Athenians
‘now that the people were confident, they used for the first time the law about ostracism’
Aristotle implies that Cleisthenes made the law but it took until after the battle of Marathon for the people to gain enough confidence to use this law
demarch
annually elected leader of a deme’s council
3 main reforms of Pericles?
- archons open to Zeugitae. It seems that all citizens were able to hold public office after 457/6BC
- payment for citizens in political institutions
- new citizenship laws 451/0BC
Around how many magistrates served each year?
700
How many times could a citizen serve as a specific magistrate?
Once. They could hold different magistrates after but this meant that most citizens of Athens would serve as magistrates at some point in their lives
4 most important functions of the council?
- preparing motions to be debated in the assembly
- executive role
- scrutiny and supervision of elections and officials
- diplomacy
When did the council publish the motions they had prepared to be debated in the Assembly?
Several days before
Where did the prytaneis live at public expense during their term?
the Tholos, a round building on the west side of the Agora
Epistatés?
chairman of the council for one day. Elected each morning and could only serve once in a prytany
Literal translation of ekklésia?
‘something called out’
Who would herd people towards the Pnyx if they were not making their way to the Assembly quick enough? What equipment did they use?
300 Scythian archers (public slaves employed as a police force) would herd citizens. They used rope died with red pigment, anyone too slow would have been marked and have to pay a fine
Who was allowed to sit at the front of the Assembly?
Magistrates and generals
How did the assembly begin?
Sacrifice of a pig, cursing of all traitors
- a herald would announce the agenda and it would be voted whether to proceed with this agenda
- if the agenda was approved the herald would ask who wished to speak
parrhésia?
similar to iségoria, this was the right to speak your mind/ speak frankly so modern day freedom of speech idea
Process of speakers going in front of assembly?
Hands up, once called on he went to the speaker’s platform and put a sacred wreath on his head before speaking
rhétores?
the orators who regularly spoke at the assembly
diké
private lawsuit filed by one citizen against another
graphé
public lawsuit filed against a citizen for acting irresponsibly as an officer of state
Initial process of lawsuits?
Accuser had to give a summons to the accused in front of witnesses - they had to meet with the relevant magistrate on a given day. If the accused didn’t show, he lost the case.
What was the next role of the magistrate, after he had heard the initial charges of a lawsuit?
he would arrange for preliminary hearings for public hearings or arrange for arbitration in the case of private case, to try and settle the matter out of court.
If the archón failed to arrange arbitration what was the next part of the lawsuit proceedings?
Written witness statements or documentary evidence was sealed into an earthenware pot and no new evidence could be submitted by either side after this. The archon set a date for the trial.
When would witness statements from slaves be accepted
only if given under torture since this was seen as the only way to make them more frightened of the law than their master
How could a person’s character be questioned in court?
Previous convictions could be told to the dikasts, and speakers could try to harm their opponent with gossip (or lies) about their private lives etc.
How could a defendant try to play the dikasts sympathy
Arrange for teary relatives to come to court, dressed in mourning clothers
How many dikasts from each tribe would be chosen from volunteers each year?
600
What proportion of the Athenian civilian population must have been registered dikasts every year?
at least a fifth
What does the 2 (3 by the late 420s) obol per day juror pay signify?
This was not a large sum and probably meant that juries contained a large number of elderly, poor or unemployed so perhaps not wholly representative. (an unskilled labourer would earn 3 obols per day)
What days did trials take place?
Any day that was not a festival, or when the assembly was not sitting - so around 150-200 per year
Process of dikast selection before a trial?
- turned up at dawn
- allotment machine selected who would sit that day (presumably many weren’t needed and left)
- allotment machine chooses who will sit at which of the 10 courts
2 main ways to guard against jury bribery?
- allotment day of
- large jury size
Process once a defendant was found guilty?
If it was a crime with a set punishment this would be carried out - most commonly a fine, imprisonment was seen as too heavy a financial burden on the state
- of no set punishment, the trial would have a second stage where each side had to submit his plea for a punishment
Main three idealised democracy sources?
