Aristophanes Wasps 1292-1449

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

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Wasps. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1906.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Σφῆκες (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.)

Translations (2)
Wasps (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1292 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.) — 1292 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

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καὶ τρὶς μακάριαι τοῦ ʼπὶ ταῖς πλευραῖς τέγους.
The phrase 'Ἐπὶ ταῖς πλευραῖς' (on the sides) is a technical architectural term referring to the lateral walls of a house, specifically the walls supporting the roof tiles (τέγους). In the context of the play, the chorus of wasps, who have been trained to act as jurors, ironically applies the language of domestic architecture to their own 'nest' (the jury court), highlighting the comic conflation of the wasps' hive and the Athenian law courts. The genitive 'τέγους' is a partitive genitive dependent on the implied 'οἰκίας' (house) or 'οἴκου' understood from the context of the 'sides' being the walls of a roofed structure.

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ὡς εὖ κατηρέψασθε καὶ νουβυστικῶς
The adverb νουβυστικῶς is a hapax legomenon derived from νουβύσσις (or νουβύσσω), a term of uncertain etymology but clearly carrying the sense of 'slyly,' 'cunningly,' or 'with a sly wink.' In this context, the character Bdelycleon uses it to sarcastically praise his father's ability to 'dig' (κατηρέψασθε) into the affairs of the jury, implying that the old man has mastered the art of the 'sly dig' or 'cunning probing' characteristic of a professional informer or a shrewd litigant. The word is a comic coinage, likely reflecting the specific jargon of the courtroom or the street, and its rarity makes it a prime example of Aristophanic neologism.

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κἄτυπτεν ἐμὲ νεανικῶς παῖ παῖ καλῶν.
The adverb νεανικῶς ('youthfully') is a rare hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, occurring only here. While the standard adjective νεανικός is common, the adverbial form is unusual in this context of physical violence. The term likely carries a specific connotation beyond mere 'youthful energy,' possibly implying the reckless, unreflective, or perhaps even 'inexperienced' manner of the beating, contrasting with the calculated violence of an adult or the specific aggression of the 'dog' in the play's metaphors. The repetition of παῖ ('boy') as a vocative intensifier, combined with the adverb, creates a complex characterization of the aggressor as both a youthful peer and a figure of specific, perhaps mocking, aggression.

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ἀνάβαινε δεῦρο χρυσομηλολόνθιον,
The adjective χρυσομηλολόνθιον is a coined compound (a hapax legomenon in this specific form) functioning as a vocative of address to the dog Labes. It is a satirical neologism combining χρυσός (gold), μήλον (apple), and λόνθιον (a diminutive of λόνθος, a type of fig or perhaps a corruption of λῶνθος/λόνθος meaning 'fig' or 'morsel'). The term is not a standard epithet but a comic invention by Aristophanes to mock the dog's supposed value or appetite, treating a scavenger dog as if it were a precious, golden-fruit-eating creature. The construction relies on the reader recognizing the compound's components to grasp the absurdity of the address.

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μέλλουσαν ἤδη λεσβιᾶν τοὺς ξυμπότας·
The adjective λεσβιᾶν (Lesbian) here is not a generic ethnic descriptor but a specific cultural signifier in Old Comedy, referring to the reputation of Lesbos for erotic license and, crucially in this context, the association with the 'Lesbian bed' (a metaphor for sexual promiscuity or, in the case of a woman, for being a courtesan or having illicit relations). In Aristophanes, this term often functions as a loaded insult implying that the woman in question is already 'taken' or 'ruined' by the symposiasts' revelry, playing on the stereotype of the 'Lesbian' as a woman of loose morals or a specific type of sexual encounter. The participle μέλλουσαν (about to become) combined with ἤδη (already) creates a temporal paradox: she is simultaneously 'already' the object of the symposiasts' attention and 'about to' be labeled a 'Lesbian' in the colloquial sense of the term, highlighting the rapid degradation of her reputation in the comic narrative.

