Wasps
Wasps (Sphēkes; Vespae) Author: Aristophanes
First Performance: 422 BC, Athens
First English Translation: 1819
Genre: Greek com. in verse
Setting: Before the house of Philocleon in Athens, the present
Cast: 7m, 1f, extras, chorus (m)
In order to avoid the possibility of corruption, the law courts of Athens enlist the services of a jury of 500 men. Philocleon ( = ‘lover of Cleon’) has become so flattered by the power that this has granted him that he has become addicted to jury service. His son Bdelycleon ( = ‘hater of Cleon’) has imprisoned him in his own house to try to cure him of his judging obsession. The chorus of fellow jurors, the Wasps, arrive to take Philocleon to court. His son intervenes to point out how miserably they are paid for their services and that the state is...
[The entire page is 388 words long]
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