The wasps

This article explains the comedy of Aristophanes; For the Berlin cabaret of the same name, see Die Wespen (cabaret) .

The Wasps ( Greek  Σφῆκες Sphḗkes ) is the title of a comedy by the Greek poet Aristophanes . She was at the lenes of the year 422 BC. Chr. Awarded with the second price, which placed it behind Aristophanes' second performance Proagon and before Leukon's envoy .

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In this comedy, Aristophanes takes the Athenian judicial system, which is significantly influenced by the process addiction of many Athenians , to his chest. As in other plays, it is Kleon who is alluded to in particular, on the one hand on his defeat in a current embezzlement process and on the other hand on the increase in the judge's salary to three obols . The latter gives the older man Philokleon ("friend of Cleon") an advantage in the play, as he allows himself to be abused as a judge by the demagogues for this reward. Like the majority of his fellow citizens, he is downright addicted to the profession, he makes judgments with his stylus, which is equated with a wasp sting. His son Bdelykleon ("enemy of Kleon") wants to put an end to this hustle and bustle and locks his father in his house. The motive of the generation conflict also appears here. Although the father complains to the choir, which consists largely of people who are inclined to him, ultimately his child finds the more convincing arguments and makes it clear to everyone how much the judges are being exploited. For the time being, a court of law is set up for Philokleon at home, but in a miraculous way he is later completely healed by Dionysus , which is followed by a final feast.

The play served as the inspiration for Jean Racine for his only comedy Les Plaideurs ( The Trials ).

Editions and translations

• Zachary P. Biles, Stuart Douglas Olson (Eds.): Aristophanes: Wasps. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2015, ISBN 978-0-19-969940-7 (critical edition with commentary)
• Lutz Lenz (Ed.): Aristophanes: Wasps. De Gruyter, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-11-023896-9 (critical edition, German translation and commentary)
• Douglas M. MacDowell (Ed.): Aristophanes: Wasps. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 0-19-814182-3 (critical edition with commentary)

literature

• Christian Brockmann: Aristophanes and the freedom of comedy. Investigations on the early pieces with special consideration of the Acharnians . Saur, Munich / Leipzig 2003
• Renata von Scheliha : The Comedies of Aristophanes: interpreted in seven lectures . Wallstein Verlag, Amsterdam 1975, p. 51 ff.
• Bernhard Zimmermann : The Greek Comedy. Verlag Antike, Frankfurt am Main 2006, pp. 99-106.