Aristophanes: biography, and the play 'The Frogs'
1. **What was Aristophanes' full name?** Aristophanes of Athens
2. In what ancient Greek city was Aristophanes born? **Athens**
3. Approximately when did Aristophanes live? **450 BC - 385 BC**
4. What was the genre of play that Aristophanes specialized in writing? **Old Comedy**
5. What are some typical features of Old Comedy plays? **Satire, parody, caricatures of public figures, breaking of theatrical conventions**
6. For what annual dramatic festival were many of Aristophanes' plays written? **The Dionysia in Athens**
7. How many of Aristophanes' plays are thought to have been written over his career? **Over 40 plays**
8. How many of Aristophanes' plays have survived fully intact to the present day? **11 plays**
9. Name Aristophanes' surviving play about a peace conference between mortal enemies. **Lysistrata**
10. Name his surviving play about a battle between the new and old dramatic styles. **The Frogs**
11. What was the year The Frogs was first performed? **405 BC**
12. In what ancient Greek month was The Frogs performed? **The month of Lenaeon in winter**
13. What was the context or topical relevance of The Frogs' performance? **It was written during a period of war fatigue after Athens' defeat by Sparta**
14. Who do the titular frogs represent in the allegory of the play? **Athens' two greatest dramatists, Aeschylus and Euripides**
15. Where does much of the play's action take place? **In Hades**
16. Who does the god Dionysus encounter during his journey to Hades? **Heracles**
17. What task does Dionysus undertake to find a new leading dramatist for Athens? **He must bring the best dramatist back from Hades to the city**
18. Which of the two great dramatists does Dionysus ultimately choose as worthy to return? **Aeschylus**
19. What were some of the criticisms leveled at Euripides in the play? **That his tragedies were intellectual rather than emotional, focused too much on argument**
20. Besides parodying tragicdramatists, what other Greek figures does Aristophanes poke fun at? **Sophists, philosophers like Socrates**
21. According to the play, why does Aeschylus deserve to return instead of Euripides? **His plays were more dignified and promoted traditional Athenian values**
22. How is the underworld depicted in the play? **As a chaotic, farcical place resembling the Athenian legal system**
23. Who provides comic relief as Dionysus' reviled servant? **His slave Xanthias**
24. What are some of the absurd obstacles Dionysus and Xanthias encounter? **Having to cross a raging lake of soup, being interrogated by infernal officials**
25. What clever trick does Dionysus employ to best Euripides in a poetic contest? **He recites a line from his lost play Palamedes, and when Euripides attempts to continue it, Dionysus counters he made it up**
26. Besides tragedy, what other genre did Euripides pioneer? **Proto-realistic domestic drama known as domestic tragedy**
27. How does the comedy derive humor from tragic conventions being parodied or undermined? **By turning the serious motifs of tragedy into absurd, trivialized counterparts**
28. For whom does the character Euripides seem to have been a target or caricature? **The real-life Euripides who was still alive at the play's premiere**
29. What tone does the play adopt - reverential or disrespectful towards its subjects? **Laughing with as much as laughing at - a mixture of affection and parody**
30. How was Aristophanes' treatment of public or literary figures different than modern satire? **He caricatured living individuals rather than using anonymity or subtlety**
31. True or False: The play praises only Aeschylus' works and offers no criticism of him. **False, it also parodies some elements of Aeschylus' tragic style**
32. Where does the entertaining dialogue between Dionysus and other characters take place? **Between dramatic trial scenes in Hades**
33. Which of the two great dramatists does Dionysus initially prefer based on his introductory descriptions? **Euripides**
34. What is one criticism leveled specifically at Euripides' tragic style during his verse challenge with Aeschylus? **That his verses were too "wordy" or long-winded**
35. How does Xanthias distinguish Aeschylus' from Euripides' poetic style in their challenge? **Aeschylus' verses are bold and honest, Euripides' are slippery or evasive**
36. What does Aristophanes demonstrate about Athenian values through Dionysus' change of opinion between dramatists? **A preference for patriotic, traditional styles over sophistical experimentation**
37. Does the play offer a nuanced perspective or come down definitively on one side? **It presents thoughtful critiques of both playwrights rather than an outright condemnation**
38. How does the play's structure mimic the initiation rituals depicted in tragic dramas? **The cathartic journey and tribulations faced by the protagonist Dionysus parallel such motifs**
39. Does the play offer legitimate artistic critiques or simply parodies and caricatures? **A blend - it both parodies and engages in thoughtful critique of traditions**
