Who Are the Intellectuals in “The Frogs?”

Answer

Who are the intellectuals in “The Frogs?” 

In “The Frogs” (405 B.C.), Aristophanes (446-386 B.C.) presents a comic yet critical examination of the intellectuals of his time. The play highlights how these figures have shaped Athenian culture and politics. The two central intellectuals in the play are the tragedians Aeschylus (525/524 – 456/455 B.C.) and Euripides (480-406 B.C.), who represent different schools of thought and artistic values.

Criticism of Euripides and His Intellectual Influence: Euripides, who represents the new wave of intellectual thought in Athens, is portrayed as the chief target of Aristophanes’s criticism. In the play, Euripides argues that his plays have taught Athenians to think critically and to question everything. However, Aristophanes suggests this “critical thinking” has done more harm than good. Euripides’s plays are filled with cunning, deceitful, and morally ambiguous characters, which, according to Aristophanes, has led to a society that values trickery over virtue. Euripides himself admits this flaw during the poetic contest when he says:

I taught them to think,

… to understand, to love new twists

and double dealing, to suspect the worst.

Aristophanes uses this line to show how the so-called intellectuals have made Athenians more suspicious and less noble.

The Importance of Tradition and Virtue: In contrast, Aeschylus represents the older, more traditional values that Aristophanes believes Athens desperately needs. Aeschylus argues that his plays taught Athenians to be brave, noble, and virtuous:

They’ve been useful from the start,

the noble race of poets. There’s Orpheus—

he taught us … not to kill.

With their grand language and heroic characters, Aeschylus’s plays are seen as guiding people toward the ideals of courage and honor. Aristophanes suggests that Athens needs a return to these values rather than the intellectual trends that focus on cleverness and moral ambiguity.

The intellectuals in The Frogs are Aeschylus and Euripides, who represent conflicting approaches to art and thought. Through their debate, Aristophanes critiques the impact of modern intellectuals on Athenian culture, advocating for a return to traditional values to save the city.