35 pages • 1 hour read
The Frogs
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Character Analysis
Xanthias
Xanthias is a character who may have been quite familiar to Athenian society, which had a large population of enslaved residents. The city’s relationship with enslavement was debated, in particular with regard to the ethics of enslaving fellow Greeks. In 416, Athens had slaughtered the male population of Melos after the island’s leaders insisted on remaining neutral in the Peloponnesian war, and enslaved its women and children. This event has been described as the inspiration for Euripides’ play Trojan Women, which explores the treatment of captive women of a conquered city.
Though they cannot be taken at face value, some ancient sources suggest the conditions of enslaved people were better in Athens than in other parts of the Greek-speaking world, even going so far as to claim it was difficult to tell differentiate between free and enslaved people. In some cases, it was possible for enslaved people to buy their freedom, and enslaved men were able to secure their freedom by fighting on the side of Athens at the Battle of Arginousai in 406.
Xanthias is not one of those men, however, which is a point returned to more than once. He is portrayed as clever, good-natured, and courageous. He suggests to Dionysos that he employ the services of a corpse (already on its way to Hades) to carry his bags and, when this plan falls through, agrees that Dionysos was right not to pay the corpse’s inflated price. Xanthias is the first to recognize that they have arrived at Herakles’ designated point. He gamely trades costumes with Dionysos, and cleverly conspires to have Dionysos whipped, but also offers himself up for punishment as well.
Dionysos
In the ancient Greek imagination, Dionysos can represent many things. He was the god of theater to whom festivals like the Lenaia were dedicated as well as the god of grapes and wine, sacred ecstasy, and ritual madness. He could be a terrifying god capable of bending people’s minds to madness (as depicted in Euripides’ play The Bacchae) but also joyful and playful. In some myths, his mother was Semele (a daughter of Theban king Cadmus) and Zeus. After jealous Hera tricked Semele into being isolated (by forcing Zeus to promise to reveal his full power to her), Zeus sewed his son into his thigh, from which Dionysos was subsequently born.
In the play, Dionysos can be a bit of a buffoon. Herakles laughs at him, and Xanthias tricks him. He is indecisive and fearful, hiding behind Xanthias and forcing him to exchange costumes rather than face the wrath of doorkeepers and innkeepers. Nevertheless, he is acknowledged as the rightful judge of the contest between Aischylos and Euripides. He loves poetry, quoting lines from Euripides’ plays and claiming to read them while fighting at sea, and is protective of Athens. The play’s launching point is Dionysos’ desire to deliver the city from the peril it faces and put it back on the path of ascendancy. Dionysos’ final words in the play are in response to Plouton’s offer of a feast: “That’s kind, / By Zeus, I don’t object to an offer like that” (232). Whatever jokes he is the subject of in the play, his good intentions are not doubted, nor is his capacity to safeguard the city, should he choose to.
Aischylos
Aischylos (525/4-456 B.C.E.) was a historical Athenian from the region of Eleusis, the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries dedicated to Demeter. He has been described as the father of ancient Athenian tragedy because his surviving plays are the earliest that have come down to modern times.
Aischylos’ surviving plays narrate myths from both the Theban and Trojan wars as well as one, Persians, that explores the price of hubris through the lens of Persia’s leader. Six of Aischylos’ plays (and a seventh disputed) have survived complete, with others known via fragments and references in ancient sources. In addition to being a tragic playwright, he fought in three important battles that preserved Athens’ freedom from conquest by the larger Persian empire.
In Frogs, Aischylos is portrayed as a staunch supporter of traditional values, including martial power, restrained behavior, aggressive debate, and acceptance of the status quo. He prays to Demeter before the contest begins, and his advice to Athens focuses on physical strength and military tactics. Before leaving with Dionysos for Athens, he requests that in his absence his throne (as the king of tragedy) be occupied by Sophokles, his younger contemporary whose plays similarly focused on traditional martial heroes.
Euripides
Like Aischylos, Euripides (480-406 B.C.E.) was a historical Athenian who was active in the fifth century. His career began the year after Aischylos’s death and continued through the highs and lows of the Peloponnesian war. Euripides is described as having presented unorthodox views on taboo topics and was a controversial figure in his time. Comedies often parodied and satirized him unfavorably, and he was associated with Socrates, another controversial figure for his unorthodox ideas. The degree to which ancient sources correspond with facts of the historical Euripides’ life are difficult to determine. He seems to have chosen exile, though the details around this are unclear and debated by scholars.
In Frogs, the character of Euripides is portrayed as praying to his own gods. He defends himself on the grounds of having been crafty and thought-provoking. These were not considered innocent personal choices in fifth century Athens. Paying tribute to the gods was an essential community act carried out for the public good. Being crafty and thought-provoking (associated with the Homeric hero Odysseus) also carried negative connotations. When Dionysos passes over Euripides, the suggestion is that the two had made an agreement, suggestive of backroom dealing. Nevertheless, while some of Euripides’ actions are questioned and negative, it is not suggested that he intends to do harm to the city.
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By Aristophanes
