The Frogs

Frogs is an ancient Athenian comic play by Aristophanes (446-386 B.C.E.). It was first performed in 405 B.C.E. for the Lenaia, an annual sacred festival held in January in honor of the god Dionysus. According to ancient sources, Frogs (which won first prize) was held in such high regard that it was honored with a second production, an unusual event since comedies and tragedies were produced for competition at sacred festivals and rarely staged again. When precisely this second production occurred is a topic of debate among scholars.

Frogs belongs to a period of ancient theater called Old Comedy, which is known primarily through the works of Aristophanes. Comedies of this genre satirized public figures and contemporary events in a high-spirited, carnivalesque manner and blurred boundaries between fantasy and reality. They were performed without intermission.

This study guide refers to Stephen Halliwell’s translation for Oxford World’s Classics. In his translation note, Halliwell notes that Aristophanes is extremely difficult to translate into English because of his play with language, social references, and the vast gulf between ancient Athenian and modern sensibilities. Ancient comedies were written in verse and are believed to have incorporated recitation, chant, and song, as well as dance.