The Wasps - The Wasps and Old Comedy

The Wasps and Old Comedy

The Wasps has been thought to exemplify all the conventions of Old Comedy at their best - structural elements that are common to most of Aristophanes' plays are all found in this play in a complete and readily identifiable form. The table below is based on one scholar's interpretation of the play's structural elements and the poetic meters associated with them.

Dramatic and Metrical Structure
Key: Brackets enclose metrons comprising long syllables (-), short syllables (.) and long/short syllables (o). The metrical scheme thus depicted is idealized and does not include substitutions such as a tribrach (...) for an iamb (.-).
Elements Lines Metres Summary Comments
prologue 1-229 iambic trimeter dialogue setting the scene conventional opening line 1
parodos 230-47 iambic tetrameter catalectic Chorus enters escorted by boys (trochees are more usual in early plays e.g. Acharnians, Knights, Peace) line 230
248-72 Euripidean 14 syllables/line dialogue between juror and boy a quicker form of iambic rhythm line 248
273-89 complex meter Chorus wonders about Philocleon a strophe/antistrophe pair based on ionic metron but with many variations line 273
290-316 as before but simpler dialogue between juror and boy strophe/antistrophe, ionic but with fewer variations. line 290
song 317-33 complex solo lament by Philocleon mainly choriamb to 323 then anapests, reflecting a change in mood. line 317
symmetrical scene (possibly an agon) 334-64 & 365-402 trochaic and anapestic tetrameter catalectic angry dialogue between actors and chorus each half beginning with trochaic tetrameter e.g.334-45 and ending with anapestic tetrameter e.g. 346-57 but with 1 anapestic pnigos added (358-64) line 334
symmetrical scene 403-460 & 461-525 mainly trochaic tetrameter catalectic denunciations and skirmish trochaic tetrameters but with trochaic dimeters or 'runs' added. line 403
agon 526-630 & 631-724 songs and anapestic tetrameter catalectic debate between father and son strophe (526-45) and antistrophe (631-47) with iambic and choriambic metra; spoken sections in anapestic tetrameter ending in anapestic pnigoi (546-630 and 648-724) line 526
song 725-59 anapests, iambs and dochmiacs reflections on debate anapestic lines 725-8, 736-42, 750-9, other lines in iambs and dochmiacs or line 725
episode 760-862 iambic trimeter setting up a court at home dialogue in iambic trimeter line 760
song 863-90 mostly anapests prayer consecrating the new court iambic trimeter in 868-9 and 885-6; short strophe (870-4) and antistrophe (887-90) largely in iambs; anapests in 863-7 and 875-84 line 863
episode 891-1008 iambic trimeter the dog's trial dialogue in iambic trimeter line 890
parabasis 1009-14 mixed kommation anapestic (1009–10), iambic (1011–12) and trochaic (1013–14) - an unusual lead into a parabasis line 1009
1015-59 anapests parabasis proper with pnigos anapestic tetrameter catalectic ending in anapestic pnigos line 1015
1060–1121 trochees symmetrical scene trochaic strophe (1060–70) and antistrophe (1091–1101); epirrhema (1071–90) and antepirrhema (1102–21) in trochaic tetrameter catalectic line 1060
episode 1122–1264 iambic trimeter preparations for dinner party dialogue between actors in iambic trimeter line 1120
second parabasis 1265–1291 trochaic symmetrical scene trochaic strophe(1265–74) but missing an antistrophe; epirrhema (1275–83) and antepirrhema (1284–91) featuring variation on trochaic tetrameter catalectic (paeonic tetrameter) line 1265
episode 1292–1449 mostly iambic trimeter farcical consequences of the dinner party dialogue in iambic trimeter but with trochaic passages (1326–31, 1335–40) spoken by the drunken Philocleon line 1292
song 1450-73 mostly iambs and choriambs Chorus congratulates father and son first half of strophe and antistrophe iambo-choriambic lines (1450–56, 1462–68), the second half more complex line 1450
exodos 1474–1537 iambic and archilochean Philocleon in dancing mode dialogue in iambic trimeter ending in a dance (1518–37) in archilocheans line 1470

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