Wasps and Other Plays: A new verse translation, with introduction and notes

Aristophanes is the only surviving representative of Greek Old Comedy, known for its brilliant combination of fantasy and satire. This third and final volume of a new verse translation of his complete plays contains four of his most overtly political plays, including Acharnians, Knights, Wasps, and Peace. The translation combines historical accuracy with a sensitive attempt to capture the rich dramatic and literary qualities of Aristophanic comedy, with each play presented with a thought-provoking introduction and extensive editorial notes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 480 pages
Publication date: 14 March 2024
Publisher: Oxford University Press

No matter how you approach us, you'll discover that we're remarkably wasp-like in our habits, in every aspect of our lives. Aristophanes is the sole surviving representative of Greek Old Comedy, an exuberant form of festival drama that flourished in Athens during the fifth century BCE. One of the most original playwrights in the entire Western tradition, his comedies are remarkable for their brilliant combination of fantasy and satire, their constantly inventive manipulation of language, and their use of absurd characters and plots to expose his society's institutions and values to the bracing challenge of laughter. This is the third and final volume of a new verse translation of the complete plays of Aristophanes. It contains four of his most overtly political plays: Acharnians, in which an Athenian farmer rebels against the city's war policies; Knights, a biting satire of populist demagogues; Wasps, whose main theme is the Athenian system of lawcourts; and Peace, in which escape from war is symbolized in images of rustic fertility and sensuality. The translation combines historical accuracy with a sensitive attempt to capture the rich dramatic and literary qualities of Aristophanic comedy. Each play is presented with a thought-provoking introduction and extensive editorial notes to accompany the vivid translations, balancing performability with faithfulness to the original.

No matter how you approach us, you'll discover that we're remarkably wasp-like in our habits, in every aspect of our lives. Aristophanes is the sole surviving representative of Greek Old Comedy, an exuberant form of festival drama that flourished in Athens during the fifth century BCE. One of the most original playwrights in the entire Western tradition, his comedies are remarkable for their brilliant combination of fantasy and satire, their constantly inventive manipulation of language, and their use of absurd characters and plots to expose his society's institutions and values to the bracing challenge of laughter. This is the third and final volume of a new verse translation of the complete plays of Aristophanes. It contains four of his most overtly political plays: Acharnians, in which an Athenian farmer rebels against the city's war policies; Knights, a biting satire of populist demagogues; Wasps, whose main theme is the Athenian system of lawcourts; and Peace, in which escape from war is symbolized in images of rustic fertility and sensuality. The translation combines historical accuracy with a sensitive attempt to capture the rich dramatic and literary qualities of Aristophanic comedy. Each play is presented with a thought-provoking introduction and extensive editorial notes to accompany the vivid translations, balancing performability with faithfulness to the original.

Weight: 334g
Dimension: 130 x 199 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198900221