... and The Persians. Aristophanes, the greatest of comic playwrights Aristophanes introduced the coarse type of comedy known as "old comedy". His plays slashed at social and political abuses. His jeers at the tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides provide one of the earliest examples of literary criticism. Of his 54 comedies, only 11 have survived: the Acharnians, the Birds (generally regarded as his masterpiece), the Clouds, the Ecclesiazusae (the women in politics), the Frogs, the Knights ... , Lysistrata , Peace, Plutus (his last play), the ... ...

• Word Count: 2001
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School