Discussion Topic
The central themes of Aristophanes's The Frogs
Summary:
The central themes of Aristophanes's The Frogs include the value of art and literature, the role of the critic, and the idea of social and political responsibility. The play satirizes contemporary Athenian society and politics, emphasizing the importance of cultural contributions to the well-being of the state. It also explores the tension between old and new artistic values.
What are the important themes of Aristophanes's The Frogs?
One of the important themes in Aristophanes' Frogs is the power of literature in society. In this play, the god Dionysus travels to the underworld to bring back Euripides because Athens' current crop of tragedians is not acceptable to him. After Dionysus arrives in the underworld, he learns of a dispute between Aeschylus and Euripides over who is the best tragedian. Subsequently, Dionysus presides over a contest between the two tragedians, a contest which Aeschylus wins because he provides the best advice on how to deal with the Athenian political situation in the waning years of the fifth century BCE. As Dionysus and Aeschylus leave the underworld, Pluto praises Aeschylus for his ability to give good advice to the Athenians:
Farewell then Aeschylus, great and wise,
Go, save our state by the maxims rare
Of thy noble thought; and the fools chastise,
For many a fool dwells there. (Anonymous translator)
What is the theme of the play "The Frogs"?
The theme of the play "The Frogs" is the demonstration of how the influence of the old tendencies and schools of art and thought of Athens made its citizens much more chivarlous, productive, democratic, and sound than the newer schools of thought which led to the wars that are now draining Athens.
Aristophanes was trying to make a point: The newer schools of thought are too focused on form and not on essence, hence, they deviate the citizens from the common life, in order to have them consume themselves completely to art or philosophy.
Contrarily, the old schools would be a way of life that is combined with everyday life, and served more as a moral, mental and spiritual resource, rather than a way of life. Given that the situation after the Peloponesyan war left the city in such dire straights, Aristophanes proposed (in his comedic ways) that, instead of a politician, it would be a dramatist who would fix the place and turn it around. The situations that arise throughout the play give the story an exquisite flavor of comedy and sarcasm that makes it clear to the audience where Aristophanes was going.