Wasps

A comic play by the Athenian poet, Aristophanes, which was produced in 422 BCE and presented at the Lenaea festival where it won second place.

This is my favorite of Aristophanes’ plays; this play is lighter than his other plays and, although it is biting and direct, does not seem to have the venom and bitterness that characterize some of his other works.

The main character of the play is an old man named Philokleon (Philocleon) who is hopelessly addicted to being a judge in court; the judges are chosen from the Athenian citizens and paid three obols per day to pass judgment on civil suits; as an old man, Philokleon simply has nothing better to do so he and his friends spend each day in court.

Philokleon’s son, Bdelykleon (Bdelycleon), tried everything to stop his father’s obsessive behavior, including reasoning with him, nagging him, having him bathed and purified, having him initiated as a Korybant, making him sleep in the temple of Asklepios and finally locking him in the house and having the slaves guard every exit.

Philokleon makes every comic attempt to leave the house including slinging himself under a donkey just as Odysseus hid under a sheep to escape the Cyclops; when Philokleon’s elderly friends come at dawn prepared for court, they are required to lower Philokleon out a window by a rope; Bdelykleon catches the old men and a debate begins; the old men play the role of the chorus and are deemed the Wasps because of their sting; they are the men who fought at Marathon in 490 BCE and again defeated the Persian army and navy ten years later; the Persians called the men of Attika (Attica) Wasps because, as the Persians ran for their lives, the Athenians put stings to their backsides.

Bdelykleon makes a passionate appeal to the old men and explains that they are not dispensing real justice but are the dupes of the powerful men of Athens; the judges, he explains, are given a pittance for their work and the real money goes into the pockets of the politicians; the play is lively and silly but retains its focus and intensity.

Aristophanes’ plays are sometimes difficult to appreciate because he was a very contemporary poet, i.e. he was writing for the Athenian audience of his day; he would use puns, parody regional accents and speak directly to the audience in ways that force modern translators to seek out the contextual meaning rather than the literal meaning of the poet’s words; for that reason, I suggest that if you find a translation that is difficult to enjoy, please don’t blame Aristophanes, simply look for a translation that you can enjoy; when trying to find a readable translator, I suggest Patric Dickinson; you may find his books at your local library in the 882 section but his books are out of print and sometimes difficult to find.