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1985 - Konstan, D. - The Politics of Aristophanes' Wasps
1985 - Konstan, D. - The Politics of Aristophanes' Wasps
1985 - Konstan, D. - The Politics of Aristophanes' Wasps
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My purposein thispaperis to showhow Aristophanes'Wasps is political. I shallarguethatthe complexof traitsby whichthe majorcharactersand the chorusare constructed,
and whichenablesthe movement
of the plot,expressesa specificpoliticalconceptionof the role of the
courtsin Athens.I shall not seek to determine,
in the firstinstance,
whetherchancejokes or remarksmay betraythe author'sown voice
or opinions.Rather,I proposeto show thata politicalor ideological
on the courtsystemis implicitin the basic narrativeand
perspective
dramaticstrategies-whatmay be called the deep structure-ofthe
Wasps.
It has frequently
been observedthatthe Wasps fallsintotwoparts.
The initialactionis builtin a straightforward
way upon the formula
of containment:
all else havingfailed,Bdelycleonhas locked his fatherin the house and placed slaves to guardhim, whilePhilocleon
makesvariousattemptsto escape.1The situationlends itselfto farce,
whichAristophanes
varieswithchoralsong and the formaldebateof
the agon. The containment
patternis a vehiclefor the characterization of Philocleonand his son. Philocleon'spassionfor the courtsto beginwithhim-is represented
as somethingquite different
from
the motivation
of any othercomic protagonist
in Aristophanes.
Philocleonis introduced
to the audienceas suffering
froma strangedisease (noson allokotonnosei, 71), a description
thatis fixedby repetition;towardthe end of the play (thoughin anothercontext)he is
called downright
mad (manias arche, 1486).2 The idea of sicknessor
insanityis reinforced
by the suggestionat the verybeginningof the
playthatthe beingwithinthe house is some kindof dangerousbeast
or monster(knodalon, 4). As for the natureof Philocleon'sdesire,
I Citations
of the Wasps are according
to thetextof DouglasM. MacDowell,ed., AristophanesWasps (Oxford1971),unlessotherwise
indicated.
On thiskindofjack-in-the-box
28
David Konstan
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
29
30
David Konstan
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
31
as an attempt
ate himfromthecourtsmaybe construed
to makePhiloHowevergenerousBdelycleon's retirement
completeand consistent.
to supporthis fathermaybe, it whollyabolishesthe
cleon's intention
old man's independence,
and Philocleonis clearthathe does not want
thereis an implicitlogic at work,accordingto
that." Dramatically,
whichPhilocleon,havinggivenup the powerover his own household
to the dominionof his son, becomeslike an adolesand surrendered
cent,wilfuland subjectto an arbitrary
passion,and thisverycharacterthe sense thatPhilocleonis unfitto perform
izationcorroborates
the
responsible
dutiesof a juror.This logichas its rootsin the ideological
of headsofhousehold,those
premisethatthecity-state
is an association
who are, in Greekterms,kyrioi
overtheiroikos,and that,accordingly,
in domesticaffairsare no
old men who have relinquishedauthority
of state.Much of whatseems silly
longersuitedto presideover affairs
or corruptin the pleasuresthatPhilocleonderivesat courtinvolvesa
childishdesireforflattery
(548-630) thattransparently
betraysthe patheticself-importance
of the weakand helpless.Bdelycleonwillexpose
his father'spretensions
as a serviledependency
upon Cleon and other
butit is important
demagogues,
to recognizethathis planforPhilocleon
offershimonlya changeof masters,at least untilthe comedytakesa
in theconcluding
newdirection
episodes.12
Of course,Bdelycleondoes not thinkto suggestthatyoungermen,
or legallyresponsiblehouseholders,should take over the role of dicasts.13As a numberof criticshave pointedout, Bdelycleondoes not
exposethefaultsor inadequaciesof thecourtsystemin orderto recommend remedies,some of which,given the argumentshe employs,
mightwell run counterto views thatmay be plausiblyattributed
to
Aristophanes
himself,as in the matterof pay forjurors.14
Thus, who
willreplacethe old jurorsonce Bdelycleonpersuadesthemto retireis
no concernof his. Withinthe play,whichto some extentundoubtedly
reflects
the socialreality,thecourtsare treatedas an old man's forum.
