The Frogs

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For other uses, see Frog (disambiguation).

The Frogs
Written by

Aristophanes

Chorus

Frogs, Initiates, citizens of Hades

Characters

Dionysus
Xanthias, Dionysus' slave
Heracles
corpse
Charon
Aeacus, janitor of Hades
maid
hostess
Plathane, maid of the inn
Euripides
Aeschylus
Pluto
various extras

Setting

Outside Heracles' house; Lake Acheron; Hades

The Frogs (Greek: Btrachoi, "Frogs"; Latin: Ranae, often abbreviated Ran.) is
a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at
the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in Athens, in 405 BC, and received first place.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1 Plot

2 Critical analysis

2.1 Politics

2.2 Structure of The Frogs

3 Sophocles

4 References to the play

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

Plot[edit]
The Frogs tells the story of the god Dionysus, who, despairing of the state of
Athens' tragedians, travels to Hades (the underworld) to bring the playwright Euripides back
from the dead. (Euripides had died the year before, in 406 BC). He brings along his
slave Xanthias, who is smarter and braver than Dionysus. As the play opens, Xanthias and
Dionysus argue over what kind of jokes Xanthias can use to open the play. For the first half
of the play, Dionysus routinely makes critical errors, forcing Xanthias to improvise in order
to protect his master and prevent Dionysus from looking incompetentbut this only allows
Dionysus to continue to make mistakes with no consequence.
To find a reliable path to Hades, Dionysus seeks advice from his half-brother Heracles, who
had been there before in order to retrieve the hell hound Cerberus. Dionysus shows up at
his doorstep dressed in a lion-hide and carrying a club. Heracles, upon seeing the
effeminate Dionysus dressed up like himself, can't help laughing. When asked which road
is the quickest to get to Hades, Heracles replies that you can hang yourself, drink poison,
or jump off a tower. Dionysus opts for the longer journey, which Heracles himself had taken,
across a lake (possibly Lake Acheron).
When Dionysus arrives at the lake, Charon ferries him across. Xanthias, being a slave, is
not allowed in the boat, and has to walk around it, while Dionysus is made to help row the
boat.
This is the point of the first choral interlude (parodos), sung by the eponymous chorus of
frogs (the only scene in which frogs feature in the play). Their croaking refrain
Brekekekx-kox-kox (Greek: ) greatly annoys Dionysus, who
engages in a mocking debate (agon) with the frogs. When he arrives at the shore,
Dionysus meets up with Xanthias, who teases him by claiming to see the frightening
monster Empusa. A second chorus composed of spirits ofDionysian Mystics soon appear.
The next encounter is with Aeacus, who mistakes Dionysus for Heracles due to his attire.
Still angry over Heracles' theft of Cerberus, Aeacus threatens to unleash several monsters
on him in revenge. Frightened, Dionysus trades clothes with Xanthias. A maid then arrives
and is happy to see Heracles. She invites him to a feast with virgin dancing girls, and
Xanthias is more than happy to oblige. But Dionysus quickly wants to trade back the
clothes. Dionysus, back in the Heracles lion-skin, encounters more people angry at
Heracles, and so he makes Xanthias trade a third time.
When Aeacus returns to confront the alleged Heracles (i.e., Xanthias), Xanthias offers him
his "slave" (Dionysus) for torturing, to obtain the truth as to whether or not he is really a
thief. The terrified Dionysus tells the truth that he is a god. After each is whipped, Dionysus
is brought before Aeacus' masters, and the truth is verified. The maid then catches
Xanthias and chats him up, interrupted by preparations for the contest scene.
The maid describes the Euripides-Aeschylus conflict. Euripides, who had only just recently
died, is challenging the great Aeschylus for the seat of "Best Tragic Poet" at the dinner
table of Pluto, the ruler of the underworld. A contest is held with Dionysus as judge. The two
playwrights take turns quoting verses from their plays and making fun of the other.
Euripides argues the characters in his plays are better because they are more true to life
and logical, whereas Aeschylus believes his idealized characters are better as they are
heroic and models for virtue. Aeschylus mocks Euripides' verse as predictable and

