Aristophanes Birds 831

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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.) — 851 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.) — 851 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.) — 851 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

831. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-52

Line 831

ἕστηκʼ ἔχουσα, Κλεισθένης δὲ κερκίδα;
The phrase 'ἕστηκʼ ἔχουσα' (standing holding) is a deliberate visual gag relying on the audience's knowledge of the specific stage action: the character is miming the act of weaving while standing still. The participle ἔχουσα, while grammatically straightforward, here functions as a periphrasis for the act of 'holding the shuttle' (κερκίδα), a detail essential to the joke that Kleisthenes is being mocked as a woman (or specifically as a weaver) due to his effeminate appearance or political affiliations. This is not merely a descriptive clause but a critical component of the character's physical comedy in the play.