Aristophanes Peace 856

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Peace. 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)
Εἰρήνη Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 819-921a focus
Translations (1)
Peace (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 856 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

864. mvp-tlg0019-tlg005-sanjaya-com-eng1-26

Line 864

εὐδαιμονέστερος φανεῖ τῶν Καρκίνου στροβίλων.
The genitive plural Καρκίνου στροβίλων (Carcinus' whirlpools/spirals) is a rare metonymic construction where the personal genitive modifies an abstract noun referring to a specific stylistic feature of the author's work. Here, 'Carcinus' whirlpools' alludes to the convoluted, obscure, and overly complex diction for which the tragic poet Carcinus (the Elder) was notorious in the late 5th century BCE. Aristophanes uses this phrase to sarcastically suggest that the addressee will appear happier than the notoriously confused or muddled style associated with Carcinus, or perhaps that the addressee's fate will be more 'whirling' or confused than Carcinus's own, depending on the specific ironic reading of εὐδαιμονέστερος in this comic context. The construction relies on the audience's familiarity with the specific critical reputation of Carcinus, whose style was a frequent target of Old Comedy.

865a. mvp-tlg0019-tlg005-sanjaya-com-eng1-27

Line 865a

ὄχημα κανθάρου ʼπιβὰς
The phrase ὄχημα κανθάρου ʼπιβὰς describes the protagonist Trygaeus mounting a dung beetle (καθάρου) as a vehicle (ὄχημα). This is a striking instance of Aristophanic comic hyperbole and bathos, elevating a lowly insect to the status of a heroic steed (cf. the 'horse' of the gods in other contexts) to satirize the grandeur of epic and tragic travel narratives. The verb ἐπιβαίνω with ὄχημα is technically correct for 'mounting a vehicle,' but the juxtaposition with the diminutive, lowly insect creates the specific comic effect central to the play's premise of a 'chariot' made of a beetle.