Who wrote The Frogs?
The Frogs was written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was first performed at the Lenaia festival in Athens in 405 BC and won first place.
Questions about The Frogs
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is The Frogs by Aristophanes about?
The Frogs follows the god Dionysus and his slave Xanthias on a comic journey to the underworld to bring back the tragedian Euripides. Dionysus ends up judging a contest between Euripides and the elder poet Aeschylus for the underworld's throne of tragedy, and chooses to revive Aeschylus instead.
Why does Dionysus disguise himself as Heracles in The Frogs?
Dionysus disguises himself as his half-brother Heracles because Heracles had already traveled to the underworld once before, to retrieve the guard dog Cerberus, and knew the way. The disguise backfires repeatedly, since several characters in the underworld are still angry at Heracles over the theft of Cerberus.
Who wins the poetry contest between Euripides and Aeschylus in The Frogs?
Aeschylus wins the contest in The Frogs. After a literal weighing of their verses and a final test on political advice for Athens, Dionysus judges Aeschylus's practical answers better than Euripides' clever but empty ones, and chooses to revive him instead.
When was The Frogs adapted into a musical?
The Frogs was adapted into a musical in 1974 by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove, premiering at Yale University's Olympic-size swimming pool with an ensemble cast that included Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Christopher Durang. It reached Broadway in 2004 with additional Sondheim songs and revisions by Nathan Lane.
Where does the title of The Frogs come from?
The title of The Frogs comes from the parodos, the first choral interlude, in which a chorus of frogs sings the refrain Brekekekèx-koàx-koáx and annoys Dionysus. Frogs appear only this once in the entire play.