Penguin Classics: Lysistrata And Other Plays

Writing at a time of political and social crisis in Athens, Aristophanes (c.447-c.385BC) was an eloquent, yet bawdy, challenger to the demagogue and the sophist.

In ‘Lysistrata’ and ‘The Acharnians’, two pleas for an end to the long war between Athens and Sparta, a band of women and a lone peasant respectively defeat the political establishment. The darker comedy of ‘The Clouds’ satirises Athenian philosophers, Socrates in particular, and reflects the uncertainties of a generation in which all traditional religious and ethical beliefs were being challenged.

For this edition Alan Sommerstein has completely revised his translation of the three plays, bringing out the full nuances of Aristophanes’ ribald humour and intricate wordplay, with a new introduction explaining the historical and cultural background to the plays.