- Thucydides - Pericles’ funeral speech
- Aeschylus - Suppliants
- Aeschylus - Euminides
Who praises the fact that democracy is original, unique and not practised by other states?
Pericles (in Thucydides)
What other polis does Pericles compare Athens to a lot in his speech?
Sparta
‘it is because your own resolution is weak that my policy appears to you to be mistaken’
Pericles to the people after they start to resent his policy of remaining in the city and not going out to attack the Spartans. Thucydides in a way implicitly criticises democracy here
Thucydides 3 main praises of Pericles in 2.65?
- he made speeches and suggestions only with the good of the city in mind
- intelligent and far-sighted
- moral enough to say what was right even if he felt it would be unpopular with the assembly
2 main critiques of democracy?
- Plato Republic
- Old Oligarch
Suggested date for the old Oligarch?
Around 431-413BC
‘I do not particularly approve of their choice because of how it allows the worst people to be better off than the good’
The Old Oligarch opens by telling us that he does not particularly approve of democracy. He clearly establishes that the demos, the poor masses, are the ‘worst’ people whilst the aristocratic/oligarchic elites are the good people
Overall attitude of the Old Oligarch towards the poor?
Whilst he makes clear his disdain for the intelligence and morals of the poorer citizens, he has a sort of grudging acceptance/admiration that they have established a state that benefits them
What is the choice/paradox that the Old Oligarch presents regarding the demos?
They can choose to have freedom with a bad government, or to have a well-run state and thus be slaves
Old Oligarch on how democracy causes anarchy in daily life?
‘we have set up equality between slaves and freemen, and between metics and citizens’
- he basically thinks the demos think too highly of themselves to be able to participate in athletic and musical competitions, and that everyone in Athens has become equal due to the power of the demos
‘In the law-courts, they are concerned with their own self-interest much more than actual justice’
Old Oligarch on the people’s behaviour in the law courts
Old Oligarch on the running of the empire?
the demos are short-sighted and self-interested so they don’t make good decisions. They always side with other democracies. Says they charge too much tribute. Complains that allies are forced to come to Athens for trials
Old Oligarch on the untrustworthiness of the demos?
He says they don’t have to take responsibility for decisions or oaths they make which seems unfair and exaggerated. he does however make a point that the people could escape blame for their decisions, by blaming the speaker who misled them into a bad choice.
Thucydides supporting point for Old Oligarch on how the people could shift blame?
‘they turned against the public speakers who had been in favour of the expedition, as though they themselves had not voted for it’ - Thucydides on the Sicilian expedition. Bear in mind there definitely were also speakers against the expedition, so if the people truly did complain about this they were definitely being unfair
Old Oligarch on the practical issues with democracy?
That there are so many festivals that business is hardly ever done, and there is too much business
‘they have to deal with so many decisions, they cannot deal with everyone’s business’
Old Oligarch on solutions to democracy?
He rejects the idea of reducing jury sizes for the risk of bribery that would incur, here he accidentally supports the concept of having large, democratic juries.
Generally, he says that democracy is unjust but that not much can be done about it. By definition only a small minority feel disenfranchised under a democracy (and they are not truly suffering) so it seems impossible to him that it will be changed
Plato lifespan?
427-348BC
Plato and the oligarchy of 30 in 404BC
He initially intended to use his connections (as he was from an aristocratic family) to be involved in the oligarchy but he refused to be connected with them after being appalled by their behaviour
Plato’s idea of good government?
He was disappointed by democracy and oligarchy both. He decided that good government needed leaders with true wisdom
3 main points of Plato’s world view?
- there are set answers on how to behave, for both individuals and states
- the set answers are difficult to find, needing great intelligence and hard work
- ruling is a matter of knowledge as well as expertise and skill
What does Socrates consider as a true philosopher?
Someone who dedicates their life to understanding pure forms - like beauty and justice
How does Socrates explain that his idea could work well in practice?
