![]() We also know, from fragments of the losing plays, that all three tragedies shared themes with The Frogs-both political and literary. We know this from an ancient prose synopsis (“hypothesis”) prefixed to the play in most of its medieval manuscripts. The original production of The Frogs won first prize, Phrynichus being second with The Muses, and Plato Comicus third with Cleophon. The Frogs was first performed in 405 BC at the Lenaea, one of the Athenian festivals of Dionysus very unusually, it seems to have been given a repeat production very soon after: either at the Dionysia of the same year, or at the Lenaea of the following one. ![]() Leaving the angry Euripides behind, Dionysus, his slave and Aeschylus leave for Athens with an intention to save tragedy and the city-as both things were in dire condition in 405 BC. The god of drama chooses the one he personally prefers: Aeschylus. However, the funny contest decides nothing even after lasting for some time, so finally Pluto forces Dionysus to choose. To decide which of the two to take back to Athens, Dionysus proposes a contest between the two great playwrights. Finally, the two reach Euripides, but Aeschylus (another great tragedian), is right next to him. After encountering a seductive serving-girl and two angry women, the two strange travelers are whipped by Aeacus, usually one of the judges of the Underworld, but here a doorkeeper and loyal servant of Pluto, the ruler of the realm. First, the two have problems convincing a corpse to help them with their luggage to the Underworld and then Dionysus has to row Charon’s boat in the Infernal Lake by himself, while an irritating chorus of frogs accompanies them with an onomatopoeic song. It was inspired by the death of Euripides (406 BC), one of the three great Athenian playwrights, and it follows the attempt of Dionysus (the patron god of drama) and his disrespectful slave Xanthias to bring him back to earth from the Underworld. ![]() First performed in 405 BC at the Lenaea-an annual Athenian festival in honor of Dionysus- The Frogs is one of Aristophanes’ comic masterpieces. ![]()
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