About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 28. Chapters: Middle Comic poets, New Comic poets, Old Comic poets, Aristophanes, Thespis, Alexis, Menander, Sophron, Antiphanes, Diphilus, Epicharmus of Kos, Cratinus, Ion of Chios, Poseidippus of Cassandreia, Susarion, Eupolis, Anaxandrides, Strattis, Sannyrion, Eubulus, Ameipsias, Nicophon, Alcimenes, Hermippus, Pherecrates, Chionides, Epicrates of Ambracia, Philemon, Araros, Hegemon of Thasos, Plato, Nicochares, Amphis, Epigenes of Athens, Philyllius, Callias, Magnes, Ephippus of Athens, Alexander of Athens, Alcaeus, Timocreon, Gaius Maecenas Melissus, Apollodorus of Carystus, Machon, Crobylus, Phormis, Phrynichus, Epilycus, Cratinus Junior, Epinicus, Telecleides. Excerpt: Aristophanes (English pronunciation: Ancient Greek:, ca. 446 BC - ca. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a prolific and much acclaimed comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete. These, together with fragments of some of his other plays, provide the only real examples of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy, and they are in fact used to define the genre. Also known as the Father of Comedy and the Prince of Ancient Comedy, Aristophanes has been said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author. His powers of ridicule were feared and acknowledged by influential contemporaries - Plato singled out Aristophanes' play The Clouds as slander contributing to the trial and execution of Socrates although other satirical playwrights had also caricatured the philosopher. His second play, The Babylonians (now lost), was denounced by the demagogue Cleon as a slander against the Athenian polis. It is possible that the case was argued in court but details of the trial are not recorded and Aristophanes caricatured Cleon mercilessly in his subsequent plays, especial...
