Poking fun at the Peloponnesian war in Athens; The Acharnians, Aristophanes

Why you might read The Achanians?

The Achanians is the first political Satire on the list. As such it is both an interesting read and a step in the development of the play. As well as being the start of satire as a way to criticize the ruling powers.

For my Self Education project, it is a great stepping stone toward modern plays and modern satire.

Story of The Achanians

The Achanians is a two Act play with two distinct scenes. The first is in the Pynx where the Assembly meets in Athens. The second is in front of our main character Dikaiopolis' house. 

The first act starts with Dikaiopolis sitting in the Pynx waiting for everyone to show up. He waits even though he arrived on time. He laments how no-one seems to take it seriously.  The others, including the council, arrive and the session is started. There are delegates from Persia who Dikaiopolis speaks against. Then delegates from Thrace are seen and again Dikaiopolis speaks against them.

The scene shifts to in front of Dikaiopolis' house. Here Dikaiopolis gets a friend to go to Sparta and sue for a personal peace. The friend returns with three different wineskins representing three different durations of peace. He chooses the longest one. He is then accosted by the chorus as a traitor but talks his way out of being stoned to death.

The second act starts with  Dikaiopolis setting up a market outside his house. In his market, there is only one exemption that the hero Lamachus cannot buy. He allows Boethians and Megarians to trade though they are banned in the rest of Athens. He sells first to a Magarian who sells him, two girls. He then sells an Informer to a Boethian. Both times Informers try and disrupt the sale and confiscate the goods. Both times Dikaiopolis sends them on their way. The play ends with Lamachus being called to war and Dikaiopolis being called to a feast. Lamachus returns injured and dismayed. While Dikaiopolis returns full of wine having triumphed in the drinking contest.

Reflections on The Achanians

It is interesting to read the first real piece of satire and dissonance. Here we have one old man going against the mainstay of Athens during the Peloponnesian war. He even sues for his own peace and argues for the Spartan side of the war as valid. He just wants to live the simple life and the war to go away.  The whole thing seems to be, especially the end part, a stick in the eye for anyone thinking this time was about glory in Athens.

Our main character is a nobody, he is just a farmer stuck in Athens. All of Attica was in Athens as the Spartans were raiding around the countryside for years on end. Aristophanes puts this nobody up against the assembly. And then against other Athenian citizens who were for the war. Yet he and his personal peace with Sparta come through intact. Everything comes out rosey for our nobody.

From a little digging, it looks like this was actually written at the time of the war. It was also performed at the time. As such it really is a political Satire of the war.

What others have to say about The Achanians

"Produced at the Lenaea in 425 BC, The Acharnians is the third play composed by Aristophanes, his earliest extant work, and the earliest Ancient Greek comedy that has survived entirely intact to this day." From Greek Mythology

"The play is notable for its absurd humour and its imaginative appeal for an end to the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans, which was already into its sixth year when the play was produced." From Ancient Literature

Comparisons with other texts

Unlike the History of the Peloponnesian War, this text is a commentary aimed at putting an end to the war. The history of the Peloponnesian war covers the entire war. By contrast, this text captures a snapshot after 6 years. They clearly cover the same event but in various styles. Thucydides is trying to report true history. Aristophanes on the other hand is conveying dissent to the war as it is going on. 

We can also look at The Suppliant Women by Euripides. This was a far more serious play and a tragedy. By comparison, The Acharnians is a comedy in both the traditional and modern sense. Its absurdist humor shines through every stage of the play. And as such, it was an interesting read.

Conclusion

The Acharnians is a play in two acts. It is a piece of satire and political dissent. As such it is a much easier read than some of the plays covered so far. It pokes fun at the first six years of the Peloponnesian war. It even takes shots at the leaders and generals of the war. 

Have you read The Acharnians? If so what did you think of it? 
 
Want to read The Acharnians but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of The Acharnians.