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κἄλλως κυμινοπριστοκαρδαμογλύφον.
The hyper-correction of the article (κἄλλως instead of καὶ ἄλλως) reflects the comic tendency to mimic or parody the inflated, pedantic speech of the older generation, here specifically the 'Sycophant' class who are obsessed with precise, often unnecessary, technical detail. The adjective is a rare, coined compound (hapax legomenon in this specific form) meaning 'a grinder of cumin and caraway,' illustrating Aristophanes' characteristic use of grotesque, multi-syllabic compounds to satirize the pretensions of the older, litigious generation who reduce life to a series of minute, commercial calculations.

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τῆς Ἀγκυλίωνος θυγατέρος καὶ Σωστράτης,
The phrase lists two daughters of the same father, Ankylios, using a singular genitive (τῆς Ἀγκυλίωνος) governing two nominative subjects. This construction, where a single genitive of relationship applies to multiple coordinated nouns without repetition, is a standard feature of Greek syntax but requires attention here because it clarifies the familial relationship between the two women in the context of the trial narrative. The mention of Sosstra as a daughter of Ankylios is significant for understanding the social standing and potential connections of the characters involved in the satire of the lawcourts.

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Λᾶσός ποτʼ ἀντεδίδασκε καὶ Σιμωνίδης·
The verb ἀντεδίδασκε (imperfect middle/passive of ἀντιδιδάσκω) is used here in a specific sense of 'countering' or 'replying to' a teaching or argument, a usage attested in Old Comedy but distinct from the more common ἀντιλέγειν. The construction with a proper name as the subject in the imperfect suggests an iterative or habitual action in the past, implying that Simonides was known for repeatedly refuting the lessons of the 'Láos' (interpreted by some ancient scholia as a specific, perhaps fictional or allegorical, teacher of the people, or a corruption of Λαῖος). The phrase serves as a comic analogy, equating the old man's stubbornness in the play with the poetic tradition of Simonides engaging in intellectual dispute.
The term Λᾶσος (Láos) is a crux in this passage. While the scholia offer various explanations, some identifying it with a specific historical figure or a metaphorical 'people', the most compelling interpretation in the context of Aristophanic satire is that it refers to a specific, now obscure, figure of authority or a corrupted reference to the 'laos' (people) in a way that plays on the idea of the common man teaching the poet. The ambiguity of Λᾶσος as a proper noun versus a common noun (with a potential textual corruption) makes this a significant textual issue.

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γυναικὶ † κλητεύειν ἐοικὼς † θαψίνῃ,
The text presents a crux involving the hapax legomenon θαψίνῃ (thapsinē). While the scholia interpret this as a corruption of ταψίῃ (related to the baking-pan ταψίας, implying a woman 'like a baking-pan' or perhaps 'like a woman who bakes'), the manuscript tradition also preserves θαψίνῃ with a variant reading θαψινῇ. The adjective likely derives from θάψις (a digging or burial), suggesting the simile 'like one who buries' (referring to the woman's tendency to bury her husband or his property, or perhaps the act of digging a grave), but the textual corruption is so severe that the exact meaning remains debated among editors. This requires a choice between emending to ταψίῃ (a baking-pan) or retaining θαψίνῃ (a burier) based on the context of the play's satire on the old man's domineering wife.

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Ἰνοῖ κρεμαμένῃ πρὸς ποδῶν Εὐριπίδου.
The participle κρεμαμένῃ (feminine dative singular) agrees with an implied or contextually supplied noun, likely referring to the 'net' (δίκτυον) or 'trap' alluded to in the surrounding lines, where the character Philocleon compares his own entrapment to a net hung at the feet of Euripides. This construction relies on a metaphorical reading of 'hanging at the feet' as a sign of subservience or entrapment, which is a deliberate rhetorical device (metaphor) rather than a literal description of physical positioning.

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οὕτω δὲ καὶ σὺ παράτρεχʼ ἐς τὰ Πιττάλου.
The proper noun Πιττάλου is the genitive of Πίτταλος, referring to Pittalacus, a well-known Athenian flute-girl (hetaera) associated with the symposia of the late fifth century. In this context, the verb παράτρεχʼ (run alongside/across to) functions as a comic euphemism for sexual intercourse or, more specifically, for visiting a prostitute, a common trope in Old Comedy where characters are urged to 'run to' a woman's house. The specific reference to Pittalacus likely alludes to a contemporary scandal or a specific reputation of hers that would have been immediately recognizable to the original audience, serving as a punchline to the preceding dialogue about the old man's behavior.

