Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes, son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion, was a 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 are used to define it...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
voice language attributes
[Y]ou possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.
mind mouths
Open your mind before your mouth
total-war
Ah! the Generals! they are numerous, but not good for much!
fairness heard
Thou shouldst not decide until thou hast heard what both have to say.
lying justice comedy
Comedy is allied to justice.
winning people promise
To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them.
wise wisdom enemy
The wise learn many things from their enemies.
travel adventure journey
Why, I'd like nothing better than to achieve some bold adventure, worthy of our trip.
eye mouths zeus
Open your mouth and shut your eyes and see what Zeus will send you.
soon-enough matter stout
Calonice: My dear Lysistrata, just what is this matter you've summoned us women to consider.What's up? Something big? Lysistrata: Very big. Calonice: (interested) Is it stout too? Lysistrata: (smiling) Yes, indeed -- both big and stout. Calonice: What? And the women still haven't come? Lysistrata: It's not what you suppose; they'd come soon enough for that.
friendship wall war
Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war.
love names desire
Love is merely the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.
women chance drink
Women, you overheated dipsomaniacs, never passing up a chance to wangle a drink, a great boon to bartenders but a bane to us--not to mention our crockery and our woolens!
strength art life-changing
Let each man exercise the art he knows.