Product Description

Writing at a time when Athens was undergoing a crisis in its social attitudes, Aristophanes was an eloquent opponent of the demagogue and the sophist. This collection includes Lysistrata, the hilariously bawdy anti-war fantasy; The Acharnians, a plea for peace set against the background of the long war with Sparta; and The Clouds, a satire on contemporary philosophy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27911 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Aristophanes (c.448-c.385 BC), a contemporary of Socrates, was the last and greatest of the Old Attic comedians. He wrote at least 40 plays, of which 11 survived through the Middle Ages to be read and performed today. Alan Sommerstein is Head of Classics Department at Nottingham. He has translated many of Aristophanes' plays and is the author of Greek Drama & Dramatists (2002)

Customer Reviews

Translation with wit but without true character of original
Alan Sommerstein went to some length to translate the puns and plays on words (as further explained in the endnotes), which results in a very active play, and, for the careful reader, wit in nearly every line. He also uses the endnotes to explain further the Greek personalities mentioned in the plays, which adds to the understanding; my recommendation would be to read the play straight, then read the associated endnotes, then reread the play in question.

This translation captures the humor of the original, which ranges from low-brow slapstick to witty one-liners to political asides--a union of vaudeville, Oscar Wilde, and Mark Russell. However, what Sommerstein utterly misses is the form of ancient Greek comedy. The lyric choruses are rendered in choppy iambic lines, with many of them set to tunes from Gilbert & Sullivan. Aristophanes meant to use vulgarity in the acting, not in the lines of the Chorus.

Two stars for verbal wit, two stars for completeness of endnotes, and one star for my love of "Lysistrata", minus one star for excessive use of campy tunes.

(For those of you who do like his translations, or those just looking for the other eight plays, they are contained in two more volumes. Sommerstein collaborated with David Barrett in the volume Knights/Peace/Birds/Women's Assembly/Wealth, while Barrett translated Wasps/Women's Assembly/Frogs. Barrett takes less care with the translation of humor, but does not destroy the credibility of the choral lines.)

great comedy!
Aristophanes was the greatest comedian in the ancient Greek world and this play is, without a doubt, his most entertaining work.
Having recently read books on the role of women in ancient Greek society, it was great to read a play with a women protagonist and the solution to the war was an ingenious one - a sex strike!!! This play is very funny and very worth reading.

The dirtiest, filthiest sexiest of all Greek Plays!!!
You know you want to buy this... its got everything!!! Sexual ineuendo reigns supreme here!!! Honestly, it'll have even the uninitiated non-classicists rolling with laughter!!! Buy it and experience the process of wetting yourself!!!