Aristophanes: Peace

by Aristophanes; Olson, S. Douglas

• ISBN13: 9780198140818
• ISBN10: 0198140819
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-02-25
• Publisher: Clarendon Press

Summary

Aristophanes' Peace was performed at the City Dionysia in Athens in 421 B.C. as a decade-long war with Sparta seemed finally to be drawing to an end, and is one of only eleven extant plays by the greatest Old Comic poet. Olson's edition of the play, which replaces Platnauer's of 1969, is basedon a complete new collation of the manuscripts, many of which have never been adequately reported before. The extensive commentary explores matters of all sorts, but it focuses in particular on the realities of daily life in classical Athens and also examines the practical problems of staging. Thesubstantial introduction includes essays on Aristophanes' early career, the politics of the Greek world in the late 420s, and the poet's theology.

Table of Contents

ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY	xi	(10)
INTRODUCTION	xxi	(51)
I Aristophanes	xxi	(4)
II Historical Background	xxv	(7)
III Literary and Mythological Background	xxxii	(7)
IV Theology and Politics	xxxix	(4)
V Division of Parts and Staging	xliii	(5)
VI Peace II	xlviii	(3)
VII The Text	li	(21)
METRICAL SYMBOLS	lxxii	(1)
SIGLA	lxxiii
HYPOTHESES	1	(5)
DRAMATIS PERSONAE	6	(1)
TEXT	7	(56)
COMMENTARY	63	(256)
INDEXES	319