Aristophanes Frogs 1206

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Frogs. 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)
Βάτραχοι Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 1206 focus
Translations (1)
Frogs (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Matthew Dillon). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1206 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

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Ἄργος κατασχών—
The participle κατασχών (from κατασχεῖν) functions as a causal or explanatory adjunct to the implied action of the subject (Dionysus), indicating that he secured Argos as the strategic basis for his subsequent military operations against Sparta. This construction relies on the audience's knowledge of the immediate historical context: the Sicilian Expedition's aftermath and the subsequent Spartan occupation of Decelea, which left Athens vulnerable. The specific choice of κατασχών rather than a simpler aorist indicative emphasizes the completed, decisive nature of the seizure, a detail critical to Aristophanes' satirical contrast between Dionysus' 'great' achievements and his actual incompetence. The phrase alludes to the real historical event where Argos was a key Athenian ally, and its control was pivotal in the Peloponnesian War's final phase, though the play was written before the war's conclusion, making this a pointed reference to contemporary political anxieties.

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τὸν πρόλογον οὐχ ἕξει προσάψαι λήκυθον.
The phrase προσάψαι λήκυθον (to 'attach a lekythos') is a vivid metaphorical idiom derived from the practice of attaching oil flasks (lekythoi) to the handles of wine jugs (oinochoai) or, more likely in this comedic context, the ritual of suspending a lekythos as an offering or a prop in a specific theatrical or ritual performance. Here, Aristophanes uses it to suggest that the prologue will be so short or insignificant that there is no 'handle' or 'hook' to which one can attach a substantial offering or elaboration. This construction relies on the audience's familiarity with the physical culture of symposia and ritual offerings, transforming a mundane object into a metaphor for the lack of substance in the upcoming speech. The verb προσάπτω here carries the specific sense of 'to append' or 'to add on' in a way that is physically impossible given the context, highlighting the absurdity of the situation.

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Ἀγήνορος παῖς—
The phrase Ἀγήνορος παῖς ('son of Agenor') serves as a periphrastic designation for Cadmus, the founder of Thebes. In the context of the *Frogs*, this allusion is significant: Aristophanes uses this genealogy to evoke the Theban mythological tradition, specifically the lineage that includes the Sphinx and the tragic history of Oedipus. This is not merely a biographical identifier but a deliberate literary allusion to the Theban cycle of myths, which stands in contrast to the Athenian context of the play's action, potentially highlighting the thematic tension between the tragic gravity of the past (represented by Aeschylus) and the contemporary comic present.

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ὦ δαιμόνιʼ ἀνδρῶν ἀποπρίω τὴν λήκυθον,
The phrase ἀποπρίω τὴν λήκυθον is a proverbial idiom literally meaning 'to split the oil flask,' used here as a metaphor for ruining a situation or ruining someone's plans. The verb ἀποπρίω (from πρίω, to split) combined with λήκυθος (a small oil flask) creates a vivid image of domestic disaster, likely alluding to the practical consequence of breaking a valuable oil container in a household economy. In the context of the Frogs, this is a humorous exclamation directed at a character whose actions are perceived as foolishly destructive.

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ἐγὼ πρίωμαι τῷδʼ;
The verb πρίωμαι is a rare, archaic perfect middle form of πρίω (to buy), used here as a present in meaning. In Attic comedy, Aristophanes often employs such archaic or dialectal forms for metrical convenience or to evoke a specific character voice (here, likely a merchant or someone in a transactional context). The form is attested in the manuscript tradition of this passage, though some editors have emended to a more standard present form, but the textual evidence supports the archaic perfect.

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τὸ ληκύθιον γὰρ τοῦτʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς προλόγοισί σου
The phrase ἐπὶ τοῖς προλόγοισί σου employs a specific comedic pun: while the physical object (a lekythos) is being placed 'upon' or 'at the head of' the prologues as a metaphorical capstone or reward, the idiom ἐπὶ τοῖς + dative can also imply 'in addition to' or 'on top of' the preceding arguments, suggesting that the speaker's previous words have been merely a prelude to this final, perhaps absurd, action. Furthermore, the use of the archaic dative plural form προλόγοισί (rather than the later προλόγοις) is a deliberate archaism characteristic of the comic chorus's meter and style, distinguishing the choral voice from the iambic trimeter of the dialogue.