De Ridders
A comedic play written in the early 5th century BC. The play is a satire that targets Kleon, a powerful political figure in Athens, depicting him as a brutish Paphlagonian slave in the household of the character Demos, who represents the Athenian people. The story unfolds as various characters, including a sausage vendor, engage in a battle of wits and insults aimed at displacing Kleon from his position of influence over Demos. The opening of the play introduces the dire situation of Demos, who has been manipulated by the Paphlagonian, emphasizing the discontent among the slaves who suffer under his authority. Two slaves express their discomfort about their new master, Kléon, and concoct a plan to seek help from Agorákritos, a sausage vendor, to save them. The arrival of the sausage vendor and the ensuing banter establishes the play’s comedic tone, highlighting the ridiculousness of Athenian politics and defeating a corrupt politician through wits and humor. As Demos takes his seat on the Pnyx, the scene sets the stage for a contest between Kléon and the sausage vendor, promising humorous social commentary and political satire to come.
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“To win the people, always cook them some savoury that pleases them.””
— Aristophanes
“[Y]ou possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, crossgrained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.””
— Aristophanes
“You [demagogues] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets.””
— Aristophanes
“Politics, these days, is no occupationfor an educated man, a man of character.Ignorance and total lousiness are better.””
— Aristophanes
“Shrines! Shrines! Surely you don't believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?””
— Aristophanes
“You see, a leader of the people no longer needs to have any training or be honest in his dealings. Instead he should be ignorant and disgusting. But you must not disregard what the gods are offering you in this oracle.””
— Aristophanes
“However, in the view of many Athenians he had, in effect, stolen the credit from Demosthenes. This point is frequently mentioned in the play. Knights was awarded first prize in the drama competition at the Lenaea festival in 424 BC.””
— Aristophanes
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Aristophanes. De Ridders. Lex, lex-books.com/book/de-ridders-b298e856-5348-4fef-9784-65bcae27ad52.Aristophanes (n.d.). De Ridders. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/de-ridders-b298e856-5348-4fef-9784-65bcae27ad52Aristophanes. De Ridders. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/de-ridders-b298e856-5348-4fef-9784-65bcae27ad52.
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