As such, however,theyare also represented
as an institution
of the
relatively
powerless,a powerlessness
thatis symbolizedby a waning
vigorof bodyand mind,but whichalso corresponds
to an outmoded
way of life characteristic,
so Aristophanes
suggests,of a generation
whosetimehas nassed_
11 Bdelycleon's
intentions:
736-40, 1004-6,cf. 478-79, 506, 720-24; Philocleon'sre.
fusal:341,cf.612-18.
12 Cf. 784-85,wherePhilocleon
consentsto receiving
his wages(misthon)
fromhis son
On theAthenianattitude
towardwages,see G. E. M. de Ste. Croix,TheClassStruggle
i
theAncient
GreekWorld(Ithaca,N.Y. 1981) 182-91; on surrender
of kyriotes,
see MacDowellad 613.
13 Cf.Dover (above,note2) 128.
14 See Lenz (above,note2) 25 forfurther
discussion.
32
David Konstan
sumingoneself:283-87,etc.;barking
cries:198,226,415, 1311,cf.596 ofCleon;nettles:
884.In general,
see thechapter
on "La col&e," inJeanTaillardat,
Les Imagesd'Aristophane:
Etudesde langueet de style(Paris 1962) esp. pp. 194-220; as Taillardatnotes (p. 211,
note1), the Waspsfurnishes
a particularly
largenumber
ofillustrations
in thiscategory.
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
33
in thejurorsis an uncompromisthefaultsthatAristophanes
castigates
of defendants
and cares
ingseverity
thattakesdelightin the sufferings
nothingforthe justiceof theircause. But thiswaspishdispositionto
moralflaw,normayit be reducedentirely
to an
angeris notan abstract
For thereis also an admirableaspectto orge,a
old man's crotchetiness.
ofa hero'spride
forindignation
thathas something
high-spirited
capacity
aboutitand comparedwithwhichan accommodating
good naturecould
boastsof having
be a feebleand contemptible
thing.Thus Aristophanes
an angerlikethatof Herculesthathas enabledhimfromthe beginning
likeCleonratherthan
ofhiscareerto standup againstseriousopponents
prostituting
hismusein petty
jibes; MacDowellrightly
glossesorgehere
as spiritor courage.18
made the same claimin the same
Aristophanes
wordsa yearlaterin the parabasisof the Peace, whereagainthe proper
of orgeis, as Platnauercominents,
"not 'anger,'but'spirit,'
significance
'courage'.""9This is thekindofangerand sharpnesswithwhichtheold
dicasts,chewingtheirlipsand stinging
away,foughtthe Persiansfrom
theirland (1082-90),and it is this.same sharpand irritable
spiritwhich,
as theyvaunt,theycarryintothecourtroom
(1104-5). It is as though,in
theparabasis,Aristophanes
weredoinga repriseof thevocabulary
relatingto wrath,in orderto revealitsintimate
connection
withthe virtues
of theage of Marathon.The complement
of thisproudrageis fearlessness,as theold mensay (1091). Slavesand demagoguesareafraidin the
Wasps(427, 715); Philocleon'scrowning
argumentin defenseof the
evenhisownson,fearshim,buthe himself
juror'slifeis thateveryone,
woulddie didhe fearhisson (628-30).20
Recognizing
thatthejurors'angeris partof a styleof behaviorthat
summonsup an old-fashioned,
ruggedspontaneity
and individualism
mayalso helpus to understand
theveryprominent
rolethattheftplays
in the Wasps.Referencesto stealingoccurnearlytwentytimesin the
courseoftheplay.21Dover includestheftin a kindof formalindictment
of the character
of Philocleon,and he confesseshimself"astonishedat
the hiddenstrength
of antinomian
sentiment"
whichhis sympathy
and
affection
forthe old reprobateimply.22
Dover tentatively
suggeststhat
the sicknessor insanityof Philocleon'sdesireforjury-service
maybe
18 HLrakleous
orgen,1030;MacDowellad ioc.
19 Peace, v. 752; M. Platnauer,
Aristophanes
Peace (Oxford1964) ad loc. Cf. also Lysistrata550 and 1113 (orgontas),withRogers'comment
on the latterverse:"the word
conveysno idea of anger,"BenjaminBickleyRogers,The Lysistrataof Aristophanes(Lon-
don 1911).
20 The ambivalent
natureofthewasps'aggressiveness
is brought
outclearlyandcogently
byLenz (above,note2) 42-43.