40. Apart from playwrights, what groups of thinkers does the play parody through references? **Philosophers like sophists and predecessors of Socrates**
41. How does Aristophanes' use of comedy differ from presentational styles? **Bolder breaking of conventions to directly satirize public figures of his time**
42. Which comedic devices does the play employ to generate humor? **Parody, slapstick, verbal wit, absurd situations, caricatures**
43. In what way can Frogs be seen as having had a real social or political influence on Athens? **By influencing which dramatic styles were later supported and produced**
44. Which of the two great tragic poets seems to have been Aristophanes' personal preference based on the caricatures? **Aeschylus**
45. At what point in the play does Aristophanes engagingly bring out contrasting perspectives between the two dramatists? **When they compete in poetic contests judged by Dionysus**
46. What kind of language is used in the play - elevated poetry or everyday colloquial? **A combination switching between high-flown verses and casual banter**
47. How would you characterize Aristophanes as a comedian - respectful or unrestrained in his humor? **Boldly unrestrained in humor yet not without respect for his subjects**
48. Where is the actual competition between Aeschylus and Euripides depicted? **In the poetic singing contest judged by Dionysus**
49. Which of the dramatists shows greater skill in the improvised contest according to Dionysus? **Aeschylus**
50. What famous line does Dionysus recall was made up by Euripides rather than being in one of his lost plays as claimed? **"Well put, by Dionysus!"**
51. Who ultimately accompanies Dionysus back to Athens as the selected dramatist? **Aeschylus**
52. Which of the two great tragedians was still living at the time of the play's production? **Euripides**
53. How does the play both celebrate and poke fun at Greek cultural institutions like drama? **With an affectionate but tongue-in-cheek manner**
54. Why was the play's genre of comedy well-suited to tackle social/artistic issues of the time? **Comedy's joking style allowed open discussion of pressing topics**
55. Which Greek city is playfully depicted as chaotic, undisciplined underworld in the comedy? **Athens**
56. What epic poet is Dionysus described as resembling in the opening lines? **Heracles**
57. In which centuries BC did Aristophanes live and produce his memorable comedies? **5th century BC**
58. What is notable about Aristophanes breaking the conventions of Old Comedy in The Frogs? **None, he conforms very traditionally to Old Comedy structures**
59. To what ancient theatre building in Athens were Aristophanes' plays originally staged? **The Theatre of Dionysus**
60. Which of Plato's important philosophical works contains significant discussion of Aristophanes' style? **Symposium**
61. What did some of Aristophanes' political enemies attempt unsuccessfully after some of his plays? **To prosecute him for caricaturing public figures**
62. Which of his plays won first prize at the Lenaea dramatic competition in Athens? **The Knights**
63. Who provides a comic villain protagonist role in The Frogs as the inept servant? **Xanthias**
64. What is significant about Aristophanes winning first prize three times at the City Dionysia festival in Athens? This was a rare achievement, indicating his plays' popularity.
65. Which of Aristophanes' surviving plays takes aim at contemporary trends like the sophist movement in Athens? The Clouds pokes fun at thinkers like Socrates.
66. How does The Frogs reflect the war fatigue of ordinary Athenians after recent military losses? It entertains the idea of reviving more prestigious old traditions over experimentation.
67. The play highlights what divide between dramatic styles of its great predecessors? The heroic bombast of Aeschylus versus the argumentative genre-blending of Euripides.
68. The Frogs is categorized as a kind of theatrical genre that was pioneered by Aristophanes. What is this genre called? Old Attic Comedy.
69. The contests between Aeschylus and Euripides brought out what aspect of their respective talents? Their skill with words and rhetoric to cleverly argue positions.
70. What is notable about no complete versions of Aristophanes' plays existing until the 9th century AD? Manuscripts had to be partly reconstructed from fragments.
71. In the poetic competitions judged by Dionysus, what types of verses do Aeschylus and Euripides exchange? Spondaic choruses typically sung by tragic heroes.
72. Why was Aristophanes' direct caricaturing of public figures unconventional for his time? Greek drama was not expected to literally satirize living personalities.
73. Which sections of The Frogs employ comic messengers or agon scenes of competitive debates? The parody of tragic contests between dramatists.
74. What clues in the text suggest the play's criticism of novelty was partly targeted at younger audiences? References to what they deem as "modern" or "tip-top" sophistication.
75. How does the play characterize Euripides as thinking too rationally rather than emotionally? As valuing sharp arguments over stirring the passions of tragedy.
Post a Comment