Aristophanes: Birds; Lysistrata; Women at the Thesmophoria (Loeb Classical Library No. 179) (Greek and English Edition)

Sssooo modern & hilarious. It's like being in a gym room locker but it's an actual play..Much like South Park, while crude & hilarious, to me, it also has A Lot of meaning. Aristophanes could be called the original comedic philosopher 💯

Very nice translations and Oh! it is a glory to be able to read the old Greek documents as I had to learn 40 or more years ago. I love them. And who doesn't love an anti-war play (Lysistrata) with lots of sexual connotations for fun!

I read the work in close conjunction with the Greek text, and I can tell you that Henderson is far and away an excellent translator. His English is readable but 'Greek,' subtly precise, and (most importantly) still funny. His introductions were also very effective--brief, as a Loeb should be, but thorough, to the benefit of the reader. If you're looking for a translation of any play by Aristophanes, I suggest Henderson as your first choice.

I purchased this volume because I was studying the Lysistrata, so this review will perforce be biased towards this play.Previous translations (e.g. Loeb's B.B. Rogers) were more than a little inaccurate due to the constraints of the morals of the time. I have visions of mental gymnastics and linguistic contortionism being employed to avoid any hint of naughtiness.The main gist of the Lysistrata is the women of Classical Greece are fed up of the never-ending wars, and decide to go on strike - in the bedroom. Hit the men right where it hurts! As you can appreciate, prior to recent times, such matters were frowned upon, especially seeing as such classics were often studied in schools.What I adore about the Lysistrata is the humour. At times it is more than reminiscent of classic Carry On films, with doubles-entendres flying around in various directions. At other times, it is slightly more graphic. Either way, it represents a record of ancient humour, captured like a fly in amber.Jeffrey Henderson renders a lovely translation which contains a decent balance between linguistic accuracy and accessibility. The characters come to life, encapsulated in the seemingly casual phrases that Aristophanes places in their mouths. I find the play genuinely funny, as well as controversial. I'm tempted to suggest that an older translation (like the aforementioned Rogers) is also obtained. The historiography (?) of the translations is absolutely fascinating, and hilarious in places.As with all the green Loeb books, the accompanying Greek original allows the reader to check the playwright's own writing.I mentioned the gist of the play above. There are one or two graphic references to items I should not normally associate with an Amazon review, although I am led to believe that these items are actually sold on this site. Let's just say that ancient women had recourse to artificial devices to relieve frustration when their men were not around. Similarly, there is a mention of something that is now referred to as a "Brazilian". Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose?