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Aristophanes: Works
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Aristophanes captured the spirit of the Republic in decline.. the debauchery, the corruption, the wars, and the human foibles, often in outlandish exaggerated detail. Even in the 21st century his profound influence on the arts is evident in the numerous theatrical and screen adaptations of his works.
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According to Vitruvius (vii., introduction) Aristophanes first came to public attention as the 7th judge in a literature contest. His placement as a judge was due to his enthusiasm for reading in the library. In the contest a group of poets recite and are to be awarded according to the audiences pleasure with the recital. Aristophanes disagreed with the other judges and audience. He correctly pointed out that the poet who least pleased the audience was the only true poet and the others had recited the works of others.
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Aristophanes, too, places the central action of his play in Hades, although the image of the Underworld given here is, for the modern reader at least, not nearly as disturbing as the portrayal of death in Stoppard's work. In his descriptions of Hades, Aristophanes ... brings to mind a reference and parallel: the imagery of Dante used in the Inferno (or by Virgil in the Aeneid, though in less detail), which I find is remarkably similar to that in The Frogs. Conceivably, of course, this may have been simply the accepted ancient view of death. Still, it seems to vary greatly from the Underworld in Homer: Hades is, for both Dante and Aristophanes (but not for Homer), a geographically distinct region, with topological features similar to those on earth - meadows, rivers, mountains, lakes, and the sort. In addition, there seems to be a direct parallel between the two portrayals: Aristophanes has Heracles describe the path to Hades for Dionysus, as he says:
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