formulaic by having Euripides quote lines from many of his prologues, each time
interrupting the declamation with the same phrase " " ("... lost his
little flask of oil"). (The passage has given rise to the term lekythion, literally 'oil-flask', for
this type of rhythmic group in poetry.) Euripides counters by demonstrating the alleged
monotony of Aeschylus' choral songs, parodying excerpts from his works and having each
citation end in the same refrain ; ("oh, what a stroke,
won't you come to the rescue?", from Aeschylus' lost play Myrmidons). Aeschylus retorts to
this by mocking Euripides' choral meters and lyric monodies with castanets.
During the contest, Dionysus redeems himself for his earlier role as the butt of every joke.
He now rules the stage, adjudicating the contestant's squabbles fairly, breaking up their
prolonged rants, and applying a deep understanding of Greek tragedy.
To end the debate, a balance is brought in and each are told to tell a few lines into it.
Whoever's lines have the most "weight" will cause the balance to tip in their favor. Euripides
produces verses of his that mention, in turn, the ship Argo, Persuasion, and a mace.
Aeschylus responds with the river Spercheios, Death, and two crashed chariots and two
dead charioteers! Since the latter verses refer to "heavier" objects, Aeschylus wins, but
Dionysus is still unable to decide whom he will revive. He finally decides to take the poet
who gives the best advice about how to save the city. Euripides gives cleverly worded but
essentially meaningless answers while Aeschylus provides more practical advice, and
Dionysus decides to take Aeschylus back instead of Euripides. Pluto allows Aeschylus to
return to life so that Athens may be succoured in her hour of need, and invites everyone to
a round of farewell drinks. Before leaving, Aeschylus proclaims that Sophocles should have
his chair while he is gone, not Euripides.

Critical analysis[edit]
The parodos contains a paradigmatic example of how in Greek culture obscenity could be
included in celebrations related to the gods.[2]

Politics[edit]
Kenneth Dover claims that the underlying political theme of The Frogs is essentially old
ways good, new ways bad.[3] He points to the parabasis for proof of this: The antepirrhema
of the parabasis (71837) urges the citizen-body to reject the leadership of those whom it
now follows, upstarts of foreign parentage (7302), and turn back to men of known integrity
who were brought up in the style of noble and wealthy families (Dover 33). Kleophon is
mentioned in the ode of the parabasis (67485), and is both vilified as a foreigner (6802)
and maligned at the end of the play (1504, 1532).
The Frogs deviates from the pattern of political standpoint offered in Aristophanes earlier
works, such as The Acharnians (425 BC), Peace (421 BC), and Lysistrata(411 BC), which
have all been termed 'peace' plays. The Frogs is not often thus labeled, however Dover
points out that though Kleophon was adamantly opposed to any peace which did not come
of victory, and the last lines of the play suggest Athens ought to look for a less stubborn
end to the war, Aeschylus advice (14635) lays out a plan to win and not a proposition of
capitulation. Also, The Frogs contains solid, serious messages which represent significant
differences from general critiques of policy and idealistic thoughts of good peace terms.
During the parabasis Aristophanes presents advice to give the rights of citizens back to
people who had participated in the oligarchic revolution in 411 BC, arguing they were
misled by Phrynichus' 'tricks' (literally 'wrestlings'). Phrynichos was a leader of the
oligarchic revolution who was assassinated, to general satisfaction, in 411. This proposal
was simple enough to be instated by a single act of the assembly, and was actually put into
effect by Patrokleides decree after the loss of the fleet at Aegospotami. The
anonymous Life states that this advice was the basis of Aristophanes receipt of the olive
wreath, and the author of the ancient Hypothesis says admiration of the parabasis was the
major factor that led to the play's second production. [3]

