Aristophanes Birds 1720

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Birds. 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)
Ὄρνιθες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 1720 focus
Translations (2)
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.) — 1720 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

1730. mvp-tlg0019-tlg006-sanjaya-com-eng1-103

Line 1730

αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν Βασίλειαν.
The phrase 'τὴν Βασίλειαν' is an elliptical construction where the substantive noun is omitted. In this context, 'Βασίλειαν' functions as a substantive adjective referring to 'τὴν Βασίλειαν πόλιν' (the royal city) or, more likely given the play's plot, 'τὴν Βασίλειαν ἀρχήν' (the royal power/kingdom). This usage relies on the audience's immediate recognition of the specific political entity being established by the birds, rather than the standard grammatical expectation of an explicit noun following a definite article and adjective. The omission serves a rhetorical purpose, emphasizing the abstract concept of sovereignty as a tangible object to be possessed alongside the protagonist.