Aristophanes, Merchant-Ships

Ian Storey (Trent University)

Ed. by Jonathan Burgess, University of Toronto
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Eleni Bozia (University of Florida), Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool)

Dates

First circulation or publication -423

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play

Resources

Nearly thirty fragments (K.-A. 415-443) remain from this lost comedy, as well as one important testimonium. The third hypothesis to Aristophanes’ Peace (lines 36-40 Wilson) comments:

This is not the only play that Aristophanes produced about peace, but also Acharnians [L-425], Knights [L-424], and Merchant-Ships. He is serious about this throughout, making fun of Kleon, who opposed peace, and constantly attacking Lamachos the war-supporter.

Kleon died in the winter of 422/1, and if the three other comedies are presented in chronological order, Merchant-Ships belongs between 424 and 422, with L-424 (Knights), D-423 (first Clouds), and L-422 (Wasps) already occupied. It is not immediately clear if all these comedies contained attacks on Kleon and Lamachos as well as promoting peace – Knights, for instance, does not mention Lamachos. Merchant-Ships was thus part of Aristophanes’...

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1042 words

Citation: Storey, Ian. "Merchant-Ships". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13335, accessed 09 June 2026.]

Aristophanes, Merchant-Ships

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Resources

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