Meanwhile, the Nightingale emerges from her hiding place and reveals herself as an enchantingly feminine figure. They retire to the Hoopoe's bower to chew on a magical root that will transform them into birds. The clever one then introduces himself as Pisthetaerus (Trustyfriend), and his companion is introduced as Euelpides (Goodhope). The birds are completely won over and urge the Athenians to lead them in their war against the usurping gods. The cleverer of the two Athenians, the author of the brilliant idea, then delivers a formal speech, advising the birds that they were the original gods and urging them to regain their lost powers and privileges from the johnny-come-lately Olympians. A skirmish follows, during which the Athenians defend themselves with kitchen utensils that they find outside the Hoopoe's bower, until the Hoopoe at last manages to persuade the Chorus to give his human guests a fair hearing. On discovering the presence of men, the newly arrived birds fly into a fit of alarm and outrage, for mankind has long been their enemy. Four of them dance together while the rest form into a Chorus. These soon begin to appear, and each of them is identified by name on arrival. The notes of an unseen flute swell through the theatre, and meanwhile the Hoopoe provides the lyrics, summoning the birds of the world from their different habitats-birds of the fields, mountain birds and birds of the trees, birds of the waterways, marshes and seas. He calls to his wife, the Nightingale, and bids her to begin her celestial music. The Hoopoe likes the idea, and he agrees to help implement it, provided, of course, that the two Athenians can first convince all the other birds. He is happy to discuss their plight with them, and meanwhile one of them has a brilliant idea: the birds, he says, should stop flying about like idiots and instead should build themselves a great city in the sky, since this would both allow them to lord it over men and enable them to blockade the Olympian gods in the same way that the Athenians had recently starved the island of Melos into submission. Moments later the Hoopoe himself appears-a not very convincing bird who attributes his lack of feathers to a severe case of moulting. They appease him and he returns indoors to fetch his master. Just then, a very large and fearsome bird emerges from a camouflaged bower, demanding to know what they are up to and accusing them of being bird-catchers. One of them advises the audience that they are fed up with life in Athens, where people do nothing all day but argue over laws, and they are looking for Tereus, a king who was once metamorphosed into the Hoopoe, for they believe he might help them find a better life somewhere else. The play begins with two middle-aged men stumbling across a hillside wilderness, guided by a pet crow and a pet jackdaw. Pisthetaerus eventually transforms into a bird-like god himself, and replaces Zeus as the king of the gods. The plot of the play revolves around Pisthetaerus, an Athenian who convinces the birds to create a great city in the sky, and thus regain their status as the original gods. It is the longest of Aristophanes's surviving plays and yet it is a fairly conventional example of Old Comedy. In spite of that, the play has many indirect references to Athenian political and social life. Unlike the author's other early plays, it includes no direct mention of the Peloponnesian War and there are few references to Athenian politics, and yet it was staged not long after the commencement of the Sicilian Expedition, an ambitious military campaign that greatly increased Athenian commitment to the war effort. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs. It was performed in 414 BC at the City Dionysia in Athens where it won second place. Órnithes) is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. Nightingale formerly Procne ( flute player)Ī hillside wilderness outside the Hoopoe's nest.Bird dancers ( flamingo, cock, 2nd Hoopoe, Gobbler).Hoopoe formerly Tereus, an Athenian prince.īirds: partridge, francolin, mallard, kingfisher, sparrow, owl, jay, turtledove, crested lark, reed warbler, wheatear, pigeon, merlin, sparrowhawk, ringdove, cuckoo, stock dove, firecrest, rail, kestrel, dabchick, waxwing, vulture, woodpecker This list is developed from D.Barrett's translation. The Dramatis Personae in ancient comedy depends on interpretation of textual evidence.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |