Source edition
Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
Set in Greece, which has been exhausted by the prolonged war between Athens and Sparta, this comedy depicts a whimsical adventure of a farmer trying to restore peace. The protagonist, Trygaeus, flies to the heavens on a giant dung beetle to make a direct appeal to Zeus. Upon arrival, he learns that the gods have abandoned the Greeks and that Polemos, the god of war, has imprisoned Eirene, the goddess of peace, in a cave. By winning over the god Hermes, Trygaeus rallies farmers and citizens from across Greece to successfully rescue the goddess. Returning to Earth, he celebrates the arrival of peace with the people and humorously dismisses the weapon merchants who profited from the war. The play concludes in joy with a lively wedding feast, celebrating his marriage to a handmaid of the goddess.