He shows that the qualities of the ideal philosopher correspond closely to the qualities of the ideal ruler
‘good memory, breadth of vision, and grace, and be a friend of truth, justice, courage and self-control’
Socrates description of a good philosopher
Plato’s concept of Forms
essentially another world where things were pure, unchanging and permanent. Understanding and appreciating this was the main aspect of Plato’s worldview
3 components of the ship analogy
Shipowner - demos
The crew - demagogues
The true navigator - philosopher ruler
The ship owner (plato republic)
the ship owner represents the demos. He is ‘larger and stronger than any of the crew’ but is ‘a bit deaf and short-sighted’ with no more skill in seamanship than the crew
The crew (plato republic)
they represent demagogues and the like who behave badly, trying to get control of the ship, willing to resort to violence against other crew members or the captain. They have no interest in the ship’s welfare. They have never learnt navigation and refuse to accept that it can be learnt. Hence, it would be ridiculous to hand them the ship when a good navigator is available - just as it is ridiculous for democracies to hand power to those who haven’t learnt how to rule
‘the crew are all quarrelling with each other about how to navigate the ship’
the true navigator (plato republic)
represents the philosopher ruler
studied navigation but is ignored
‘are ready to murder anyone who says it can’
The crew on Plato’s ship analogy are ready to murder anyone who says navigation (running the state well) can be taught. This is obvious irony since Socrates was in fact executed before this was written
2 main components of the analogy of the animal trainer
trainer
beast
What did the animal trainer represent in Socrates’ analogy of the animal trainer?
The sophists
What represents the beast in the analogy of the animal trainer?
The demos
What work of Plato does Aristophanes appear in ?
Symposium
Aristophanes life span?
c.446-386
Where does Socrates complain about how Aristophanes’ depiction of him was very influential in creating bias against him?
In court, shown in Plato’s Apology
Prescribed plays of Aristophanes:
acharnians
assemblywomen
knights
peace
wasps
frogs
Who claims that the advice offered in the parabasis of Frogs was the reason it was re-staged?
Ancient commentator Dicaearchus
What shows that contributors to debates were much more varied than Thucydides and Aristotle suggest?
The inscriptional record
When and at what festival was Acharnians presented?
425BC for the Lenaea
‘the Pnyx deserted, while the people chatter in the Agora and run up and down dodging the vermilioned rope’
Dicaeopolis comments that he is the only one there for the assembly (Acharnians)
‘Ah, here at the Prytaneis - at midday’
Aristophanes Acharnians, Dicaeopolis points out the Prytaneis who have arrived late
Main 3 criticisms of the democratic process in Aristophanes’ Acharnians 425BC
- citizens are not engaged with politics. It takes the Scythian archers to get them to the assembly
- members of the council are only interested in their own prestige and don’t listen to those with good proposals
- ambassadors (to Persia in this case) are easily fooled by those they meet and only interested in their own comfort
Of the three wine-skins (treaties) the godschild offers Dicaeopolis, what are his comments?
The first is a five year treaty, smelling ‘of pitch and naval preparations’
The second is a ten-year one smelling ‘as if the allies were being ground down’ and of ‘embassies’
The third one, however, ‘smells of ambrosia and nectar’ and is a 30 year treaty by land and sea
How is Dicaeopolis presented badly?
He refuses to share his peace with anyone else.
When was Assemblywomen performed?
c.393-391
‘they rail at each other like men who’ve had a few, and then someone turns violent and is carried out by the archers’
One of the women who is in disguise before going to the assembly. They are talking about wanting a drink, leading to this discussion of men’s behaviour at the assembly
‘I see her employing leaders who are always villains’
Praxagora in her practice speech to the assembly
4 complaints of Praxagora?
- people only attend for the money (pay had been introduced for attending the assembly)
- wrong leaders are chosen
- people keep changing their policies and approaches
‘after all we already employ them as managers and controllers of our households’
‘she’s never going to be deceived, because women are so used to being deceivers themselves’
two of Praxagora’s points about why the state should be handed over to the women in her practice speech. She also lists several practices that women have maintained from the old dats
Contrast between presentation of Assembly attendance in Acharnians vs. in Assemblywomen?
in assemblywomen, the women hurry to the assembly saying that the magistrate had announced that anyone who doesn’t go nice and early won’t get paid. In Acharnians however we see the attendees arriving slowly, and late, even the prytaneis who would at that time have been receiving pay
When and where was Knights produced
424BC for the Lenaea
How does Aristotle AC describe Cleon’s speeches? Link to Knights
he would shout, swear and make speeches “with his clothes hitched up” whilst others spoke in an orderly manner
‘The leadership of the people is no longer a job for an educated man or one of good qualities, but for one who’s ignorant and foul.’
