The Knights

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The Knights , Greek Hippeis , is a comedy by the Greek poet Aristophanes . It was founded in 424 BC. . Chr in the Lenaea listed and rewarded with the first prize. While Aristophanes published his first three works anonymously and had Kallistratos play it, he performed this piece himself.

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With this comedy Aristophanes turns against the politics of Athens , whereby the statesman Kleon is the target of the greatest ridicule. The latter is involved in the play as the loud-mouthed upper slave "Paphlagon", who gains great influence over his senile master " Demos " (the people) through insidious machinations . Again (see " The Babylonians ") Aristophanes shows in one of his works Kleon as an unscrupulous seducer of the people. In contrast to reality, he loses his position in the comedy: An oracle prophesies that he can only be overthrown by an even worse demagogue. The knights that give the play its name go on a search and find him in the form of a sausage dealer who can convince the demos, is elected the new master slave and presents an interesting solution to all problems: the elderly demos is "cooked young" with magical powers and thus initiated a political and ethical renewal.