The Acharnians
Satire & Impersonation
- Ambassadors are mocked.
- Almighty boasting.
- “Strut” in.
- Peacock feathers.
- Ambassadors exaggerate journey.
- Further mocked by Dikaiopolis’ snide, sarcastic comments.
- Ambassador of Persia is a liar.
- Pseudo-Persian.
- Tries to fool people at assembly.
- Theoros the diplomat.
- Promise of great army, weak army comes.
- Exaggerated story.
- Useless to Athens, like the ambassador.
- Euripides.
- Writing plays in the bath – eccentric.
- Euripides is made to look amusing, but is a liked character as he is kind and generous to the hero.
- Over-dramatic about his loss – he has only lost a few costume parts.
- Stuck in his own genre – speaks in tragic verse most of the time.
- Even his slave speaks tragically.
- Lamachos.
- A real general, so audience immediately expects exaggerated characteristics and stereotyping.
- (See character notes).
- Boetian stereotype.
- Wide boy, businessman.
- Likes to be entertained and the centre of attention.
- Attracts attention to himself, i.e. with musicians.
- He is a social chameleon; he thanks Dikaiopolis for ridding of the musicians, where he requested the song in the first place!
- Regular sales talk and repeated phrases, i.e. “As a purely personal favour”.
- Real entrepreneur - thinks he can make money out of an informer.
- Megarian is a stereotype impersonation of a type of person from a certain place.
- Stereotyped for being desperate for food.
- Decent guy; last thing he can do is sell daughters to help the rest of the family.
Topical Allusions & Aristophanes’ Agenda
- 7 years of war… you think people would come running for any mention of peace (AA).
- An example of Aristophanes’ views shown through the characters, in this case the hero of the play.
- Dikaiopolis idealizes the country and the city is criticized.
- This is a way of showing that war is making Athens miss out on the ‘good’ life.
- Amphitheos, the first character trying to make peace, is thrown out – Aristophanes is criticizing Athens’ attitude to those who want to make peace.
- Guard duty on the battlements has to happen, because of the war. (Peloponnesian war).
- ‘Locusts’.
- Anyone who comes there destroys land.
- The treaty bottles refer to the real war.
- 5 year – “secret ship building”.
- 10 year – “ambassadors stir up the allies”.
- 30 year – smells lovely, ideal Athens.
- Acharnians are outraged that he is going to sacrifice to peace.
- Dikaiopolis is seen as a traitor for making a peace treaty.
- “I hate the Spartans just like the rest of you”.
- Equally hates the ‘Rogues’ and ‘counterfeits’ that rule the city. The care not for others, just themselves.
