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Aristophanes' Frogs Summary, Quotes, and Modern Scholarship
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Aristophanes' Frogs Summary, Quotes, and Modern/Secondary Scholarship
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Frogs StructurePrologue
Dionysus and Xanthias
Scenes: Heracles, Corpse, Charon
1st Parados- The Frogs
Dionysus and The Frogs
Scene
The monster that Xanthias makes up to scare Dionysus
2nd Parados- The Initiates of Elysian Mysteries
The say their prayer of worship
Scenes
Aeacus – against Heracles
Maids – For Heracles
Innkeepers – Against Heracles
Aeacus and the whipping scene
Parabasis
Plea for amnesty for the oligarchic supporters of coup in 411 BC
Plea for peace – against Cleophon
Against politicians – coin simile
Scene – Second Prologue
Slave of Pluto’s and Xanthians
Agon
Contest between Euripides and Aeschylus
Final Scene and Choral Exist
, Frogs Quotes
Dionysus
Prologue
Heracles: ‘I can’t stop laughing- look at that lion skin on top of your yellow little number.
What’s the idea? What these boots and club? Where on earth were you heading?’ - He’s
wearing a traditional saffron robe ( for women) with lion skin and boots. He’s dressed as
Heracles, trying to look manlier, when, in reality, he looks silly.
Dionysus: ‘a sudden desire filled my heart’ Heracles: ‘for a woman? (...) then for a boy? (…)
for a man (…) well, you were with Cleisthenes.’ - Dionysus’ association with Cleisthenes
means that he is implied to be a passive homosexual. This was bad, because it wasn’t seen as
domineering and masculine.
Charon: ‘Your seats here, fatty’ and ‘give me the fare and get out.’
He is not a commanding presence, even to his slave, and reveals in around line 55 he hasn’t
fought in the Polynesian or Persian war as ‘while I was on board, reading Andromeda to
myself’ and ‘never been at sea, never been near Salamis. How can I row?’
1st Parodos- The Frogs
This is also an Agon.
Dionysus plays a comedic role in his interactions with the frogs. There’s the farce and
slapstick of a god rowing. They’re worshiping him and he’s saying, ‘I am beginning to feel a
pain- in the arse’ and they start arguing with him ‘mind your own business.’
Dionysus also joins in the choral song ‘bre-ke-ke-kex, co-ax, co-ax’ but he also plays a
comedic role independent of the frogs. There’s the scatological humour of ‘just about to poo.’
Scene
Meta theatre. Xanthias: ‘I suppose you saw the father-killers and oath breakers he told us
about?’ Dionysus: ‘Oh, yes, by Poseidon, I certainly did, and I can still see them now’ and
‘Priest, save me- I’ll get you a drink after the show’
He is boastful and a coward. ‘He was just bragging to make me afraid, knowing what a good
fighter I am.’ Vs ‘Quick. Get in front.’ The comical image of a master hiding behind the
slave. A god is easily deceived. Physical humour, reversal of stereotypes.
Xanthias: ‘Dionysus, then.’ Dionysus: ‘that’s even worse.’ He’s not ready to live up to the god
role.
Scatological humour. Xanthias: ‘I am afraid your tunic’s turned brown from fright.’
, 2nd Parodos- The Initiates of Elysian Mysteries
Dionysus eavesdrops on his own worshippers. ‘Let’s crouch down here and quietly have a
listen.’ It’s not very dignified. He’s not godly.
Dionysus: ‘somehow, I’ve always been a fan of this sort of thing. I’d quite like to join the
Chorus- and play with her myself.’ He’s obviously going to be a fan of his own worship, and
after ‘a little booby peeped out’ he suddenly becomes interested. He’s sex crazed.
Scene
Pun and scatological humour. Dionysus: ‘I’ve made a caprifice.’ When he requests ‘place a
sponge of my heart’ he really uses it to clean himself up as ‘yes: it was frightened and crept
down to my bowls.’ This is not godly. He is a coward, with the worst traits of both being a
god (excessive pride, lack of seriousness) and humanity (sex-crazed, cowardly, bodily
functions).
‘You are the most cowardly of gods- and men.’ He is not superior to men and hasn’t reached
his full potential yet. Also, a parodying of Bacchae ‘most terrible and most mild to men.’
There is the meta-theatre in the reference to the heeled boots that actors would have worn.
Pandoceutria: So you weren’t expecting me to recognise you again in those high-heeled
boots?’
Dionysus is presented cowardly, asking to swap positions with his slave. This is farcical. He
is scared of (female) innkeepers as a god. Dionysus: ‘but if I take the disguise from you ever,
ever again, may I, my wife, and my children- and poor, gummy-eyed Archedemus- be
utterly destroyed.’
Dionysus also askes is Xanthias is upset with him. As Xanthias is his slave this is unusual as
it was not typical for masters to care for their slaves feelings. Dionysus: ‘I know, I know
you’re angry, and you’re right to be. And if you hit me, I wouldn’t blame you.’
Dionysus also chooses a domestic oath, swearing on his wife and children. Gods often swore
on the river Sphinx, so the fact that he doesn’t foreshadows he has little plans to actually keep
his word. ‘May I, my wife, and my children- and poor, gummy-eyed Archedemus- be utterly
destroyed.’
Aristophanes uses farce. There is the god and slave role reversal, which allows him to play
with power dynamic and emphasise Dionysus has reached his full potential in the god role.
Dionysus: ‘don’t torture me. I’m a god. Dionysus, son of Zeus. This man is a slave.’
The Agon is his competition in attempting to prove his godhood.
There’s the intertextuality of the reference to Hipponax while they try to cover up their pain.
Dionysus: ‘No, I didn’t. I was just remembering a verse of Hipponax.’
Dramatic irony. Aeacus is supposed to be one the judges in the afterlife, giving punishments.
Yet he is presented as being an awful judge, with there being no conclusion. Aeacus: ‘By
Demeter, I can’t find out yet which one of you is the god.’
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