The Frogs by Aristophanes | In-Depth Summary & Analysis
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 чер 2020
- Summarize videos instantly with our Course Assistant plugin, and enjoy AI-generated quizzes: bit.ly/ch-ai-asst Aristophanes's play The Frogs explained with act summaries in just a few minutes!
Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, and themes of Aristophanes's play The Frogs.
Download the free study guide and infographic for The Frogs here: www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Fr...
In Aristophanes's satirical play The Frogs, the god Dionysus journeys to Hades dressed as the hero Hercules. He wishes to converse with playwright Euripides, who has recently died.
Accompanied by his slave Xanthias, with whom he switches identities on several occasions, he crosses the water into the underworld.
The two have comic and serious adventures before reaching Pluto’s court, including an encounter with a chorus of frogs, who comically step in for the traditional chorus of Greek theater.
There, Dionysus then serves as a judge of the poetic skills of Euripides and Aeschylus, another playwright.
Aeschylus, who represents a more conservative theatrical style, eventually prevails. He does so by suggesting that Aristophanes is defending the tradition of Old Comedy against the innovations of the likes of Euripides.
Greek playwright Aristophanes’s play The Frogs was first performed in 405 BCE. Best-remembered of the Old Comedy playwrights of ancient Greece, most of his work was satirical and had political themes. His characters included gods, demigods, contemporary and recently deceased politicians, and playwrights. He used birds, clouds, and frogs for his imaginative choruses.
The satirical play The Frogs contain many important themes, including a return to the old ways, as Aeschylus, who argues that Athenian survival is dependent on the tradition of his works wins the battle; identity, as it is best to not pretend to be something you are not; and the importance of poetry and drama, as the role of poetry and drama was particularly significant in ancient Greece, when other forms of mass communication were in their infancy. Important symbol includes the lion skin and the scale.
Explore Course Hero’s collection of free literature study guides, Q&A pairs, and infographics here: www.coursehero.com/lit/
About Course Hero:
Course Hero helps empower students and educators to succeed! We’re fueled by a passionate community of students and educators who share their course-specific knowledge and resources to help others learn. Learn more at www.coursehero.com
Master Your Classes™ with Course Hero!
Get the latest updates:
Facebook: / coursehero
Twitter: / coursehero
This must have been a laugh riot in ancient Greece.
Thank you Russell Sir and coursehero for quality content
Thank you very much! this helped me a lot to prepare for my exam, after reading the play a while ago
Great and engaging analysis
this was extremely helpful!!!
Fantastic video! Thank you!
Very interesting, thanks
Very helpful thank you
Thanks for lecture
Thank you Sir ❤️❤️
thank you so much
Thank you v much it is good and helpful
Very Good!!!
Even in ancient greece we understood that art sparked conversation and held a lot of power which can be used for good and bad.
Thank you
Very helpful. It would be really interesting to hear your comments on Stephen Sondheim's and Burt Shevelove's "freely adapted" musical version of "The Frogs."
9:04 i love the suit
really good summary and good info, but gee, I feel like I'm being yelled at the entire presentation!
that's what the frogs must have felt like when dionysus yelled at them from cheiron's boat
I have a question. So why is it titled the frogs? Because of the frogs they encountered or is there a deeper meaning? I feel like that's something our professor will ask. I just wanna be ready for that question.
I think aristophanes generally named his plays after stuff the chorus dresses as. The frogs, the birds, the clouds, etc.
I feel it's because it's a comedy and that's the memorable comic chorus who engage in a comic agon with Dionysus. The real more proper chorus is made of initiates from I think the Elusyinan mysteries of Demeter in the Underworld but I also agree with @The Pip
Both of the replies are valid, an additional interpretation I've heard is that it reflects the theme of confused identity, e.g. prominently seen with Dionysus and Xanthias swapping the role of Heracles/Hercules. It's true that Greek plays were often named after their choruses, but that's usually the main chorus, yet the play is called Frogs and not, e.g. Initiates. The play being named after its smaller chorus is unusual and a little misleading.
When the poets quote "heavy" verses, they put nouns in there verses of "heavy" things.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Looking around, it sure looks like 405 BC once again.
Why do you have to shout like that?
to simulate how the chorus of frogs felt when dionysus shouted from cheiron's boat, clearly
Bro, you talk to fast. Mehn, take it easy. I ain't understanding nothing that's coming out your mouth gee
And he's got an annoying voice!