Line 1051
κώνεια πιεῖν αἰσχυνθείσας διὰ τοὺς σοὺς Βελλεροφόντας.
The participle αἰσχυνθείσας (aorist passive participle of αἰσχύνομαι) is used with the infinitive πιεῖν in a construction where the subject of the participle (the women, implied by the context of the play's satire on Spartan women) is also the logical subject of the infinitive. This is a standard construction of the genitive absolute or, more precisely here, a genitive participle agreeing with an implied subject in the accusative (the women) that governs the infinitive, a structure common in Aristophanic comedy to denote cause or attendant circumstance. However, the specific phrase 'κώνεια πιεῖν' (to drink water) followed by the participle 'having been ashamed' creates a syntactic ambiguity: does the shame precede the drinking as a cause, or is the shame the result of the drinking? The context of the play (lines 1025-1026) clarifies that the women are ashamed to drink water because of the 'Bellerophons' (a pun on the Spartan soldiers who were supposedly defeated by the 'Bellerophons' of Athens, or a reference to the Spartan practice of drinking wine from water-skins, which is being mocked). The phrase 'διὰ τοὺς σοὺς Βελλεροφόντας' (because of your Bellerophons) is a pointed political allusion: the Spartans, known for their austerity and military prowess, are being mocked by the Athenians for their supposed defeat by the 'Bellerophons' (a reference to the Spartan king Pausanias, who was accused of treason and was associated with the myth of Bellerophon, a hero who was also associated with the city of Argos, a Spartan ally). The commentary must address the syntactic complexity of the participle and the historical allusion to the 'Bellerophons' as a political insult.
The term 'Βελλεροφόντας' (Bellerophons) is a deliberate pun and allusion. In the context of Aristophanes' Frogs, it refers to the Spartan soldiers, but the name 'Bellerophon' is also associated with the myth of the hero who was accused of treason by the Spartans (specifically, the Spartan king Pausanias, who was accused of treason and was associated with the myth of Bellerophon). The pun is that the Spartans are being mocked for their supposed defeat by the 'Bellerophons' (a reference to the Spartan king Pausanias, who was accused of treason and was associated with the myth of Bellerophon, a hero who was also associated with the city of Argos, a Spartan ally). The commentary must address the historical allusion to the 'Bellerophons' as a political insult.
Frogs. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.