Aristophanes

Aristophanes is a Comedy Writer of 5th century BC. He is the only representative of Ancient Attik Comedy, that we have from him whole plays saved. By that we make the conclusion that he must have been the most popular of all the comedy writers not only of his time but of Hellenistic and Byzantine Times (when the greatest literature and plays of all times were transcripted and maintained). Father of comedy that brought to us, through Plauto, Terentio, Moliere and Shakespeare until now.

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Life & Works

Chronobiographie

• Aristophanes was born in 450 b.C. or a few years later. We make the conclusion for the year since in "Nefeles"-("The Clouds") (528-533) the writer leaves us to think that he was extremely young and he didn't have self-confidence when the play "Thetalis" (his first play) was staged.
• 431 Pelloponesian war starts, between Athens and Sparta.
• 430 Pestilence in Athens.
• 429 Death of Pericleus.
• 428/7 Plato is born.
• 427 "Thetalis" (lost)
• 426 "Babylonians" (lost). Kleon lawsuits Aristophanes, with the accusation that by that play ridicules the elective rulers of the city to the audience, and among them a lot of foreign visitors, in Grant Dionesia. The suit didn't seem to have any consequence for him.
• 425 "Aharnes". First prize in Linea
• 424 "Heppeas" ("Horsemen"). First prize in Linea
• 423 "Nefeles" ("Clouds"). First form (lost) that won the third and last prize in Grand Dionesia. Peace settlement, temporarily stops the hostilities between Athens and Sparta.
• 422 "Sfikes" ("Wasps"), second prize in Linea.
• 421 "Peace", second-best prize in Grand Dionesia.
• 417 "Nefeles", partially revised form (saved) that never staged in ancient years.
• 415 Athens sends in Sicily a big expeditionary legion.
• 414 "Amfiaraos" (lost) in Linea. "Ornithes" ("Birds"), second prize in Grand Dionesia.
• 413 Sparta restarts warfare. Athenian army destroyed in Sicily.
• 411 "Lysistrata" in Linea, "Thesmoforiazouses" in Grand Dionesia. Oligarchic revolution dominated temporarily in Athens, but democratic polity restored a few months later.
• 408 "Ploutos" (lost), it's not the play that staged later.
• 406 Euripides & Sophocles death.
• 405 "Vatrahee" ("Frogs"), 1st prize in Linea. Plastering and naval blockade of Athens.
• 404 Sparta lays peace. An oligarchic group (The Tyranny of Thirties) takes up rule.
• 403 Local war and reinstatement of democracy.
• 399 Sentence and death of Socrates.
• 395 The war with Sparta restarts, but with different correlation of allies. First steps of Athenian navy towards reprisal.
• 392 "Heclesiasouses" (the chronology is based mostly upon internal criterions and probably throw off a year.)
• 388 "Ploutos" ("wealth") (saved)
• After 388: "Heolosikon" (lost) and "Kokalos" (lost). Producer and director was one of poet sons.
• From "Aharnes" we make the conclusion that at the time this play was staged, Aristophanes lived in Eagina, the island the Athenians had colonized in 431 b.C. when they threw out the old dwellers (as philolaconists). We know that his sons where comedy writers but we know nothing for his father (Phillipos his name) nor for his social or economic status.