{"id":37668,"date":"2019-03-26T10:11:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T14:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/?p=37668"},"modified":"2019-03-26T10:11:34","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T14:11:34","slug":"our-favorite-aristophanes-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/2019\/03\/our-favorite-aristophanes-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Favorite Aristophanes Quotes"},"content":{"rendered":"

In connection with an event in the Classics Library’s Reading Room on March 28 to celebrate the life and works of the Greek comedy playwright Aristophanes (with lecture, recital of Lysistrata<\/em>, “Dionysian” music, and Greek food), here are some of our favorite Aristophanes quotes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

\u201cQuickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something witty\u201d\u00a0(Knights<\/em> 95-96).<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways keep the people on your side by sweetening them with gourmet bons mots\u201d (Knights<\/em> 215-16).<\/p>\n

\u201cBy words the mind is winged\u201d\u00a0 (Birds<\/em> 1447-48).<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at the orators in our republics; as long as they are poor, both state and people can only praise their uprightness; but once they are fattened on the public funds, they conceive a hatred for justice, plan intrigues against the people and attack the democracy\u201d\u00a0(Assemblywomen<\/em> 206-208).<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cLet each man exercise the art he knows\u201d\u00a0(Wasps<\/em> 1431).<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh thoughts must have high language\u201d\u00a0(Frogs<\/em> 1058-59).<\/p>\n

\u201c[Y]ou possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing\u201d (Knights<\/em> 217-219).<\/p>\n

\u201cYou [demagogues] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it’s only in troublous times that you line your pockets\u201d\u00a0(Knights<\/em> 864-67).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls\u201d\u00a0(Birds<\/em> 378-79).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat matters that I was born a woman, if I can cure your misfortunes? I pay my share of tolls and taxes, by giving men to the State. But you, you miserable greybeards, you contribute nothing to the public charges; on the contrary, you have wasted the treasure of our forefathers, as it was called, the treasure amassed in the days of the Persian Wars. You pay nothing at all in return; and into the bargain you endanger our lives and liberties by your mistakes. Have you one word to say for yourselves?… Ah! don’t irritate me, you there, or I’ll lay my slipper across your jaws; and it’s pretty heavy\u201d (Lysistrata<\/em> 649-657).<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201c[Y]ou [man] are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with [woman=] me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily\u201d\u00a0(Lysistrata 1016-17).<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder every stone lurks a politician\u201d\u00a0 (Thesmophoriazusae<\/em>\u00a0 529-30).<\/p>\n

\u201cA man can learn wisdom even from a foe\u201d\u00a0(Birds<\/em> 375).<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cPolitics, these days, is no occupation for an educated man, a man of character.
\nIgnorance and total lousiness are better\u201d\u00a0 (Knights<\/em> 191-93) — Rebecka’s favorite quote.<\/p>\n

\u201cMen of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war; and this lesson saves their children, their homes, and their properties\u201d\u00a0(Birds<\/em> 375-80).<\/p>\n

\u201cComedy too can sometimes discern what is right\u201d\u00a0(Acharnians<\/em> 500).<\/p>\n

\u201cShrines! Shrines! Surely you don’t believe in the gods. What’s your argument? Where’s your proof\u201d\u00a0(Knights<\/em> 32-33)?<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever looked up and seen a cloud resembling a centaur, or a leopard, or a wolf, or a bull\u201d (Clouds<\/em> 346-47) — Mike’s favorite quote 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocrates: No, I just want to ask you a few questions. For instance, do you have a good memory?<\/p>\n

Strepsiades: Yes and no, by Zeus: if I\u2019m owed something, it\u2019s good, but if I\u2019m the hapless debtor, it\u2019s bad\u201d (Clouds<\/em> 482-85).<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 and it is my heart\u2019s desire, after many a long season, to embrace the fig trees that I planted myself when I was young\u201d (Peace<\/em> 558-59).<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, in our opinion it\u2019s possible to hear them out first; a wise person can in fact learn something beneficial even from his enemies\u201d (Birds<\/em> 381-82).<\/p>\n

\u201cAh democracy, what will you bring us to in the end, if the gods can elect this person ambassador\u201d (Birds<\/em> 1570-71)?<\/p>\n

\u201cOne\u2019s country is wherever one does well\u201d (Wealth<\/em> 1151).<\/p>\n

“When I\u2019m in the audience and see one of those clever bits, I go home a whole year older” (Frogs<\/em> 16-18) \u2013 Angelica\u2019s favorite quote.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026brekekekex koax koax!\u201d (Frogs<\/em> 210) — Mike’s favorite quote 2.<\/p>\n

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In connection with an event in the Classics Library’s Reading Room on March 28 to celebrate the life and works of the Greek comedy playwright Aristophanes (with lecture, recital of Lysistrata, “Dionysian” music, and Greek food), here are some of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/liblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}