Aristophanes Wasps 1436

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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.) — 1450-1473 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.) — 1450 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.) — 1450 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

1436. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-85

Line 1436

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.