Aristophanes
historical figure · 7 works · 12 mentions · 20 anchored passages · author page
Aristophanes the Olynthian · Aristophanes the comic poet
spoken of as
1 expressionin the texts
Symposium
The comic poet present at the banquet, next in line to speak but delayed by a fit of hiccoughs.
On this Aristophanes observed:
The next speaker, so Aristodemus told me, was to have been Aristophanes:
nor could Agathon and Pausanias either, nor yet Aristophanes, who divides his time between Dionysus and Aphrodite;
Stromata
Comic poet whose mocking verses about frail, shadowy mortals are quoted.
These faithless men, it seems, Aristophanes mocks when he says:
Come, men of dim life, like the race of leaves, of little strength, things moulded of wax, shadowy tribes, feeble, wingless, creatures of a day.
And Plato the comic poet and Aristophanes in the Daedalus filch from one another.
Orations
Athenian comic poet listed among those the Athenians enjoyed hearing mock them.
For the Athenians, being accustomed to hear ill of themselves, and, by Zeus, coming together for this very thing into the theatre, to be reviled, and having set up a contest and victory for those who do it best — not having themselves found this out, but the god having counselled it — used to hear Aristophanes and Cratinus and Plato, and did these no harm.
"But he, in turn, licked round the mouth of Sophocles, the honey-anointed, as of a little jar.
On the Embassy
Olynthian resident in Athens whom Demosthenes allegedly tried to bribe into false testimony.
Testimony
For there is a certain Olynthian living here, Aristophanes by name.
Please call Aristophanes the Olynthian, and read his testimony, and call those who heard his story and reported it to me—Dercylus, of the deme Hagnus, the son of Autocles, and Aristeides of Cephisia, the son of Euphiletus.
On Moral Ends
Cited (likely the Alexandrian grammarian Aristophanes of Byzantium, though ambiguous) as example of a life given to letters.
With what zeal do we think Aristophanes spent his life in letters?
Apology
Athenian comic playwright whose comedy portrayed Socrates as a natural philosopher, contributing to false popular prejudice against him.
For you yourselves saw these things in Aristophanes’ comedy, a Socrates being carried about there, proclaiming that he was treading on air and uttering a vast deal of other nonsense, about which I know nothing, either much or little.
On the Happy Life
Athenian comic playwright named as having mocked Socrates in his comedies.
I myself once furnished Aristophanes with matter for his jests;