Posted by kit on March 04, 19100 at 20:17:24:

In Reply to: 'the knights'and 'the wasps' posted by laura on February 03, 19100 at 14:29:27:

: can any one help me answer this essay question
: from your reading of the 'knights' and the 'wasps'how highly do you reguard the opinion that aristophanes wanted to instruct and change the athenian people in his plays.

I once answered a similar question by getting all emotive about Aristophanes' situation when writing these two plays.
It was based on - quote aeschylus - 'the birth-pang of the seer who tells the truth'
He was in some ways a prophet, he knew his beloved Athens would fall; Knights rails against the war-mongering politicians who will let this happen, even encourage it; the Wasps is a plea for sanity and the return to an older (in his view, more valid) moral system
I wound up saying he was trying, not only to change the people, but to change the future, stem the tide of history - and comedy was the only weapon in his armory.
Or maybe you could say, he wasn't so much trying to change things, as to express another point of view, play devil's advocate to the majority view..? That just occured to me...

Hope that gave you some kind of inspiration...

Follow Ups:

• Re: 'the knights'and 'the wasps' Jess(op) 11:01:48 4/12/100 (3)
  • Re: 'the knights'and 'the wasps' kit 18:20:54 4/13/100 (2)
    • Re: 'the knights'and 'the wasps' Jess(op) 09:00:28 4/14/100 (0)
    • Re: 'the knights'and 'the wasps' Jess(op) 08:58:38 4/14/100 (0)

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: : can any one help me answer this essay question : : from your reading of the 'knights' and the 'wasps'how highly do you reguard the opinion that aristophanes wanted to instruct and change the athenian people in his plays. : I once answered a similar question by getting all emotive about Aristophanes' situation when writing these two plays. : It was based on - quote aeschylus - 'the birth-pang of the seer who tells the truth' : He was in some ways a prophet, he knew his beloved Athens would fall; Knights rails against the war-mongering politicians who will let this happen, even encourage it; the Wasps is a plea for sanity and the return to an older (in his view, more valid) moral system : I wound up saying he was trying, not only to change the people, but to change the future, stem the tide of history - and comedy was the only weapon in his armory. : Or maybe you could say, he wasn't so much trying to change things, as to express another point of view, play devil's advocate to the majority view..? That just occured to me... : Hope that gave you some kind of inspiration...

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