Aristophanes, son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his 40 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 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, was denounced by the demagogue Cleon as a slander against the Athenian polis. Aristophanes caricatured Cleon mercilessly in his subsequent plays.
- ISBN10 1304749681
- ISBN13 9781304749680
- Publish Date 27 December 2013 (first published 24 June 2013)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Lulu.com
- Format eBook (OEB)
- Language English