Source edition
Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This comedy depicts the struggle of Chremylus, a poor but honest Athenian farmer, to resolve the unjust distribution of wealth. Following an oracle of Apollo, he discovers that a blind old man he has taken in is actually Plutus, the god of wealth. Believing that restoring the god's sight will ensure that wealth goes to the righteous rather than the wicked, Chremylus plans to cure him. Despite a fierce debate with the goddess of Poverty (Penia), who warns that universal wealth will eliminate the incentive to work, Chremylus successfully heals Plutus at the temple of Asclepius. As a result, society is transformed, filling Chremylus's house with riches while leaving professional informers and an old woman who lost her young lover in dismay. Finally, even the Olympian gods, starving due to a lack of human sacrifices, beg to serve Chremylus's household, and the play concludes with a grand procession to restore Plutus to his rightful temple on the Acropolis.