21 Verses 57, 238, 354, 357, 363, 449, 554, 556, 759, 928, 933, 953, 958, 1101,
1200-1201,1227,1345,1369,1447.
22 Dover (above,
note2) 126-27.
34
David Konstan
are in quiteanothercategory
Aristophanes'
signalthathis offenses
from
the bravadoof othercomicheroessuch as Dicaeopolisor Trygaeusin
the Acharniansand the Peace.23
Philocleonindeedreminisces
aboutthedayswhenhe could
wistfully
makeawaywithsome smallspits,whilenow,as he adds, he is watched
like a ferretthathas stolenthe meat (356-64). But the recollection
is
inspiredby the chorus,who themselvesthinkback fondlyupon their
youthwhentheystolea mixingbowl (236-38). Philocleonremindshis
slave of his kindnesswhenhe caughthimstealinggrapes(448-50: the
joke thereis thathe gavehima goodbeating),andclaimsthathisbravest
exploitwas thetheftof some vine-poles(1200-1201).He caps offthese
achievements
by carrying
offthe flutegirlfromthe drinking
partyto
whichhis son had invitedhim (1345, 1369). But such escapadesare
clearlyregarded,at least by the oldergeneration,
as properto young
men-in the scene withthe flutegirl,Philocleonthinksof himselfas
againyouthful,
as we have seen. Bdelycleon,
bycomparison,
seemsprematurely
straitlaced.
Theirindulgent
attitude
towardpettyexpropriations,
whichtheylookuponas signsofa mettlesome
temper,does notprevent
eitherPhilocleonor thechorusfromfeelingoutrageat thekindof theft
thatresultsin largescalesocialinequities,
once theybecomeawareof it.
Thus,afterPhilocleonis persuadedbyhisson thatCleon has systematicallydefraudedthe dicasts,he wouldlike the chanceto condemnthe
man (758-59). The chorusis similarly
resentfulat the thoughtthat
youngand unscrupulous
menhavecheatedthemout of thefruits
of the
empireacquiredby theirlabors (1098-1101),and theyare quite preparedto attackLaches forillegalaccumulation
of wealth(240-44). And
yet,at thesame time,Philocleon,byhis ownadmission,is receptiveto
an appealforsympathy
by an embezzlerof statefundson the grounds
thathe himselfmustat some timeor otherhave shaveda bitofffrom
provisions
forhis unitwhenhe was in chargeof mess funds(553-57).
Here, perhaps,is the nub of the issue: not thatPhilocleonor the old
jurorsare scoundrels,but thattheirfrankacceptanceof the impulseto
takewhatone can get is no longeran adequateethicin a societywhere
a developedstatemachinery
and the financial
resourcesof an empire
are a basisof realclass powerforthosewho can controlthem.24
Within
23
Relevance of the Final Scenes," GRBS 12 (1971) 343. As a caution against too high-
mindeda condemnation
of stealingin comedy,we maynote thattheft,particularly
of
food,seemsto have been a featureof certainculticpractices,
and thattheremayhave
beencertain
gestures
anddancesin Old Comedythatrepresented
suchtheft;see LillianB.
Lawler, TheDance of theAncientGreekTheater(Iowa City 1974) 79-80.
24 It is truethatBdelycleon,
in exasperation,
calls his fatherponeros(192-93, 214; cf.
243) and even miarotatos
(397); also, the old man comicallyconfessesto an urgefor
mischief
(kakon,322,340; cf.168).
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
35
a wayof life
the ideologyprojectedby the play,the old men represent
thatreceivesa certainnostalgicrespectbut is fundamentally
unsuited
to the positionof politicalpowerwhichtheirrole as dicastsconfers
thattheycannotclearlycomprehend
uponthem,undersocialconditions
or control.Havinggrownup at a time when therewas no thought
forrhetoric
or sycophancy
(1094-97), theyare noweasy preyfordemagogues.
