Comparison of "The Acharnians"

A detailed Summary of Comparison of "The Acharnians"

Comparison of "The Acharnians", Written and Performed

Aristophanes' words and ideas proved to be relevant in today's society in Bailiwick Theater's performance of "The Acharnians". According to the program, this performance of the "The Acharnians" is about one man's private peace during the compassionately conservative bombing campaign on Canada, the adventures that befell him thereafter, and what Jesus and the Tooth fairy had to say about it all. Based on this description one might think that this play does not even resemble the original play that Aristophanes had intended to be performed. I too, expected it to be more true to the classic poise and rhetoric, and was a little weary when the actors entered wearing tie dye shirts and overalls. Upon closer examination and consideration, I realized however that this adaptation is quite similar to the original script. Many parallels and comparisons can be made between modern times and classical times. The crew claim to have done little in adapting the script but change the names of gods, wars, and government officials, but some of the basic plot and ideas were altered a bit also.

Dicaeopolis, like that of his counterpart in the original version of this play, is a farmer who w

Another similarity is seen when Al Gore, or Phallus Boringest, enters representing Dercetes. Dercetes, however, was not a former vice president and was not crying because he lost an election. Instead he was just a man who lost his oxen and was begging for a portion of Dicaeopolis' peace. In the play, the man is asked to join the peace celebration, but in the text he is sent away and told to cry somewhere else. In a way this proved my suspicion that the adaptors of this play were liberals who were trying to make a mockery of the current political system. By offering peace to the democrat and rejecting and negatively portraying the republican, they revealed there far left viewpoints.

A difference from the text is apparent in the next scene. In the text, Dicaeopolis has a family and in Lyric Scene I he is described as celebrating with them. In the play however he has no such family. The reason is revealed later when he disguises himself. As he is making a sacrifice, the Acharnians enter and try to stone him. The Acharnians are portrayed as pro-war, oil tycoons who want to destroy the environment and drill for oil wherever possible. This parallel is quite similar to the charcoal burning Acharnians in the text, since burning wood for charcoal was a significant industry in Aristophanes' time, as is the oil industry today. In the play he takes an oil barrel hostage and appeals for a trial, the Acharnians agree.

In this adaptation the Peloponnesian War with Sparta is instead a bombing campaign against Canada. Canada was probably chosen for its proximity to the United States, as Athens' proximity to Sparta. As the play progresses an ambassador enters. This ambassador is not from Persia, but from Russia, and the United States wishes to buy nuclear war heads from them. As in the text, Dicaeopolis refers to the ambassador as a peacock. The next character on stage is Jesus Christ, instead of the Godson seen in the text.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jesus Tooth, Lyric Scene, Episode IV, Dercetes Dercetes, George Bush, Phallus Lamachus, Pez Pez, Immigration Naturalization, Jesus Christ, Dicaeopolis Jesus, christian heterosexual, text dicaeopolis, george bush, christian heterosexual male, male 23 children, class christian heterosexual, heterosexual male, tooth fairy, male 23, children dog, 23 children, bombing campaign, closer examination consideration, bombing campaign canada, campaign canada,

Approximate Word count = 1298
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts