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Aristophanes · c. 446-386 BC

Peace

Εἰρήνη
Ancient Sources / Aristophanes / Peace

Read our guide to Peace. Peace was produced at the Great Dionysia of 421 BC, a few days before the Peace of Nicias ended the first part of the Peloponnesian War, and won second prize. The Athenian vine-grower Trygaeus, weary of the war, fattens a dung-beetle and flies on it to the home of the gods, finds that War has buried the goddess Peace in a pit, and calls the farmers of all Greece to haul her out. The sections follow the play's dramatic units and keep the standard line numbers of the Greek text.

Read from the start
Text
Greek original with English translation, 17 passages, about 12200 words in English.
Translator
Benjamin Bickley Rogers (1913)
Edition
Greek text: F. W. Hall and W. M. Geldart (eds.), Aristophanis Comoediae, Oxford Classical Texts, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906-1907, as digitised by Perseus. English: Benjamin Bickley Rogers, The Peace of Aristophanes, London: George Bell and Sons, 1913
Cite as
Aristophanes, Peace 1 (by line number)

Contents · 17 passages

  1. 1–81Prologue: the servants and the dung-beetle732 words
  2. 82–176Prologue: Trygaeus takes flight on the beetle875 words
  3. 177–235Prologue: Hermes at the house of Zeus486 words
  4. 236–295Prologue: War and the mortar575 words
  5. 296–360Parodos: Trygaeus calls the farmers; the Chorus rush in643 words
  6. 361–458Episode: Hermes is won over874 words
  7. 459–519Episode: the pulling of Peace448 words
  8. 520–602Episode: Peace revealed; the farmers go home686 words
  9. 603–728Episode: Hermes tells why Peace left1203 words
  10. 729–816Parabasis: the Chorus praises its poet793 words
  11. 819–921aEpisode: Trygaeus returns with his brides938 words
  12. 922–1042Episode: the sacrifice to Peace1080 words
  13. 1043–1126Episode: Hierocles the oracle-monger870 words
  14. 1127–1190Second parabasis: the Chorus sing of country life549 words
  15. 1191–1264Episode: the armourers are ruined670 words
  16. 1265–1315Episode: the boys rehearse their songs553 words
  17. 1316–1357Exodos: the wedding procession263 words

More by Aristophanes

English translation by Benjamin Bickley Rogers (1913). Original text: Greek text: F. W. Hall and W. M. Geldart (eds.), Aristophanis Comoediae, Oxford Classical Texts, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906-1907, as digitised by Perseus. English: Benjamin Bickley Rogers, The Peace of Aristophanes, London: George Bell and Sons, 1913.

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, Greek: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain (Rogers). Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.