J.T. Sheppard contends that the exiled general Alcibiades is a main focus of The Frogs. At
the time the play was written and produced, Athens was in dire straits in the war with
the Peloponnesian League, and the people, Sheppard claims, would logically have
Alcibiades on their minds. Sheppard quotes a segment of text from near the beginning of
the parabasis:

But remember these men also, your own kinsmen, sire and son,
Who have oftimes fought beside you, spilt their blood on many seas;
Grant for that one fault the pardon which they crave you on their knees.
You whom nature made for wisdom, let your vengeance fall to sleep;
Greet as kinsmen and Athenians, burghers true to win and keep,
Whosoe'er will brave the storms and fight for Athens at your side!

Murray translation, from l. 697

He states that though this text ostensibly refers to citizens dispossessed of their rights, it
will actually evoke memories of Alcibiades, the Athenians' exiled hero. Further support
includes the presentation of the chorus, who recites these lines, as initiates of
the mysteries. This, Sheppard says, will also prompt recollection of Alcibiades, whose initial
exile was largely based on impiety regarding these religious institutions. Continuing this
thought, the audience is provoked into remembering Alcibiades' return in 408 BC, when he
made his peace with the goddesses. The reason Aristophanes hints so subtly at these
points, according to Sheppard, is because Alcibiades still had many rivals in Athens, such
as Kleophon and Adeimantus, who are both blasted in the play. Sheppard also cites
Aeschylus during the prologue debate, when the poet quotes from The Oresteia:

Subterranean Hermes, guardian of my father's realms,

Become my savior and my ally, in answer to my prayer.
For I am come and do return to this my land.

Dillon translation, from l. 1127

This choice of excerpt again relates to Alcibiades, still stirring his memory in the audience.
Sheppard concludes by referencing the direct mention of Alcibiades' name, which occurs in
the course of Dionysus' final test of the poets, seeking advice about Alcibiades himself and
a strategy for victory. Though Euripides first blasts Alcibiades, Aeschylus responds with the
advice to bring him back, bringing the subtle allusions to a clearly stated head and
concluding Aristophanes' point.[4]

Structure of The Frogs[edit]

According to Kenneth Dover the structure of The Frogs is as follows: In the first section
Dionysus' has the goal of gaining admission to Pluto's palace, and he does so by line 673.
The parabasis follows, (lines 674737) and in the dialogue between the slaves a power
struggle between Euripides and Aeschylus is revealed. Euripides is jealous of the other's
place as the greatest tragic poet. Dionysus is asked by Pluto to mediate the contest or
agon.[3]
Charles Paul Segal argues that The Frogs is unique in its structure, because it combines
two forms of comic motifs, a journey motif and a contest motif or agon motif, with each motif
being given equal weight in the play.[5]
Segal contends that Aristophanes transformed the Greek comedy structure when he
downgraded the contest or agon which usually preceded the parabasis and expanded the
parabasis into the agon. In Aristophanes' earlier plays, i.e., The Acharnians and The Birds,
the protagonist is victorious prior to the parabasis and after the parabasis is usually shown
implementing his reforms. Segal suggests this deviation gave a tone of seriousness to the
play. For more detail see Old Comedy.

Sophocles[edit]
Sophocles, a tragic playwright similar to Aeschylus, and who had died recently is
referenced several times as a worthy playwright. He is told to guard Aeschylus' chair while
he is away.