I am inclinedalso to read Philocleon'sstatementthatas a young
man he could,whenon campaign,run awaywithimpunity
(357-59),
not as a markof cowardice,as Dover charges,but ratheras an indication thata dispositionto go whereone pleasedwas not incompatible
withthe interestsof the groupin formertimes,when no one was
to be
postedto guarddiscipline.I am not fora momentsuggesting,
betweenprivatedesiresand communal
sure,thatso sublimea harmony
needs actuallyobtainedat the timeof the Persianinvasion,onlythat
the imageof such a harmonywas availableand effective
in settingoff
own society.Withinthe worldof
perceivedtensionsin Aristophanes'
the play,at anyrate,thereis no hintthatPhilocleon'smilitary
deportmentis anything
like Cleonymus',who is accusedof abandoninghis
shieldin battle(15-27, 822-23).25
Thereis a way,then,in whichPhilocleonand thejurorsstandnot
forantinomianism
or some abstractstateof naturebut foran anterior
socialorder,howeveridealizedand even falsified
it mayhave come to
be. The reversalofnarrative
paradigm
bywhicha youngmandisciplines
an old does not whollyinvertthe values thatconventionally
attachto
senesand adulescentes,
wherebythe eldergeneration
is the guardianof
tradition
whiletheyoungeris movedto passionatetransgressions.
Aristophanes'pattern
is a complexone, in whichPhilocleon,howeverinfantile, also representsan ethic and a traditionwhichare nevertheless
containedor reducedbytheactionoftheplay.
Ifjurorsin the Waspsare seen as agedand old-fashioned,
theyalso,
withthe kindof overdetermination
thatis characteristic
of all ideologicallychargedliterature,
represent
thesocialclass of poorfreecitizens.26
25
Comparealso the uninhibited
attitudeof the old men towardsex and pleasurein
general,as indicated
by theuses of thewordshedoneor hedomai,
e.g. 272, 510-12,605,
641, 1534,1667; cf. 1006.ElizabethCarterhas suggestedto me thatthisaspectof the
character
ofPhilocleonmaybe compared
withthetrickster
typerepresented
byOdysseus,
as opposedto thetragicmodelofAchilleanheroism.
26 For the theoretical
presuppositions
thatare guidingmy conception
of the complex
determination
of thecharacter
of thechorus,Philocleon,
and otherfigures
in the Wasps,
see PierreMacherey,A Theoryof Literary
Production,
transl.Geoffrey
Wall (London
1978): "Whatbegsto be explainedin theworkis not thatfalsesimplicity
whichderives
fromtheapparent
unityof itsmeaning,butthepresenceof a relation,
or an opposition,
betweenelementsof theexposition
or levelsof thecomposition,
thosedisparities
which
pointto a conflict
ofmeaning.... The bookis nottheextension
ofa meaning;it is gener-
36
David Konstan
dutytheopportunity
of contemning
therich,and his changeof gearat
theend of theplay,whenhe has givenup servingin thecourts,marks
him as havingjoined the wealthyset.29The chorus'srepeatedcharge
thatBdelycleon
is aspiring
to tyranny
in attacking
thejurorsis a political
expressionof theirsense of social identity
cast in the contemporary
formulaof classconflict.30
Bdelycleon
effectively
ridiculestheaccusation
by observingthateveryvegetabledealerscreamstyranny
if one shops
nextdoor (488-507), butthepoint,thoughwitty,
revealsonlythatthe
chorusis mistaken
aboutBdelycleon's
personalmotives,which,he says,
are to provideforhis father'scomfort(503-6). Aristophanes
thereby
geniallyfinessesthefactthatthedicasts,as poorpeople,see thecourts
as a bulwarkof theirdemocracy.
This rousingof the chorus'spolitical
apprehensions,
only to dissolvethemthrougha comic turnof arguevasionofthesocialissue.
ment,is an artful
ated fromthe incompatibility
of severalmeanings,the strongest
bond by whichit is
attached
to reality,
in a tenseandever-renewed
confrontation"
(79-80).
27 Verses293-316;cf. 1112-13,wheretheirprouddemeanor
does notconcealthefact
thattheymaketheirlivingin thecourts.
28 For the readingvJcwz,
see MacDowellad 343; Bentley'sconjecturevE'WV,
proposed
independently
byFridericus
HenricusBothe,ed., Aristophanis
vol. 2 (Leipzig
Comoediae,
18452)ad 355-56,remainsattractive.
29 Contemning
therich:575-76,cf.626; changeof gear:1168,1171,1309.Ad 1309,cf.
luliusRichter,
ed., Aristophanis
Vespae(Berlin1858),andVaio (above,note23) 340.
