Resumen
Resumen de Las ranas
Para quién es
For readers who love satire, theatre, and the roots of literary argument, and anyone curious how ancient Athenians laughed. Singing frogs, slapstick, and rival poets bring questions about art and politics to life.
De qué trata este libro
The Frogs is a comedy by Aristophanes, first staged at the Lenaia festival in Athens in 405 BC. It was written in the last years of the long war between Athens and Sparta, when the city was tired, short of good leaders and close to defeat. Tragedy had just lost two of its masters, Sophocles and Euripides, who both died in 406 BC. Aristophanes answered with a farce in which the god of theatre goes down to the land of the dead to fetch a poet back.
You get a wild trip with a cowardly god, a quarrelsome slave, a chorus of singing frogs and a contest between two dead playwrights. Under the jokes lies a serious question: what should a poet do for a city in danger? The play is full of parody, insults, songs and slapstick, yet it is also one of the earliest pieces of literary criticism we have. Let us begin where the play begins, with a god who is dressed all wrong and sorely needs a good poet.
En este resumen
- 1A god in a lion skinFree
- 2Across the lake with the frogs
- 3Mistaken identity at the gates
- 4The chorus of initiates and a warning to Athens
- 5Two poets fight for the throne
- 6What poetry is for and how the play is built
Idea clave 1 de 6
A god in a lion skin
The play opens on a road in Greece. Dionysus, god of wine and of the theatre, walks along dressed in a lion skin with a club in his hand. He looks like Heracles, and he looks ridiculous. Behind him comes his slave Xanthias, riding a donkey and complaining about the heavy bags on his shoulder.
The two trade jokes about the very jokes that tired comic writers use, and Xanthias teases his master for it. Then Dionysus explains his plan. He has been reading the tragedy Andromeda and he is sick with longing for Euripides, who is dead. Athens, he says, has no good poets left. Those who are alive write clever trash, so he will go down to Hades and bring Euripides back.
Why dress as Heracles? Because Heracles has been to the underworld before, to steal the dog Cerberus. Dionysus knocks on his door to ask the way, and the hero bursts into laughter at the sight of a soft god in a hero's costume. Heracles gives him a list of roads, such as hanging by a rope, drinking poison or jumping from a tower. Dionysus asks for the quickest way that is not too hot.
This opening sets the tone. The god of drama is a coward and a fool, yet he is also the judge of poetry. Aristophanes lets us laugh at him while we trust, a little, in his taste.
The lines about Heracles also pull us into the world of Athenian myth, where gods and heroes are shown with all the faults of ordinary people, and the audience loves it.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Dionysus
- The god of wine and theatre travels with his slave Xanthias to bring a poet back from Hades.
- Xanthias
- Dionysus's quick-witted slave carries his luggage and challenges his master's pretensions.
- Heracles
- The hero laughs at Dionysus's borrowed appearance and explains the route to Hades.
- Charon
- The ferryman of the dead takes Dionysus across the lake, making him row.
- Aeacus
- Pluto's doorkeeper mistakes Dionysus for Heracles and threatens him over Cerberus's theft.
- Aeschylus
- The established tragic poet holds Hades' seat of honour, challenged by Euripides.
- Euripides
- The recently deceased tragic poet challenges Aeschylus and champions argument and ordinary characters.
- Pluto
- The ruler of the underworld hosts the poets' contest, with Dionysus as judge.
- Chorus of frogs
- The singing creatures accompany Dionysus's lake crossing with their insistent croaking refrain.
- Chorus of initiates
- These followers of the Eleusinian Mysteries sing, dance, and offer advice to Athens.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 15,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h
- Listening time1 h 40 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Las ranas
What is The Frogs about?
The god Dionysus goes down to the underworld to bring back a dead poet who can save Athens. He ends up judging a contest between the tragic poets Aeschylus and Euripides, in a comedy about art and politics.
Why is it called The Frogs?
It is named after the chorus of frogs that sings at Dionysus as he crosses the lake of the dead. They appear only in one scene, but their croaking refrain became the most remembered part of the play.
When was The Frogs written and is it a true story?
Aristophanes staged it in Athens in 405 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. It is invented fantasy, but it responds to real events, including the recent deaths of Sophocles and Euripides, and the city's political troubles.
Is The Frogs hard to read?
It is lively and fast, and the story is simple to follow: a god goes down to fetch a poet. The slapstick, the singing frogs and the contest between the two poets carry you along, even where the jokes are about Athenian people and customs.
What is the main message of The Frogs?
Aristophanes argues that poets and leaders should serve the good of the city. He praises the older, sturdier values of Aeschylus over clever novelty, and he urges Athenians to unite and choose wise, trustworthy leaders.