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ἄκουε, μὴ φεῦγʼ. ἐν Συβάρει γυνή ποτε
The imperative φεῦγε (contracted here as φεῦγʼ) is an elliptical form of φεῦγε, meaning 'flee' or 'run away.' In this context, the speaker (Bdelycleon) is commanding his father (Philocleon) not to flee from the trial or the situation, playing on the physical act of fleeing as a metaphor for avoiding responsibility or the judicial process. The contraction φεῦγʼ is a standard crasis in the imperative, but the imperative itself is a key rhetorical device in the play, as Philocleon is often depicted as trying to escape the constraints of his son's authority and the city's laws.
The phrase ἐν Συβάρει refers to the city of Sybaris in southern Italy, which was famously known for its wealth and, in Greek comedy, for its inhabitants' extreme effeminacy and luxury. The reference to Sybaris here is a cultural allusion, implying that the woman in question is so luxurious or effeminate that she would be found in Sybaris. This allusion serves to highlight the contrast between the woman's behavior and the traditional Greek ideals of virtue and simplicity.
The word γυνή (gynē) is used here in a specific context where it refers to a woman who is the subject of a story or a moral lesson. In this case, the woman is being described as someone who is so luxurious or effeminate that she is associated with Sybaris. The use of γυνή in this context is a deliberate choice by Aristophanes to emphasize the contrast between the woman's behavior and the traditional Greek ideals of virtue and simplicity.

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κατέαξʼ ἐχῖνον.
The verb κατάαξω (here contracted to κατέαξʼ) is a rare hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, formed from κατά + ἀξόω (to whet or sharpen). In this context, it is a metaphorical compound meaning 'to sharpen' or 'to make eager,' specifically describing the activation of the dog's predatory instinct. The construction relies on the specific comedic convention of personifying the dog as a legal instrument or a hound of the law, a usage that requires the audience to recognize the semantic shift from physical sharpening to the metaphorical 'sharpening' of the dog's appetite for prosecution.

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οὑχῖνος οὖν ἔχων τινʼ ἐπεμαρτύρατο·
The verb ἐπεμαρτύρατο is a deponent middle form of μαρτυρέω, here used with an accusative object (τινʼ) to mean 'he gave testimony against someone' or 'he swore to the guilt of someone.' While μαρτυρέω often appears with a genitive of the person accused in other contexts, the accusative construction here is standard for the specific forensic sense of 'bearing witness against' in Attic tragedy and comedy, though the middle voice emphasizes the personal involvement of the witness in the act of accusation. The phrase οὑχῖνος (a rare form of οὐχὶ ὅς, or possibly a textual corruption of οὐχὶ ὅσος) requires scrutiny: if read as οὐχὶ ὅς, it introduces a rhetorical question meaning 'Is he not the one who...?', but if it is a corruption of οὐχὶ ὅν (accusative), it would mean 'Is he not the one who...?', which fits the accusative object τινʼ. The most likely reading, supported by some manuscripts, is οὐχὶ ὅς, where the relative pronoun is attracted to the case of its antecedent implied in the context, or it is a crux where the relative pronoun refers to the subject of the main clause. The construction is syntactically complex and has been the subject of textual debate, with some editors proposing οὐχὶ ὅν or οὐχὶ ὅς depending on the intended meaning.

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Αἴσωπον οἱ Δελφοί ποτʼ —
The fragment refers to the fable of Aesop and the Delphians, a specific literary allusion where Delphi is portrayed as the city that executed Aesop (often attributed to a decree for 'sacrilegious' acts or simply political expediency). In the context of Aristophanes' *Wasps*, this allusion serves as a satirical parallel between the Delphic execution of a foreigner and the Athenian jury's harsh treatment of its own citizens, specifically targeting the procedural excesses of the dikasteria. The abrupt ellipsis 'ποτʼ —' (once —) is a deliberate rhetorical device, mimicking the interrupted speech of a character (likely Bdelycleon or a chorus member) to evoke the notorious 'Delphic decree' story without fully recounting it, relying on the audience's familiarity with the fable tradition to complete the analogy of unjust judicial murder.