The Frogs by Aristophanes: Dionysus

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  • Created by: Holly
  • Created on: 10-06-13 16:34
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  • The Frogs by Aristophanes: Dionysus
    • Dress
      • Has traditional Dionysian dress, but he is also in disguise as Heracles- lion skin and carries a club
      • Wears a yellow tunic (cowardly)
      • He wears lace up buskins which can be worn on either foot - sign of swapping sides, typically a woman's shoe
    • Appearance
      • a paunchy muddle aged man - but handsome
    • His actions and words:
      • Behaves like a tourist, wanting to find the best sights and entertainment in Hades
        • "What's the quickest way down to Hades?"
        • "Where's the best eating houses and nearest knocking shop?"
      • Changes places with his slave when it suits him or when there is something to be gained - reflects the real role reversal annually at harvest time Saturnalia,
        • For example when there is Aeceas with the whips etc Dionysus does not dress as the master, but when there is a pretty girl he does dress like the master
      • Soils himself at the horrors of Tartarus
        • "Here Xanthias, pass me that sponge!
      • Provides some of the comic hyperbole
        • Dionysus claims to have served under CLEISTHENES, who was satirised by Ari as a passive homosexual
        • When Dionysus claims that "we sank 12 enemy ships. or was it 13?" it is key to remember that the Peloponnesioans lost 77 shiips at ARGINUSAE, 1:13 ships is fantasy
      • His role as judge in the AGON of Euripides and Aeschylus
        • His comments do not demonstrate in depth knowledge of ancient drama and are not very insightful
      • "consumed by desire for pea soup" -
        • the whole exchange hinges on the assumption that Heracles would be tempted by any form of food due to his gluttony. but he misunderstands D's desire as a sexual one, qwhen he deiscovers that it is a desire for Euripides H assumes necrophilia
    • Heracles' reaction to D
      • He is at first, astonished and breaks off mid-sentence. then he laughs at him when he asks for help in going to the underworld and what he should look for there in terms of good taverns etc
    • Interplay with Xanthias
      • the slave appears very clever and manages to dupe D into being whipped. he has a clever turn of phrase and is more than a match for D
    • Ungodlike???
      • D is far too humainistic and is not portrayed like a god at all, esp one that is the god ofthe threatre, he often gets taken advantage of by other characters, is scared and feels pain
      • The Chorus of the Frogs particularly makes D seem ungodly, 1- he is arguing with frogs in the first place, 2- the visual humour of D rowing a boat and dead frogs jumping everwhere

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