References to the play[edit]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please
help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2013)
In the Gilbert and Sullivan light opera The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley, in
his introductory song, includes the fact that he "knows the croaking chorus from The Frogs
of Aristophanes" in a list of all his scholarly achievements.
Stephen Sondheim adapted The Frogs to a musical of the same name, using characters of
George Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare instead of the Greek playwrights.
End the Fed author Ron Paul uses a passage from The Frogs that recounts
the debasement of the Greek drachma as an epigraph to one of the book's chapters,
reflecting it comment on modern day inflation.
In Finnegans Wake, page 4 paragraph 1, references this play with the words "Brkkek
Kkkek Kkkek Kkkek! Kax Kax Kax! Ualu Ualu Ualu! Quaouauh!" [6]
The call of the Frog Chorus, "Brekekekx-kox-kox" (Greek: ),
followed by a few of Charon's lines from the play formed part of the Yale "Long Cheer",
which was first used in public in 1884, and was a feature of Yale sporting events from that
time until the 1960s.,[7] ,[8] [9] It was echoed in Yale graduate Cole Porter's song "I, Jupiter" in
his musical Out of This World, in which Jupiter sings "I, Jupiter Rex, am positively teeming
with sex," and is answered by the chorus "Brek-ek-ko-ex-ko-ex-SEX! Brek-ek-ko-ex-ko-exSEX!"[8] Other colleges imitated or parodied the long cheer, including Penn, which adopted
the cry, "Brackey Corax Corix, Roree".[7]
One of these parodies was the first Stanford Axe yell in 1899, when yell leaders used it
during the decapitation of a straw effigy: "Give 'em the axe, the axe, the axe! ". The Frog
Chorus also figured in a later Axe Yell rendering the last two segments "croax croax", which
was used by the University of California and Stanford University.
In "Jesting Pilate" author Aldous Huxley listened to a performance of a poem with the
subject of Sicily by the Panjabi poet Iqbal recited by a Mohammedan of Arab descent at a
party in Bombay. Huxley summarized the performance with the statement: " And in the
suspended notes, in the shakes and warblings over a single long-drawn syllable, I seemed
to recognize that distinguishing feature of the Euripidean chorus which Aristophanes
derides and parodies in the "Frogs." [10]
In the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren," a supporting character briefly quotes the
call of the Frog Chorus.

References[edit]
1.

Jump up^ Aristophanes, Frogs. Kenneth Dover (ed.)

(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), p. 2.

2.

Jump up^ Amata, Biagio Cultura e lingue classiche 3, p79

3.

^ Jump up to:a b c Dover, Kenneth (1997). Aristophanes'

Frogs. New York: Clarendon Press.ISBN 0-19-815071-7.

4.

Jump up^ Sheppard, J. T.; Verrall, A. W. (1910). "Politics in

the Frogs of Aristophanes".Journal of Hellenic Studies (The
Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies)30: 249
259. doi:10.2307/624304. JSTOR 624304.

5.

Jump up^ Segal, Charles Paul (1961). "The Character and

Cults of Dionysus and the Unity of the Frogs". Harvard
Studies in Classical Philology (Department of the Classics,
Harvard University) 65: 207
242. doi:10.2307/310837.JSTOR 310837.

6.

Jump up^ [1]

7.

^ Jump up to:a b Schiff, Judith Ann (1998), The Greatest

College Cheer, Yale Alumni Magazine, retrieved 11
December 2014

8.

^ Jump up to:a b Readers Remember the Long Cheer, Yale

Alumni Magazine, 2008, retrieved 11 December 2014

9.

Jump up^ Branch, Mark Alden (2008), Greek Revival, Yale

Alumni Magazine, retrieved11 December 2014

10. Jump up^ "Jesting Pilate" page 24 paragraph 1, Paragon

House, First Paperback Edition, 1991

Further reading[edit]

The Frogs in Greek (from Perseus Project)

The Frogs translated into English rhyming verse by Gilbert

Murray (1908)

English prose translation by George Theodoridis, 2008

External links[edit]

Works related to The Frogs at Wikisource

Greek Wikisource has original text related to this

article:

[hide]

Surviving plays by Aristophanes

The Acharnians
The Knights
The Clouds
The Wasps
Peace
The Birds
Lysistrata
Thesmophoriazusae
The Frogs
Assemblywomen
Plutus

Categories:

Plays by Aristophanes

Dionysus

Hades (underworld) in Greco-Roman literature

Plays about slavery

Plays set in ancient Greece

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