The Birds
by Aristophanes (-450–-388)
- Free to read
- 1 hour to read
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Birds" by Aristophanes is a comedy performed in 414 BC at the City Dionysia in Athens. Two Athenians, fed up with city life, convince the birds to build a magnificent city in the sky and reclaim their ancient status as the original gods. Led by the clever Pisthetaerus, the birds prepare to challenge the Olympian gods themselves. What follows is a fantastical tale of ambition, transformation, and cosmic power struggles, filled with colorful avian characters and surprising visitors.
- Comedy plays
- Greek drama (Comedy) · Translations into English
- Birds
- Athens (Greece) · Social life and customs
- Gods, Greek
- Imaginary societies
- Aristophanes · Translations into English
Read the opening
Produced by Derek Davis
THE BIRDS
By Aristophanes
(Translator uncredited. Footnotes have been retained because they provide the meanings of Greek names, terms and ceremonies and explain puns and references otherwise lost in translation. Occasional Greek words in the footnotes have not been included. Footnote numbers, in brackets, start anew at (1) for each piece of dialogue, and each footnote follows immediately the dialogue to which it refers, labeled thus: f(1).
INTRODUCTION
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About this edition
This free edition of The Birds by Aristophanes comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #3013, released 2002-01-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas, Classics of Literature.
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
