Source edition
Aristides. Vol. 1. Dindorf, Wilhelm, editor. Leipzig: Reimer, 1829.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This oration passionately argues for the complete prohibition of comedy, criticizing the slander and rowdy behavior of comic performers during religious festivals. Addressing an audience in Smyrna, the orator begins by urging them to maintain piety toward the gods and to eradicate the harmful customs of defamation and revelry during sacred rites. He exposes the deception of those who defend insults and drunkenness in theaters by claiming they have educational value, and criticizes society's lax attitude toward choosing educators. Furthermore, the orator argues that comedy is driven by private grudges and greed, threatening virtuous youth and damaging the city's reputation, and therefore must be banned entirely. Finally, he denounces the vulgarity of comic language and gestures, warning of moral decay, and calls on the citizens to reclaim their dignity as educated individuals.