The Birds (play)

"Ornithes" redirects here. For the animal, see bird.
The Birds
Rider and birds Laconian kylix c. 540 B.C.
The Dramatis Personae in ancient comedy depends on interpretation of textual evidence.[1] This list is developed from D.Barrett's translation.[2]
Written byAristophanes
ChorusBirds: partridge, francolin, mallard, kingfisher, sparrow, owl, jay, turtledove, crested lark, reed warbler, wheatear, pigeon, merlin, sparrowhawk, ringdove, cuckoo, stock dove, firecrest, rail, kestrel, dabchick, waxwing, vulture, woodpecker
Characters
  • Pisthetaerus citizen of Athens
  • Euelpides citizen of Athens
  • The Footbird servant to the Hoopoe
  • Hoopoe formerly Tereus, an Athenian prince
  • A priest (masked as a bird)
  • A ragged poet
  • An oracle man
  • Meton famous mathematician
  • A statute seller
  • An inspector
  • 1st messenger (a bird)
  • 2nd messenger (a bird)
  • Iris daughter of Zeus
  • 3rd messenger (a bird)
  • A rebellious youth
  • Cinesias famous poet
  • An informer
  • Prometheus titan and friend to Man
  • Poseidon god of the sea
  • Heracles divine protector of mankind
  • Triballus, God of barbarians
  • Heavenly herald
  • Xanthias slave to Pisthetaerus

Silent roles

  • Manes slave to Pisthetaerus
  • Bird dancers (flamingo, cock, 2nd Hoopoe, Gobbler)
  • Nightingale formerly Procne (flute player)
  • Raven piper
  • Sovereignty beauteous maid
  • Attendants as required
SettingA hillside wilderness outside the Hoopoe's nest

The Birds (‹See Tfd›Greek: Ὄρνιθες, translit. Órnithes) is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed in 414 BC at the City Dionysia in Athens where it won second place. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy[3] remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs.[4] Unlike the author's other early plays, it includes no direct mention of the Peloponnesian War and there are few references to Athenian politics, and yet it was staged not long after the commencement of the Sicilian Expedition, an ambitious military campaign that greatly increased Athenian commitment to the war effort. In spite of that, the play has many indirect references to Athenian political and social life. It is the longest of Aristophanes's surviving plays and yet it is a fairly conventional example of Old Comedy.

The plot of the play revolves around Pisthetaerus, an Athenian who convinces the birds to create a great city in the sky, and thus regain their status as the original gods. Pisthetaerus eventually transforms into a bird-like god himself, and replaces Zeus as the king of the gods.

  1. ^ Aristophanes:Lysistrata, The Acharnians, The Clouds Alan Sommerstein, Penguin Classics 1973, page 37
  2. ^ Aristophanes:The Birds and Other Plays D.Barrett and A.Sommerstein, Penguin Classics 1978
  3. ^ Aristophanes: The Birds and Other Plays D.Barrett and A.Sommerstein, Penguin Classics 1978, page 149
  4. ^ Greek Drama Peter Levi in 'The Oxford History of the Classical World' J.Boardman, J.Griffin and O.Murray (eds), Oxford University Press 1986, page 178