Aristophanes Knights. Demosthenes is convincing the sausage-seller to stand up against the Paphlagon
Who represents Cleon in Knights?
The Paphlagon
‘Mix all their affairs together and stir them into a hash, and always try to win the people over with little touches of elegantly prepared rhetoric as sweeteners’
Knights, Demosthenes gives another demonstration of Aristophanes’ parody of the demagogues and their manipulation of the people
‘you who have thrown
our whole city into chaos and confusion’
the chorus of knights referring to the Paphlagon
‘I have no fear of you, while the council chamber lives, and while Demos continues to sit booby-faced on the Pnyx.’
Paphlagon to sausage-seller in Knights
How does the Paphlagon try to placate the chorus in Knights?
He tries to bribe them, and then says that his ‘Order of the Three Obols’ (a reference to how Cleon had increased juror pay) would vote his way
When and where was Peace produced?
421BC at the City Dionysia
When and where was Frogs produced?
405BC at the Lenaea
Main points of the parabasis of Peace 421?
praising Aristophanes for focusing his comedy on current events, unlike other comedians, for which reason he deserves first prize
What place did peace win at the 421BC City Dionysia
second
‘he has created a great art for us, and built it up to towering dimensions with mighty words and ideas and with jokes that are not vulgar’
Chorus in the parabasis of Peace. They are referring to Aristophanes, as ‘our producer’
‘Nor has he satirized the little man or woman in private life; rather, with a spirit like that of Heracles, he tackled the greatest monsters’
Chorus in the parabasis of Peace. Gives an insight into who Aristophanes targets. This is interesting because he still makes fun of slaves, who clearly don’t even qualify as a little man
Aristophanes main political advice in the parabasis of Frogs?
- forgive the oligarchs of 411 and recall them from exile.
- ## stop trusting demogogues and those of bad breeding, it is like choosing bronze-plated coins over true silver and gold
‘you foolish folk, change your ways and honour the honest again’
Parabasis of Frogs
When and where was Wasps produced?
422BC at the Lenaea
Two main characters of Wasps?
Philocleon (dad) and Bdelycleon (son)
‘every one of the allies has to flatter the entire Athenian population, because they realise that justice for anyone coming to Athens is in the hands of the population itself’
One of the Old Oligarch’s complaints about the Athenians holding trials in the city is that instead of only interacting with the diplomats who sail out to them, the allies have to please the ordinary Athenians too. This obviously is a good way to promote and maintain their democracy but the Old Oligarch clearly thinks it is immoral
‘with the typical inconsistency of a crowd’
Thucydides on the inconsistency of the people for having fined Pericles and then quickly elected him general again
’ you don’t understand that you’re being made a fool of by men whom you all but worship. You’re a slave, and you’re not aware of it’
Bdelycleon to Philocleon. This is one of his main complaints about the jury system
‘Some of them bewail their poverty, and exaggerate the misery they are in’
‘Others tell us stories’
‘others again make jokes ‘
Philocleon describes how speakers in the courts might try and manipulate the jury. He also says that they will bring in their children to show how pitiful they are
‘trembling as if I were a god’
‘Do I not wield great power, in no way inferior to that of Zeus’
Philocleon says he enjoys the power of being a member of the jury
‘The reason is that they want you to be poor’
Bdelycleon tells Philocleon that the men in power don’t pay him adequately for his jury service, and that although he feels powerful he is essentially a slave. He goes on to say that they are kept poor on purpose when there would be money to look after everyone so that they will fight for the state when asked
How can we know the prosecutor dog in Wasps is representing Cleon?
He is said to be from the same deme, and it could be a reference to Cleon’s self-referential title of ‘watchdog of Athens’
