Aristophanes Wasps 1346

Wasps. 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)
Σφῆκες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 1292-1449 focus
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.) — 1341 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.) — 1341 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

1346. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-77

Line 1346

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.