The Frogs [in translation]

I thought it was about time that I did something about my lack of a "classical" education and found this in the bargains section so why not. I'd tried once before......attending a production of "The birds" which was produced by my Philosophy lecturer. Suffice to say, I had no idea what was going on and was profoundly bored. So same playwright and an animal theme....what did I have to lose apart from an hour or two of my time. Ok. I've read it and even read the accompanying notes which were pretty helpful. Clearly, it would have even been more helpful to be a native Athenian at the time the plays were being produced...because a lot of the humour is clearly focused on well known individuals etc. Even the audience is berated for their show more shortcomings. However, I'm afraid that the subtlety of the plot with Aeschylus as the old master dramatist being offset against the newer trendier Euripides....and Aeschylus seemingly coming out on top. I must say that I was expecting a lot more from the frogs but they only seem to appear during the boat ride across the lake with the boatman Charon. And that's it. Nor do they seem to add a great deal of content.
So am I any the wiser for my reading? Not much. I think I will have to read a few more of these classic plays and do the background research to understand what they were really writing about. There was the odd spot where even I could pick up the humour ...such as when they are trying to prove their immortality by not feeling pain when whipped. But (like most humour) it doesn't survive translation or change in context too well.
I'll give it the benefit of the doubt but it's hard going so only one star from me. show less

While parts of this play were opaque to me (I assume references to other classical Greek plays that I have not read), other sections were quite amusing. I particularly enjoyed the fight between Aeschylus and Euripides for the position of best (dead) writer of tragedy!

As is well known, the god Dionysus likes to bring Euripides, who has recently died, back to the quick. But when he comes to Hades, it turns out to become a competition between Euripides and Aeschylus, who is the greater poet. Now, who should be saved? I saw the play in the sixties. In a South-German fringe theatre. With croaking from an audio tape.

While parts of this play were opaque to me (I assume references to other classical Greek plays that I have not read), other sections were quite amusing. I particularly enjoyed the fight between Aeschylus and Euripides for the position of best (dead) writer of tragedy!

A very interesting musical, with a very specific setting. It's in many ways very similar to Aristophanes Frogs with Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare instead of greek playwrights. It's enjoyable, but I was left with the feeling there was something not quite right about the show, though it may be the visual spectacle of seeing the show is what's missing from my experience.

Gracioso en ocasiones, la partes con los siervos son buenisimas.

Pero muchas de las bromas se refieren a trozos de obras de la epoca. Mi edicion afortunadamente tenia muchas notas a pie de pagina pero aun asi era muy dificil seguir las bromas. Mas bien los insultos que se tiraban los unos a los otros.

No me cabe duda que en la epoca fue lo maximo pero ahora mismo o al menos para mi sin tener conocimiento de las otras obras me perdi las partes mas graciosas.

Gracioso en ocasiones, la partes con los siervos son buenisimas.

Pero muchas de las bromas se refieren a trozos de obras de la epoca. Mi edicion afortunadamente tenia muchas notas a pie de pagina pero aun asi era muy dificil seguir las bromas. Mas bien los insultos que se tiraban los unos a los otros.

No me cabe duda que en la epoca fue lo maximo pero ahora mismo o al menos para mi sin tener conocimiento de las otras obras me perdi las partes mas graciosas.