The Acharnians Literary Elements

Greek Old Comedy

Ancient Greek

Athens, 425 (six years into the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta)

As this is a play, it has a third-person perspective following the main character, Dikaiopolis, as he argues politics with the men of Athens.

Light, satirical

Protagonist: Dikaiopolis, an Athenian who wants peace and the end of the Peloponnesian War, at least for himself. Antagonist: The Spartans are clearly the enemies in the war, but Dikaiopolis's more immediate antagonists are the Acharnians, who are firmly opposed to peace with Sparta.

Dikaiopolis attempts to convince the Chorus, made up of old Acharnian men, that peace with Sparta is the most desirable course of action, in opposition to General Lamachus, who is all in favor of war.

The play ends with Lamachus stumbling back from war, wounded, and Dikaiopolis stumbling back from a feast with the Spartans, drunk and with a girl on each arm, demonstrating the divergent consequences of each course of action with regard to the Spartans.

Dikaiopolis's opening monologue, in which he expresses his weariness of the war, foreshadows his attempts to convince the rest of the Chorus that peace would be preferable to war that makes up the majority of the play.

"I accept it, ratify it, drink it at one draught and consign the Acharnians to limbo." - Dikaiopolis

Aristophanes includes allusions to many famous Greeks from the time period, including Aeschylus, Euripedes, Cleon, and many more, as well as to the large war going on at the time between Athens and Sparta: the Peloponnesian War.

The play opens with an image of Dikaiopolis alone on the steps of the Pnyx, where he laments about the war and longs for peace. This solitary image evokes the sense that Dikaiopolis is alone in his belief, but by the time the play ends, he has convinced many of his fellow Athenians to join his side.

Amphitheus claims to be no mere man, but an immortal descended from Ceres and Triptolemus. Paradoxically, however, he spends the whole play running around doing errands for mortals and fleeing the Acharnians, of whom he is mortally afraid.

Dikaiopolis's first persuasive speech, in which he dresses up and convinces half of the Chorus to join the side of peace, parallels his second persuasive speech, in which he convinces the other half of the Chorus to join them.

"Here I stand chilled to the bone, whilst the doors of the Prytaneum fly wide open to lodge such rascals." - Dikaiopolis

The play opens with Dikaiopolis delivering a soliloquy, alone on the steps of the Pnyx. There are also many instances of aside, in which he makes snarky comments to the audience about the people currently speaking on stage. Besides these references, there are also scattered instructions to the actors about when to perform certain important actions, when to enter and leave, and so forth.