Why Did Aeschylus and Euripides Attack Each Other?
The Frogs is a notable literary work by Aristophanes. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of The Frogs.
Answer
Why did Aeschylus and Euripides attack each other? What was the result?
The clash between Aeschylus and Euripides in Aristophanes’s (446-386 BC) play “The Frogs” (405 BC) centers on a competition in Hades. These two legendary Greek tragedians engage in a fierce battle of words and wits. Aeschylus (525 to 456 B.C.E.) is known as the “Father of Tragedy.” Euripides (circa 480 to 406 B.C.E.) was famous for his more modern and complex characters and plots.
Aeschylus Criticizes Euripides’s Modernism: Aeschylus launches a fierce attack on Euripides. He does this for his deviation from traditional values and the grandeur of tragic poetry. He accuses Euripides of corrupting the essence of tragedy. As Aeschylus proclaims,
My poetry did not die with me, but his did once he died.
This quote highlights Aeschylus’s belief that his works possess lasting value.
Euripides Defends His Style: Euripides counters by criticizing Aeschylus for being overly dramatic and heavy-handed in his writing. He claims that he refined tragedy by reducing its weight, as he argues,
When I … took this art of plays from you, / crammed with bombast to the gills. / … I … reduced its weight.
Euripides justifies his approach by asserting that he taught Athenians to think critically, love new ideas, and challenge conventional norms.
The Final Test of Advice for Athens: Dionysus, the contest judge, asks the poets to offer advice to save Athens. Aeschylus advises putting nobler people in the office. Euripides’s advice lacks the same weight. This test leads Dionysus to declare,
Whichever one of you will give our state / the best advice, well, that’s the man I’ll take.
Aeschylus wins, securing his return to the living world to restore Athens.
In short, the rivalry between Aeschylus and Euripides highlights the tension between traditional values and modern ideas in tragedy. However, the contest ultimately concludes with Aeschylus’s victory.