The Frogs
The Frogs is a play by Aristophanes that was performed at Lenaia in 405 BC and won first place. The play tells the story of the god Dionysus who despairs at the loss of the great tragic playwright Euripides, who had died in 406 BC. Dionysus visits his half-brother Heracles for advice on how to get to Hades in order to bring Euripides back from the dead. When he asks his brother for the fastest way to the underworld, Heracles suggests he hang himself or jump off a tower. Dionysus ops to travel across Lake Acheron dressed in the same clothes as his brother.
While on the lake, there is a choral interlude in which the frogs croak as Dionysus travels across the lake. Dionysus is annoyed by the frogs and engages in a mocking debate with the frogs which becomes one of the highlights of the play, and the scene that brings the biggest laughs. When Dionysus reaches the underworld, he is mistaken for Heracles by Aeacus, who is still angry that Heracles stole Cerberus. Dionysus then trades clothes with his slave in order to avoid Aeacus’ wrath.
A maid then appears and mistakes Dionysus’ slave for Heracles and offers him a feast with virgins, to which the slave happily agrees. Dionysus then asks to trade clothes again but only encounters more people angry with his brother, and therefore gives the clothes back to the slave. When Dionysus and his slave finally find Euripides, he is engaging in a debate with Aeschylus about who is the best tragic writer. The debate causes Dionysus to wonder which playwright he should really bring back, and he judges a competition between the two.
The play features numerous laughs in which Dionysus is the butt of nearly every joke, and the histories of the two playwrights’ competition offer plenty of opportunities for parodies of some of the great tragedies in Greek history. The Frogs is a popular choice for studying in schools because the humor typically resonates with students.