Aristophanes Frogs 970

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Frogs. 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)
Βάτραχοι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 971 focus
Translations (2)
Frogs (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Matthew Dillon). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 971 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.) — 971 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

970. mvp-tlg0019-tlg009-sanjaya-com-eng1-42

Line 970

πέπτωκεν ἔξω τῶν κακῶν, οὐ Χῖος ἀλλὰ Κεῖος.
The phrase 'οὐ Χῖος ἀλλὰ Κεῖος' relies on a specific pun regarding the reputation of wines from the two islands. In the context of the play, where Dionysus is comparing the quality of wine, the 'Chian' wine was proverbial for being strong and potentially adulterated (mixed with seawater or other substances to increase volume), whereas 'Keian' wine was often associated with being sweeter but perhaps less robust or simply distinct in character. The syntax here functions as a contrastive identification of the wine's origin, implying a qualitative judgment based on these regional stereotypes. The humor derives from the expectation that Dionysus, having 'fallen out of the evils' (presumably the 'evil' of thirst or poor wine), has now encountered a specific type of wine, and the distinction between the two islands is the punchline of the scene's satire on wine quality.