Aristophanes Acharnians

"Acharnians" is generally regarded as one of Aristophanes' two or three most brilliant surviving comedies. Here, S. Douglas Olson offers a complete, scholarly edition of the play. The text and apparatus are based on a fresh examination of the papyri and manuscripts.
Aristophanes' "Acharnians" was performed at the Lenaia festival in Athens in 425 BCE. The play is the story of an old peasant farmer, Dikaiopolis, who has grown so disgusted with the Peloponnesian War and the patent self-serving of the city's leading politicians (abetted by the stupidity of his fellow-citizens) that he concludes a separate peace with the enemy. As a result, he gains access to an immense supply of wonderful things, including wine, eels, thrushes, and a pair of beautiful and compliant women. Whether he is a traitor and a villain, or simply the cleverest and most daring man in the city, is a matter of extensive debate within the play "Acharnians" itself, at any rate, took first place and is generally regarded as one of Aristophanes' two or three most brilliant surviving comedies. Here, S. Douglas Olson offers a complete, scholarly edition of the play. The text and apparatus are based on a fresh examination of the papyri and manuscripts, many of which have never been studied systematically, and are supported by a new manuscript stemma.