Title
Birds, Peace, Wealth: Aristophanes' Critique of the Gods,Used
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In these three raucous comedies, mortals outwit and even replace Zeus and other Olympian deities of the Greek Pantheon. As Aristophanes provokes laughter at the foibles of gods and men, he arouses wonder at our human need for the divine.The three comic heroes in the plays included here raise the questions of whether there are gods, who they might be, how powerful they are, and how they might be changed or eliminated. Although the precise form of such questions changes from age to age, these are questions that are inseparable from political life; and they certainly are powerfully present in our own daygreat theorists and architects of the modern liberal state designed its contours partly with an eye on the goal of diminishing the role of religion in the public square. Not unlike our three comic heroes, they wanted to reduce dependence on Zeus and his priests. In his place, and like our three heroes, they sought peace, wealth, and human rulers liberated from exaggerated piety. And nowadays the socalled New Atheists are pressing the case that it is high time for a final defeat and elimination of the powers of darkness that, in their view, have cost us so much blood and treasureAristophanes was not a modern liberal; still less would he agree with the New Atheists advocacy of universal public atheism. He does, however, put dissatisfaction with the gods at the center of the three plays included here, does bestow victories on the human critics of those gods, and does invite us to think with him about the justice of their causes, the tactics behind their victories, and the limits of their successes.From the IntroductionAristophanes was a prolific and much acclaimed comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete. Aristophanes has been said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author.Thomas Lee Pangle holds the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies at the University of Texas.Wayne Ambler is associate professor in the Herbst Program of Humanities for Engineers at the University of Colorado.
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'Birds, Peace, Wealth' by Aristophanes? A: The main theme of 'Birds, Peace, Wealth' revolves around the critique of the gods and the exploration of human desire for peace and wealth, as mortals challenge the authority of the Olympian deities.
- Q: Who is the author of this book? A: The author of this book is Aristophanes, a renowned comic playwright from ancient Athens.
- Q: What type of binding is used for this edition? A: This edition is available in paperback binding.
- Q: How many pages does the book contain? A: The book contains 240 pages.
- Q: When was 'Birds, Peace, Wealth' published? A: The book was published on February 12, 2013.
- Q: What condition is the book in? A: The book is in 'Very Good' condition.
- Q: What genre does this book belong to? A: This book belongs to the 'Ancient & Classical' genre.
- Q: Is there any introduction or additional context provided in the book? A: Yes, the book includes an introduction that discusses the implications of Aristophanes' works and their relevance to contemporary political life.
- Q: Who are the contributors to this edition? A: The contributors to this edition are Thomas Lee Pangle, who holds the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies, and Wayne Ambler, an associate professor at the University of Colorado.
- Q: What can readers expect to learn from this book? A: Readers can expect to gain insights into the critique of divine authority, the role of comedy in ancient Greece, and the philosophical questions surrounding human governance and religious influence.