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2006c- ARISTOPHANES’ COMEDIES
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Euripides [triumphantly]: ‘He seized his mighty bludgeon, ribbed with iron.’
Aeschylus [triumphantly]: ‘Chariot on chariot, corpse on corpse was piled
Dionysus He’s licked you again.
Euripides I don’t see why.
Dionysus All those chariots and corpses – a hundred Egyptians couldn’t lift that lot.
Aeschylus As far as I’m concerned, this line against line business is too easy by far. Let Euripides get into
the pan himself, with his children, and his wife, not forgetting Cephisophon (the gossip of the day was that
he was her lover) of whom we have heard so much, and the whole of his collected works into the bargain. I
undertake to outweigh the whole lot with to lines of mine.
Dionysus You know, I like them both so much I don’t know how to judge between them. I don’t want to
make an enemy of either. One of them is so clever, and the other is so good, don’t you think?
Pluto [sepulchrally] In that case you’ve rather been wasting your time down here, haven’t you?
Dionysus Well, supposing I do make a choice?
Pluto You can take one of them back with you: whichever you prefer. No point in coming all this way for
nothing.
Dionysus Bless you! Well listen you two. I came down here for a poet.
Euripides What do you want a poet for?
Dionysus To save the city of course. If the city isn’t saved, there won’t be any more drama festivals, and
then where shall I be? Now, whichever of you think of the best advice to give the Athenians, he’s the one
I’ll take back with me.
Now here’s my first question: what should be done about Alcibiades? Athens is in a very tricky situation,
you know.
(a)
(i) Of what is Dionysus the god?
(ii) Which god was he disguised as earlier in the play?
Ques
Evidence
tion
(a)
(i)
Drama / Theatre / Wine
(ii)
Heracles
Achievement Mer Exc
BOTH parts
are required.
(b) (i) Where is Dionysus at this point in the play?
(ii) Why has he gone there?
Question Evidence
b
(i) The Underworld
(ii) To bring back a (dead) poet /
writer / tragedian / Euripides (to
save the city).
Achieve
BOTH
parts are
required.
Mer Exc
c) (i) Give the Greek term for the part of the play from which this extract is taken.
(ii) Explain the dramatic convention that requires Dionysus’ slave, Xanthias, to be off
the stage.
Que Evidence
(c)
(i)
Agon
(ii)
Only three / four speaking
actors were ‘available’ to the poet at
one time / Xanthias would be taking
one of the other roles.
Achievement Mer Exc
(d) Explain in detail the reference to Cephisophon (lines 9–10).
Ques
Evidence
tion
(d)
(Aristophanes makes fun of Euripides
since) Cephisophon was rumoured to
have had an affair with Euripides’ wife
/ to have helped to write his plays.
Achieve Mer Exc
e) Explain fully what Dionysus is referring to when he says “Athens is in a very
tricky situation, you know” (line 30). You must make TWO points, supporting your
answers with historical facts.
Q
Evidence
u
(e) Eg:•in 405 BC the Spartans were permanently camped in Attica / shortly before the play’s
performance the Spartans had marched up to the city walls
•the Battle of Arginusae had been costly for Athens, because of a storm following the battle
in which Athenian survivors were not picked up / 50 enemy ships got away / 12 Athenian
ships had been abandoned
•internal political conflict had arisen when the Assembly executed, illegally, six of the eight
commanders at Arginusae
•Athens had come under the control of the extreme democrats whose leaders were not
men of great stature
•the freeing of the slaves who rowed at Arginusae caused social upheaval and gave more
power to the extreme democrats
•citizens exiled for their participation in the Oligarchic Revolution of 411 BC remained
unavailable to assist the city, despite the shortage of worthy leaders
•economically, funds were running out and even the coinage had been debased
•they need Alcibiades, who has gone to help the Spartans
•they turned down the Spartan peace project after Arginusae
•they were losing the Peloponnesian War at the time of the play.
Mer
TWO
sympto
ms
describ
ed fully
are
require
d
.
(f (i) Explain fully Euripides’ response, in the lines following this extract, to Dionysus’
question about Alcibiades (line 29). You must make TWO points and provide evidence
from the play to support your answer.
(ii) Explain fully Aeschylus’ response, in the lines following this extract, to Dionysus’
question about Alcibiades (line 29). You must make TWO points and provide evidence
from the play to support your answer.
Qu Evidence
(f)
(i)
Euripides’ response eg:
•what did the Athenian people think about it themselves
•Alcibiades has the brains needed, but only when planning
his own escape
•he has the quickness needed, but only when harming
others
•he is useless when the city is in a scrape.
(TWO points needed.)
(ii)
with him.
Aeschylus’ response eg
•he compares Alcibiades to a lion’s whelp
•the whelp is being reared within the city walls
•the city should therefore learn to tolerate its ways
•the city should have Alcibiades back and learn to get on
Mer
TWO parts
fully
answered
are
required.
(g) (i) Explain fully what Euripides and Aeschylus are trying to achieve when they
quote lines from their plays at the beginning of this extract (lines 1–2). Provide
evidence from the extract to support your answer.
Qu
Evidence
Exc
(g)
(i)
They are trying to see whose lines are heavier by
weighing them. Euripides aims to prove that his lines weigh more
because a bludgeon with iron is very heavy; whereas Aeschylus
believes that chariots and corpses are heavier / Aeschylus wants
to show that lines about death weigh more because of their
seriousness or gravity.
FOUR
points
fully
answer
ed are
require
d.
g (ii) (ii) Discuss in detail the ways in which the activities in this part of the play
(the literary debate) might have been staged to amuse the audience. You must
make THREE points. Provide evidence from the play to support your answer.
Qu
Evidence
Exc
(g)
Eg• The presence of scale, rulers and yardsticks on the stage to weigh the
verse would have provided visual humour.
• The physical presence of a Chair in the Underworld for the best tragic poet
might amuse the spectators.
• Presenting the literary debate to establish the best poet in Hades as a battle
between playwrights might allow for slapstick / comic business.
• Aeschylus, Euripides and Dionysus would all be garbed in padded tights with
a large phallus attached, to provide for visual humour.
• The actors would be wearing masks to identify the role played and assist in
identification from a distance. The masks might distort facial features in a
grotesque way.
(Other answers possible.)
FOUR
points
fully
answere
d are
required.
Three aspects must be discussed in detail with a clear link to amusement /
entertainment, plus evidence from the play.