Aristophanes Birds 298

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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

298. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-8

Line 298

οὑτοσὶ δὲ πηνέλοψ, ἐκεινηὶ δέ γʼ ἀλκυών.
The sentence presents a chiastic arrangement of bird names, πηνέλοψ (pelican) and ἀλκυών (kingfisher), which functions as a deliberate rhetorical device. This pairing is not merely ornamental; it reflects the play's broader thematic preoccupation with the transformation of human identity into avian forms and the specific linguistic play on the Peloponnesus (Πελοπόννησος) through the pun on πηνέλοψ. The use of the demonstratives οὑτοσὶ and ἐκεινηὶ creates a spatial and syntactic contrast that underscores the absurdity of the characters' self-identification with these specific birds, a key element of Aristophanic comedy where the distinction between human and animal is fluid and satirical.