Aristophanes Knights 400

Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Ἱππῆς Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 398 focus
Translations (2)
Knights (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 398 focus
English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 398 focus

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

400. mvp-tlg0019-tlg002-sanjaya-com-eng1-14

Line 400

εἴ σε μὴ μισῶ, γενοίμην ἐν Κρατίνου κῴδιον,
The curse 'γενοίμην ἐν Κρατίνου κῴδιον' (may I become a fart in Cratinus) is a rare instance of a specific, self-deprecating bodily function used as a metric of truth in a comic hyperbole. The 'κῴδιον' (little fart) is a diminutive of 'κῶδον' (fart), a term rarely attested in this diminutive form elsewhere in comedy, and here functions as a metaphor for a trivial, insubstantial, or embarrassing existence. The curse implies that if the speaker does not hate the addressee, he would wish to be reduced to a mere, fleeting emission from the body of Cratinus—a figure of high comic standing whose own plays were often the target of such invective. This is a unique example of a 'fart curse' (καταφυσμός) that relies on the specific cultural context of the comic rivalry between Aristophanes and Cratinus, where Cratinus was known for his 'wine-skin' persona and the physicality of his comedy.