Aristophanes, The Knights

Holly Hunt (University of Oxford)

Ed. by Victoria Fendel, University of Oxford
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Eleni Bozia (University of Florida), Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool)

Dates

First circulation or publication -424

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play

Resources

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Introduction

Knights is the second surviving Old Comedy play composed by Aristophanes, “Old Comedy” being the name ancient scholars gave to the earliest, most topical and politically pointed phase of ancient Athenian comedy plays. It was performed at the Lenaea festival of 424 BCE, where it won first place in the competition, and it was the first play which Aristophanes produced as well as composed. The play’s plot is directly concerned with politics, as a competition between a lowly sausage-seller (later revealed to be called Agoracritus – “Agora-Disputant”) and the current dominant demagogue in Athens, Cleon – in the play thinly disguised as the figure Paphlagon – battle for the favour of their master, the Demos (whose name, which means “people”, indicates his

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2192 words

Citation: Hunt, Holly. "The Knights". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 April 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13336, accessed 02 May 2025.]

Aristophanes, The Knights

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