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Make Athens Great Again: Demagoguery and its Enemies in Aristophanes

Knights
V2 January 2017
Michael S. Kochin, kochin@post.tau.ac.il
Having brought Athens to a miraculous victory at Pylos in the midst of the
wearying and stalemated war with Sparta, Cleon is at the height of his
power when Aristophanes launches a desperate, violent, if theatrical
attack on the man, his character, and his policies. Thanks to their
exhaustion and lack of patriotism, the traditional elites, as they recognize,
need a new champion if Cleon is to be displaced. Smarting at Cleons
vulgarity, the elites seek a champion who, they think, will go even lower in
order to win. The actors on Aristophanes stage antagonize, flatter, and
challenge their audiences beliefs and hopes. I explore what the people
want from its leaders, what leaders want from the people, and what it
would mean to renew a democracy both on and off stage.

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