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    The Knights
    The Knights
    The Knights
    Ebook59 pages52 minutes

    The Knights

    By Aristophanes

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    If the American Editor of this little volume (which is sent forth as a test of the character of American learning) deemed it either expedient or necessary to expatiate upon the merits of an author so celebrated and gifted as A ristophanes, he might extend his eulogia beyond the patient perusal of the moderns. The eloquent and erudite preliminary discourse by the accomplished translator, however, anticipates the remarks which otherwise would be expanded. No satirist, ancient or modern, ever enjoyed the deserved reputation of A ristophanes, and no one ever depicted, in colors so vivid and unfading, the essential and peculiar characteristics of democracy. As he lived under the dominion of the Universal People, he thoroughly understood the qualities of the democrats whom he has ridiculed and immortalized; and he never shrunk, when occasion demanded, from the exposure of flagrant abuses. Therefore, we commend, earnestly commend the perusal of this volume to our literary countrymen: and if the reception of this limited edition of a single comedy shall justify the editor in the more enlarged republication of all the works of A ristophanes, he will rejoice in the opportunity, thus afforded, of instructing and enlightening his countrymen.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStart Publishing LLC
    Release dateNov 1, 2012
    ISBN9781625580825
    The Knights
    Author

    Aristophanes

    Often referred to as the father of comedy, Aristophanes was an ancient Greek comedic playwright who was active in ancient Athens during the fourth century BCE, both during and after the Peloponnesian War. His surviving plays collectively represent most of the extant examples of the genre known as Old Comedy and serve as a foundation for future dramatic comedy in Western dramatic literature. Aristophanes’ works are most notable for their political satire, and he often ridiculed public figures, including, most famously, Socrates, in his play The Clouds. Aristophanes is also recognized for his realistic representations of daily life in Athens, and his works provide an important source to understand the social reality of life in Ancient Greece. Aristophanes died sometime after 386 BCE of unknown causes.

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    • 4/5
      A satirical, tongue in cheek, and playful piece of drama composed by Aristophanes. The wordplay is quite skillful here, as are the turns of phrase and the careful jabs at humor and allusions that are mentioned. Overall, it was a decent play- I preferred it to Aristophanes' earlier work, "The Archarnians." This also persuades me to continue reading Aristophanes' work, as the development of what he is capable of doing seems to extend with each subsequent work of comedy that he has.3.5 stars!

    Book preview

    The Knights - Aristophanes

    The Knights

    By Aristophanes

    Start Publishing LLC

    Copyright © 2012 by Start Publishing LLC

    All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

    First Start Publishing eBook edition October 2012

    Start Publishing is a registered trademark of Start Publishing LLC

    Manufactured in the United States of America

    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    ISBN 978-0-62558-082-5

    Table of Contents

    Introduction

    The Knights

    The Knights

    Introduction

    This was the fourth play in order of time produced by Aristophanes on the Athenian stage; it was brought out at the Lenaean Festival, in January, 424 B.C. Of the author’s previous efforts, two, ‘The Revellers’ and ‘The Babylonians,’ were apparently youthful essays, and are both lost. The other, ‘The Acharnians,’ forms the first of the three Comedies dealing directly with the War and its disastrous effects and urging the conclusion of Peace; for this reason it is better ranged along with its sequels, the ‘Peace’ and the ‘Lysistrata,’ and considered in conjunction with them.

    In many respects ‘The Knights’ may be reckoned the great Comedian’s masterpiece, the direct personal attack on the then all-powerful Cleon, with its scathing satire and tremendous invective, being one of the most vigorous and startling things in literature. Already in ‘The Acharnians’ he had threatened to cut up Cleon the Tanner into shoe-leather for the Knights, and he now proceeds to carry his menace into execution, concentrating the whole force of his wit in the most unscrupulous and merciless fashion against his personal enemy. In the first-mentioned play Aristophanes had attacked and satirized the whole general policy of the democratic party—and incidentally Cleon, its leading spirit and mouthpiece since the death of Pericles; he had painted the miseries of war and invasion arising from this mistaken and mischievous line of action, as he regarded it, and had dwelt on the urgent necessity of peace in the interests of an exhausted country and ruined agriculture. Now he turns upon Cleon personally, and pays him back a hundredfold for the attacks the demagogue had made in the Public Assembly on the daring critic, and the abortive charge which the same unscrupulous enemy had brought against him in the Courts of having slandered the city in the presence of foreigners. In this bitterness of spirit the play stands in strong contrast with the good-humoured burlesque of ‘The Acharnians’ and the ‘Peace,’ or, indeed, with any other of the author’s productions which has reached us.

    The characters are five only. First and foremost comes Demos, ‘The People,’ typifying the Athenian democracy, a rich householder—a self-indulgent, superstitious, weak creature. He has had several overseers or factors in succession, to look after his estate and manage his slaves. The present one is known as ‘the Paphlagonian,’ or sometimes as ‘the Tanner,’ an unprincipled, lying, cheating, pilfering scoundrel, fawning and obsequious to his master, insolent towards his subordinates. Two of these are Nicias and Demosthenes. Here we have real names. Nicias was High Admiral of the Athenian navy at the time, and Demosthenes one of his Vice-Admirals; both held still more important commands later in connection with the Sicilian Expedition of 415-413 B.C. Fear of consequences apparently prevented the poet from doing the same in the case of Cleon, who is, of course, intended under the names of ‘the Paphlagonian’ and ‘the Tanner.’ Indeed, so great was the terror inspired by the great man that no artist was found bold enough to risk his powerful vengeance by caricaturing his features, and no actor dared to represent him on the stage. Aristophanes is said to have played the part himself, with his face, in the absence of a mask, smeared with wine-lees, roughly mimicking the purple and bloated visage of the demagogue. The remaining character is ‘the Sausage-seller,’ who is egged on by Nicias and Demosthenes to oust ‘the Paphlagonian’ from Demos’ favour by outvying him in his own arts of impudent flattery, noisy boasting and unscrupulous allurement. After a fierce and stubbornly contested trial of wits and interchange of ‘Billingsgate,’ ‘the Sausage-seller’ beats his rival at his own weapons and gains his object; he supplants the disgraced favourite, who is driven out of the house with ignominy.

    The Comedy takes its title, as was often the case, from the Chorus,

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