-
447 BCE
Around Aristophanes' Birth Date
The Greek playwright, Achaeus of Eretria shows his first play.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_century_BC#:~:text=450%20BC%3A%20Battle%20of%20Salamis,of%20Macedonia%20(approximate%20date) -
446 BCE
Aristophanes' Birth
Aristophanes, comedic playwright and comic dramatist, was born in 446 BCE; his father's name was Philippus but his mother's name is unknown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristophanes#:~:text=Aristophanes%20(%2F%CB%8C%C3%A6r%C9%AA%CB%88,forty%20plays%20survive%20virtually%20complete. -
430 BCE
The Plague of Athens
The plague killed about 75,000 to 100,000 people. The plague was thought to have entered Athens through Piraeus, the main source of food and supplies. Due to the plague, people began to disobey the law causing the law to be more strict. People's belief in religion was also coming to be dim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_of_Athens -
427 BCE
The Banqueters
The first ever play by Aristophanes was called The Banqueters. The Plague of Athens occurred again at about the same time. This play was one of the lost or pieces of a play that were never put together. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristophanes#:~:text=Aristophanes%20(%2F%CB%8C%C3%A6r%C9%AA%CB%88,forty%20plays%20survive%20virtually%20complete. -
426 BCE
The Babylonians
This play won first place at the City Dionysia, but the play itself was not one of the surviving eleven plays. Aristophanes was also prosecuted by Cleon for making false statements in his play about the polis ("city" in Greek). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wasps -
425 BCE
The Acharnians
Third play of eleven surviving, The Acharnians was produced on behalf of a fellow dramatist named Callistratus. It won first place at the Lenaia festival. The play is about an Athenian named Dikaiopolis who makes a peace treaty with the Spartans. This play promises revenge on Cleon for prosecuting him.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Acharnians -
424 BCE
The Knights
The Knights won first place at the Lenaia festival. The play was about the social and political life of Athens during the Peloponnesian war. The Knights play was also Aristophanes' way of letting Cleon know that he perfected his revenge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knights -
423 BCE
The Clouds
The Clouds comedy play by Aristophanes was produced in the City Dionysia. The Clouds is about a man named Strepsiades trying to get out of debt and not seeming to get ahead because his wife is too busy encouraging their son to continue his horse gambling. The play did not get the recognition that Aristophanes had wanted. It placed last at a festival the same year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clouds -
423 BCE
Athens & Sparta
Athens and Sparta agreed to peace for one year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wasps -
422 BCE
The Wasps
The fourth of eleven surviving plays by Aristophanes, The Wasps was produced at the Lenaia festival and more effectively showed the conventions of Old Comedy than any other play. In this play like his earlier plays, Aristophanes talks about demagogue Cleon; he also mocks an Athenian institute (the law courts) that gave Cleon power. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wasps -
421 BCE
Peace
The play won second place at the City Dionysia. The story was about a person named Trygaeus who brings a peaceful end to the Peloponnesian War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_(play) -
421 BCE
Peace of Nicias
A peace treaty signed by the Athens and Sparta to end the first half of the Peloponnesian War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_(play) -
420 BCE
The Clouds Revision
The Clouds play was revised and eventually put into script. This revision happened between 420 and 417 BC. The Clouds play is also seen as the world's first existing "comedy of ideas."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clouds -
415 BCE
Sicilian Expedition
An Athenian military expedition to Sicily that took place during the Peloponnesian War. It ended in defeat for the Athens, which effected them greatly. This occurred from 415-413 BC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Expedition -
415 BCE
Palamedes
Palamedes play by Euripides is produced; it is also parodied in Thesmophoria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesmophoriazusae -
414 BCE
The Birds
The Birds was performed at the City Dionysia. It was considered a perfect fantasy for its bird sounds and its musical content. The story is about an Athenian named Pisthetaerus who convinces the birds to create a city in the sky to take back their power as gods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(play) -
411 BCE
Lysistrata
Performed in classical Athens, a comedic arrangement about a woman's determination to end the Peloponnesian War by denying all men sex. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata -
411 BCE
The Women Celebrating the Thesmophoria
One of Aristophanes' eleven surviving plays, unknown but most likely produced at the City Dionysia, The play illustrates the role of women in a male-dominated society. It also shows Aristophanes' evolution in different structures of Old Comedy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesmophoriazusae -
408 BCE
Plutus
The play talks about political satire while also featuring the god of wealth Plutus. The play also shows structure of Old Comedy through New Comedy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutus_(play) -
-
405 BCE
The Frogs
The play was performed at the Lenaia and received first place. The play is about the god Dionysus feeling so depressed about Athenian deaths that he goes to Hades to bring Euripides back to life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frogs -
391 BCE
Assemblywomen
The play talks about women of Athens taking over and making everything fair for women.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblywomen -
388 BCE
Plutus Revision
The play was changed and re-performed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutus_(play) -
386 BCE
Aristophanes' Death
Aritsophanes dies and multiple lost plays go with him. Only eleven full surviving plays are left to represent the Old Comedy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristophanes#:~:text=Aristophanes%20(%2F%CB%8C%C3%A6r%C9%AA%CB%88,forty%20plays%20survive%20virtually%20complete.