English translation of Aristophanes' most popular comedy, with a lively, imaginative plot, memorable heroine, and appeal for peace and tolerance between nations and between the sexes. Includes helpful notes and an introductory essay on Aristophanes, the history of the play and its production, a bibliography and suggestions for further reading.

This rollicking new translation of Aristophanes' comic masterpiece is rendered in blank verse for dialogue and in lyric meters and free verse for the songs. Appended commentary essays--on Athenian democracy, ancient Greek warfare, Athenian women, and Greek Comedy--offer lively and informative discussions not only of Aristophanes, but of the broader fifth-century social, political, and cultural context as well.