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Aristophanes: Frogs

Aristophanes: Frogs

Jeffrey Henderson

2008 • 978-1-58510-308-9 • paper • 114 pages •  5 ½ x 8 ½  •  $9.95

One of Aristophanes' greatest comedies available with notes and introduction by Jeffrey Henderson, an outstanding scholar and translator of Greek comedy.

| About the Author | Table of Contents | From the Introduction |

 Description                                             

 Author                                                    

Dr. Jeffrey Henderson is Chair and Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University. He earned his PhD at Harvard University. He is the author of groundbreaking translations and articles on Greek comic dramatists. His other translations for Focus Classical Library include Aristophanes’ Lysistrata (1988), Aristophanes’ Clouds (1993), Aristophanes’ Three Comedies: Acharnians, Lysistrata, Clouds (1997), and Aristophanes' Birds (1999).

 Table of Contents                                     

Introduction

    Aristophanes and Old Comedy

    Production
    Frogs and its Time

    The Translation

    Bibliography

Frogs

 From the Introduction                                

This translation is designed for both readers and performers and presupposes no knowledge of classical Greece or classical Greek theater. I have translated the Greek text into contemporary American verse, speakability being the principal stylistic criterion, and render line by line, so as to give a sense of the play’s original scope and pace. The Greek text is that of my Loeb Classical Library edition, in places incorporating improvements made by Nigel G. Wilson in his new edition of Aristophanes’ plays (Oxford 2007), and for textual and interpretive matters of all kinds I am much indebted to the editions with commentary by Kenneth J. Dover (Oxford 1993) and Alan H. Sommerstein (Warminster 1996).

The conventions of Aristophanic comedy included sharp satire, rough personal attack, and the frank portrayal and discussion of religion, politics, and sex (including nudity and obscenity). Although these features are less in evidence in Frogs than in most of our other plays by Aristophanes, I have tried to reproduce them as accurately as possible within my general guideline of faithfulness to the original and easy intelligibility. Some readers may be surprised or even offended to find such material in a classical work, but it is there, and not to translate it would be to falsify the plays. After all, one of Aristophanes’ chief aims was to make humor of important dimensions of human life and society, while at the same time encouraging his audience to think about them in ways discouraged, or even forbidden, outside the comic theater. The issue of freedom of speech and thought (especially religious and moral thought) is especially relevant to Aristophanes’ plays, and it is important to bear in mind that one of the hallmarks of Aristophanic comedy is to encourage us to question the status quo. For those made uncomfortable by such provocative theater, Aristophanes’ plays provide an opportunity to ask themselves why.

~ Jeffrey Henderson