The comic prologue

The extant plays of Aristophanes may be broadly divided into those with a narrative prologue-speech (Ach., Knights, Cloudsy Wasps, Peace, Birds) and those (Lys., Thesm., Frogs, Eccl., Pl.) in which the exposition is largely conducted through dialogue. Although the Ploutos, where the slave's opening monologue leads into an expository dialogue, suggests that firm dividing lines are difficult to draw, the extant plays do seem to fall into two clear groups. It is striking that these groups reflect the chronology of Aristophanes' career; Aristophanes seems gradually to have moved away from reliance on a formal narrative prologue, although we must always remember that the preserved selection of comedies may not reflect accurately the development of his technique. Within the first group of plays a sub-division may be made which points towards the situation we find in New Comedy. In Knights, Wasps, Peace and Birds the prologue is delivered by a character who has already appeared in a short opening scene (cf. below p. 27). In Knights, Wasps and Peace this character is a slave, who breaks off his banter with a fellow-slave to tell the audience the λόγος or πρãγμα (‘plot’). In Birds, Euelpides too turns to address the audience and explains why the two Athenians are looking for birds in the wilderness (v. 30). In Acharnians and Clouds, however, the play begins with a narrative by the major character of the comedy; Dicaiopolis and Strepsiades explain their troubles to the audience without explicitly addressing them or acknowledging that they are acting in a play.