Brekekekéx - A Review of Aristophanes' 'Frogs'

Aristophanes' Frogs ('Batrachoi') is, above all other things, hilarious. While I love the Bacchae for its playful, yet terrifying portrayal of Dionysus, I equally adore the down-to-earth (or perhaps Hades?), bumbling protagonist of Dionysus within Frogs. Since Dionysus is the patron god of theatre, it is unsurprising that he possesses a multitude of personas across playwrights and genres.

Frogs is, in my opinion, Aristophanes at his best. The first part of the play is a tour de force of dialogue comedy and the second part oozes with contextual jabs, mockery of tragedians, and playful argument and metaphor. Aristophanes goes so far as to have two contemporary playwrights, Euripides and Aeschylus, duke it out among one another as to who should be revived to 'save' Athens, with Dionysus presiding as judge, while the two tragedians make fun of each other's writing style.

Considering its scope and craft, it is only fitting that Aristophanes' Frogs won first place at the Lenaian Dionysia.