Aristophanic comedy is celebrated for compelling heroes who undertake bold projects that resonate with the average spectator and reader. The protagonists of

Birds

(415 BCE),

Lysistrata

(411 BCE), and

Frogs

(405 BCE), for example, each assert themselves vigorously and even shamelessly in their quests to change an intolerable status quo. Despite his very famous entrance—one of the most famous in Old Comedy—the hero of

Peace

may not so easily come to mind when thinking of the great figures of Aristophanic comedy.

Peace

’s second-place finish in the City Dionysia of 421 BCE is emblematic of what might be described as its average standing in the corpus, especially alongside the other, more popular ‘peace plays’ like

Acharnians

(425 BC)

and

Lysistrata

. Although the comedy has sometimes…

2296 words

Citation: Sells, Donald. "Peace". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 October 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13332, accessed 19 March 2024.]

13332 Peace 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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