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
Peacemay 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…
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Citation: Sells, Donald. "Peace". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 October 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13332, accessed 12 October 2024.]