30 417, 464-70,474, 487; cf.342-45,411-14.MacDowell,
whosecommentary
on thisas
on otherpointscharacteristically
depoliticizes
Aristophanes'
argument,
remarks
ad 345 on
"the tendency
in AthensduringthePeloponnesian
Warto accusea political
opponentof
or 'tyranny'
'conspiracy'
withlittleor no justification,"
and citesa selectionof passages;
butthechargesoftyranny
andconspiracy
werecharacteristically
levelledbyrepresentatives
of the demosagainstoligarchical
groups;see RobertAlexanderNeil, ed., TheKnights
of
Aristophanes
(Cambridge
1901)ad 235-36,Richter
ad 417.
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
37
38
David Konstan
G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, The Originsof the PeloponnesianWar (Ithaca, N.Y. 1972) 362,
notes8, 10.
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
39
40
David Konstan
Since: From Levi-Straussto Derrida (Oxford 1979). See also JonathanCuller, On Deconstruction:
Theoryand Criticism
AfterStructuralism
(Ithaca, N.Y. 1982), esp. 180-225, fora
moreextendedtreatment.
I shouldmakeit clear,however,thatmineis a political
appropriation
of Derrida'sapproach,inasmuchas I holdthe sourceof the tensionaroundthe
conceptofpersuasion
to lie in theclassconflict
overcontrol
ofthemeansof persuasion,
a
struggle
which,in itsverynature,mustresortto disguise.
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
41
WhenBdelycleon
perceivesthathisarguments
in the agon,whichis
itselfa kindof triai,have convincedhis fatherbut stillnot freedhim
fromhispassionforjurying,
he proposesto stagea trialat home,witha
farcical
mock-upof courtparaphernalia.
a brilliant
This introduces
bitof
in whicha dog is accusedof stealinga pieceof Sicilian
comicinvention,
cheese.The scenehas multiple
withintheplay.It is a satirical
functions
enactment
of the "prejudiceand irresponsibility"
of Athenianjurors,as
Aristophanessaw them;47with transparent
allegory,it caricaturesa
disputebetweenCleon and Laches,a generalclose to the conservative
leaderNicias,largelyto the advantageof the latter;it servesa second
and decisivedefeatto Philocleonwhen he is trickedinto votingfor
acquittalby a switchin balloturns-an unpardonable
violationof his
principles
thatbreakshis will.48
We mayobservealso thatit achieves
Bdelycleon'soriginalobject of confining
his fatherat home, a point
emphasizedbythecontrast
betweentheadverbs"here" (enthade,765),
thatis, in the house, and "there" (ekeise,765; ekei,767, 770), in the
actualcourt.49
The entireconceitas suchof a trialat homeis thusthefor while it allows Philocleona while longerto
maticallysignificant,
exercisehis mania in a harmlessway, and gives him a taste of the
comfortshis son can provide,it also dissociatesPhilocleonfromthe
collective
aspectof thejurysystemwhichis fundamental
to itsnatureas
an institution
of the democracy,
and, in effect,atomizesand domesticatesthe jurors.50
The reductionof publiclife to the scope of the
individualhouseholdrealizesthe kindof privatization
affected
by the
classof whichBdelycleonis a symbol,a styleavailablein an exemplary
wayto the well-to-do.
The ideologicalequationof householdand citystate,whichin the utopianplayslike the Ecclesiazusaecould be exploitedto expresstheessentially
communalidentity
of thecitizenbody,
is heredeployedto dissolvethecivicsolidarity
embodiedin thejudiciary
of the populaceintothe autarkyfeltand enjoyedby people
institutions
of means,and partof the ideal to whichall classesaspired.Philocleon
even alludesto an oracleaccording
to whicheveryonewillhave his own
littlecourtwithinhis gate (799-804),a commentwhich,addressedas it
47 MacDowell(above,note 1) 249 with
apparent
credencein thecharge.It is interesting
to observe,although
thereis no needto document,
howfrequently
thechargeofirresponsibility
againstAthenian
jurorsis acceptedamongcommentators
as valid.For a rareand
salutary
reminder
of theanti-democratic
bias of our sources,see A. H. M. Jones,"The
Athenian
Democracy
and itsCritics,"CambridgeHistoricalJournal9 (1953) 1-26 = Athenian Democracy(Oxford1975) 41-72.
48 Verses999-1002,1008;cf.973-74.On themetaphorical
density
ofthescene,see also
Newiger(above,note18) 130.
49 The contrasting
particles
are notedbyMacDowellad 765.
