Aristophanes Wasps 1170

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Wasps. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (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.) — 1122-1264 focus
Translations (1)
Wasps (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1170 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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πρῶτον μὲν ὡς ἡ Λάμιʼ ἁλοῦσʼ ἐπέρδετο,
The phrase 'ὡς ἡ Λάμιʼ ἁλοῦσʼ ἐπέρδετο' functions as a proverbial allusion to the fall of Lamia in 323 BCE, where the city was captured by Antipater and subsequently subjected to a humiliating defeat. Aristophanes employs this historical reference metaphorically to describe the state of the defendant or the situation in the courtroom, suggesting a moment of disgrace or defeat. The use of the aorist participle 'ἁλοῦσʼ' followed by the aorist verb 'ἐπέρδετο' (a vulgar term for 'farted') creates a comic juxtaposition of a serious historical event with bodily functions, characteristic of Old Comedy's tendency to debase high concepts.

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ἔπειτα δʼ ὡς ὁ Καρδοπίων τὴν μητέρα.
The phrase ὡς ὁ Καρδοπίων functions as a comparative clause introducing a simile, yet it lacks an explicit main clause or verb of saying/thinking in the immediate text. This ellipsis is characteristic of Aristophanic comedy, where the dramatic action (the judge's reaction or the chorus's interjection) is implied by the preceding context rather than stated, forcing the audience to supply the missing predicate (e.g., 'he was like' or 'he became') to understand the comparison being drawn between the judge and Cardopion's mother.

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Ἐφουδίων παγκράτιον Ἀσκώνδᾳ καλῶς,
The proper noun Ἀσκώνδᾳ (Askōnda) refers to a specific individual, likely a reference to a real person known for his prowess or perhaps a specific anecdote involving the pankration. In the context of Aristophanes, such names often serve as targets of satire or allusions to contemporary figures whose reputations were well-known to the original audience but are obscure to modern readers without specific prosopographical research. The dative case here may indicate the person to whom the action is directed or the person being addressed in a boastful or ironic manner.

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ὅτʼ Ἐργασίωνος τὰς χάρακας ὑφειλόμην.
The phrase τὰς χάρακας refers to the wooden palisades or fortifications of the workshop (ergasterion) of Ergasios, a specific location in Athens. The verb ὑφειλόμην (aorist passive of ὑφίημι) here carries the technical sense of 'borrowing' or 'taking on a debt' in a commercial context, but the object τὰς χάρακας suggests a physical act of taking possession of or perhaps damaging the structures as a form of security or theft, a detail crucial for understanding the comic exaggeration of the character's financial desperation and the specific legal or social friction regarding property in the workshop district.