Aristophanes Peace 901

Table of Contents

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

Peace. 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)
Εἰρήνη Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 922-1126 focus
Translations (2)
Peace (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 910 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.) — 910 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

901. mvp-tlg0019-tlg005-sanjaya-com-eng1-31

Line 901

ἵνα δὴ κέλης κέλητα παρακελητιεῖ,
The sentence employs a complex trisyllabic wordplay on the root *kel-*, progressing from the noun *κέλης* (swift chariot, or metaphorically a swift person) to the plural *κέλητα* (swift ones) and finally the compound verb *παρακελητιεῖ* (will run alongside/compete with). This construction is a quintessential example of Aristophanic *onomatopoeia* and *etymological* play, where the phonetic similarity of the words enacts the very motion they describe: the rapid, repetitive, and competitive movement of chariots. The use of the future tense *παρακελητιεῖ* with the prefix *para-* emphasizes the act of running side-by-side in a race, a central motif in the play's celebration of peace and the return of the chariot to the charioteer, contrasting with the war chariots of the past.