50 Thispointis brought
out verywellbySchwinge(above,note5) 41-42; cf.also Whitman (above,note7) 155: "Formerly,
as a judgePhilocleonhad been partof society,not,
as he thought,
themaindriving
gear,butonlya cog; still,a part."
42
David Konstan
seemsto theaudience(Bdelycleon
has dashedinsidethehouse and the
chorusis not engagedin the actionat this point) and not especially
witty
in itself,perhapsrefersto or parodiessome prophecy
in circulation
just then.51For Philocleon,the idea of the commonwealth
has been
reducedto the individual,that is, himself,alone (cf. toi koinoig',
emoi,917).
If it is correctto see a politicalor social meaningin Philocleon's
addictionto juryservice-Bdelycleon
himselfrefersto it as a disease
inveterate
in the city(651)-and to read the householdtrialas a figure
forthe domestication
of a populardemocratic
and the coninstitution
traction
of civicconsciousness,
at leastamongthe upperclasses,to the
of thehouseholdwalls,thenthevictory
perimeter
of Bdelycleon's
social
ideals is alreadyimplicitin the trialscene itself.We may accordingly
construethe trickof the votingurnsby whichBdelycleondetermines
theverdictas an emblemof his newpower.He has his fatherat home,
wherehe wantshim; as actualmasterof the house, he is in control
there;thecourtas such is powerless,and Bdelycleonis in a positionto
decide the acquittalof Laches. Philocleon'sbreakdown,and the final
cureof hisjurymania,are, froma socialpointof view,simplyby way
ofacknowledging
thisnewstateofaffairs.
Whatis more,theconversion
of class allegianceimpliedin Philocleon'sand the chorus'swithdrawal
fromthepublicand collectiveroleofjurorssignalsthe transition
to the
finalscenesof theplay,in whichBdelycleon
introduces
his fatherintoa
vulgartravesty
ofaristocratic
sociallife.
In a paperon Aristophanes'Waspssubtitled"The Relevanceof the
Final Scenes," JohnVaio sets out severalmotifsthat link what he
identifies
as the firstand secondpartsof the play,thatis, the sections
beforeand afterthe greatparabasis,whichhe informally
labels "the
dicasticand symposiacpartsof the play."52Vaio indicateshow referencesto costume,manners,riddlesand wine,musicand dancegenerate
a contrastover the play betweenthe humblelives of jurorsand the
symposiato which"a largerpartof the social lifeof the nobleswas
devoted."53
In the openingscene,forexample,Philocleon'spassionfor
juryingis opposedto infatuations
withgambling,feasting,hospitality,
and drinking
thatare thecharacteristic
vicesof thegentleman
class,and
Vaio suggeststhattheinitialdialoguebetweenBdelycleon's
slaves,who
pose riddlesand are drowsywithdrink,maybe seen as "a servilesymposiumin whichone of the participants
apes the practicesof his bet51 MacDowell ad 799 thinksit is whollyinventedby Aristophanes,in this
followingthe
scholia, which also suggest that Philocleon is here speaking to himself;so, for example,
W. C. Green, Aristophanes:
The Wasps (Cambridge1868) ad loc.
52 Vaio (above, note 23), 335, note 1, and 342.
53 Vaio, p. 339, quoting Victor Ehrenberg,The People of
Aristophanes,
A Sociologyof Old
AtticComedy(New York 19612) 102.
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
43
edy (New Haven 1975) 79. Cf. also Whitman(above, note 7) 157.
58 The mentionlater (1301-2) of other,more conservativeparticipants
in the symposium
widens the scope of the satire.This producesa certainappearance of even handedness in
the play, which has sometimes been applauded as a sign that Aristophaneswas above
partisanship.
59 Cf. kalos kagathos,1256; also Ste. Croix (above, note 40) 371-76 forfulldiscussionof
kalokagathiawithrelevantbibliography,and pp. 358-59 on Aristophanes'use of political
and moralterminology.
44
David Konstan
61
The PoliticsofAristophanes'
Wasps
45
46
David Konstan
68
Frogs1395-96forpeithoas thelightest
or mostinsubstantial
ofthings.
Earlierversionsof thispaperwereread at Connecticut
Collegeand at BrynMawr
College. I wish to thankElizabethCarter,MichaelRoberts,Ellen Rooney,Khachig
T6llyan, and the editor,as well as twoanonymousrefereesof thisjournal,fortheir
helpful
comments.