Aristophanes
Aristophanes (c. 446 BCE – c. 386 BCE) was an Athenian poet and playwright who lived during the 5th century BCE, which he was known as "The Father of Comedy" and "the Prince of Ancient Comedy".[1]
Aristophanes was a member of Perikles' inner circle, befriending and gaining the tutelage of fellow poets that included Euripides and Sophokles. Aristophanes and the rest of the circle came to befriend the misthios Kassandra, aiding in her efforts to take down Perikles' rival Kleon.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Befriending Kassandra[edit | edit source]
At the age of 15, Aristophanes became affiliated with numerous intellectuals in Athens and soon became a part of the inner circle of the city's ruler, Perikles.[2]
In 431 BCE, Aristophanes was one of the individuals invited by Perikles to attend a symposium at his villa. He attended the party among other guests, which included his fellow playwrights Euripides and Sophokles. Due to Aristophanes' comical style of writing, Sophokles was not happy that Euripides associated himself with him. A while later, Aristophanes and Euripides met the misthios Kassandra, who came to the symposium to seek information on her mother's whereabouts.[3] Kassandra served him and Euripides drinks in exchange for information from the latter.[4]
Around the same time, Aristophanes came into constant conflict with fellow playwright Hermippos, who was secretly a member of the Cult of Kosmos and openly voiced his support of Kleon, a rival of Perikles. While talking with Sokrates about Hermippos near the Akropolis Sanctuary, Aristophanes was approached by Kassandra, who questioned him about his conflict with Hermippos. Aristophanes asked Kassandra to look for Hermippos and investigate his affiliation with Kleon, leading her to discover his membership in the Cult.[5]
Later on, when Athens was hit by a plague in 429 BCE, Aristophanes and the rest of Perikles' associates took shelter within the statesman' own villa.[6] Perikles himself, however, perished soon after, being killed by the Cult of Kosmos' enforcer Deimos at the Parthenon.[7]
Opposition against Kleon[edit | edit source]
Perikles' death allowed Kleon to rise in popularity and power, becoming the most powerful man in all of Athens. In response, Aristophanes and the rest of the surviving circle members worked to resist his rule. Following Kassandra's return to Athens in 424 BCE, Aristophanes assisted her in tarnishing Kleon's reputation in the city. However, his prized actor Thespis had gone missing, and so he tasked Kassandra with finding him.[8] He then wrote the play The Knights to criticize Kleon, and it was a massive success as Aristophanes later recalled to Kassandra and Sokrates in Perikles' Residence.[9]
Following Kleon's defeat and death at the Battle of Amphipolis in 422 BCE, Aristophanes was present at Perikles' residence with the other members of the circle to celebrate their victory.[10]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Aristophanes's first meeting with Kassandra -
Aristophanes with the rest of the Periklean Circle -
Aristophanes, Kassandra and Sokrates proposing a play to tarnish Kleon's reputation
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR (mentioned in Database entry only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑
Aristophanes on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Perikles's Symposium
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Drink Up
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Free Speech
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Abandoned By the Gods
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – And the Streets Run Red
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – An Actor's Life for Me
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Knights
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – We Remember