Aristophanes Birds 290

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Birds. 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)
Ὄρνιθες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 310 focus
Translations (3)
Birds Perseus (Aristophanes. The Complete Greek Drama, Vol. 2. Anonymous, translator. O'Neill, Eugene; Oates, Whitney Jennings, editors. New York: Random House, 1938 (printing).)

No corresponding passage available

Birds (OCR draft) Experimental (Anonymous translation, 1938 compilation; legacy Perseus source migration. Preserved separately from the revised canonical perseus-eng2 at the project owner's request.) — 310 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.) — 310 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

290. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-7

Line 290

πῶς ἂν οὖν Κλεώνυμός γʼ ὢν οὐκ ἀπέβαλε τὸν λόφον;
The particle γέ (rendered here as γʼ) is used here for emphasis or slight contrast, highlighting the specific identity of Kleonymus in a way that anticipates the reader's knowledge of his reputation for cowardice. Without this particle, the rhetorical question would be a simple hypothetical; with it, it becomes a pointed allusion to his well-known flight from the battlefield, where he allegedly dropped his shield (though the text here refers to his 'crest' or 'plume', a metonymy for his military status and pride). This construction relies on the audience's familiarity with Kleonymus as a figure of ridicule in Athenian comedy, particularly regarding his cowardice, to function effectively as a rhetorical device.