Search - Aristophanes - The Acharnians; The Clouds ; Lysistrata: Translated With an Introduction by Alan H. Sommerstein

This translation captures the humor of the original, which ranges from low-brow slapstick to witty one-liners to political asides--a union of vaudeville, Oscar Wilde, and Mark Russell. However, what Sommerstein utterly misses is the form of ancient Greek comedy. The lyric choruses are rendered in choppy iambic lines, with many of them set to tunes from Gilbert & Sullivan. Aristophanes meant to use vulgarity in the acting, not in the lines of the Chorus.

Aristophanes is marvelous and this is one of the best tarnslations. Lysistrata is the greatest comedy of ancient times. Both are anti-war dramas very relevant today.