Ralph M. Rosen, Ph.D. (1983), Harvard University, is Vartan Gregorian Professor of the Humanities and Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He has published broadly on Greek and Roman literature and culture, with a focus on ancient comedy and satire, comparative poetics, Greek intellectual history and ancient medicine.Helene P. Foley, Ph.D. (1975), Harvard University, Claire Tow Professor of Classics at Barnard College, Columbia University has published books and articles on Greek epic and drama, on women and gender in Antiquity, and on modern performance and adaptation of Greek drama.

"Thankfully, these dozen essays transcend the tired questions (from the late 18th-century onward) of “Aristophanes’ politics” that subjected the playwright to the historical equivalent of Gallup polling. Provocative and nuanced, most of them succeed in showing, by contrast, how the dramatist embodies and enacts a public role: Aristophanes is politics." - Richard Martin, in: BMCR 2021.04.36"This is a stimulating and thought-provoking volume for whoever wants to have a dialogue with up-to-date research on the topic." - Mariana Franco San Roman, in: The Classical Review 71.2 311–313''No seu todo, há que louvar a coerência do volume e a articulação entre as diversas contribuições, suscitando por vezes interessantes – e como que involuntárias – divergências, internas ao próprio conjunto. Além disso, algumas das colaborações apostam manifestamente em perspetivas e interpretações inovadoras sobretudo quando estão em causa peças concretas. A leitura deste estudo criativo e inovador sobre uma matéria que necessita, em função da própria evolução da experiência social humana, de uma constante revisão, é certamente da maior valia para todos os que se rendem ao encanto das comédias de Aristófanes.'' Maria de Fátima Silva in Cadmo 2021.

• Introduction Helene P. Foley and Ralph M. Rosen1 Prolegomena: Accessing and Understanding Aristophanic PoliticsRalph M. Rosen2 Politics and Laughter: the Case of Aristophanes’ KnightsRobin Osborne3 Patterns of Avoidance and Indirection in Athenian Political SatireJeffrey Henderson4 Conservative and Radical: Aristophanic Comedy and Populist Debate in Democratic AthensI. A. Ruffell5 Aristophanes’ Political Comedies and (Bad?) ImitationsOlimpia Imperio6 Politics in the Street: Some Citizen Encounters in AristophanesStephen Halliwell7 The Politics of Diversity: a Quantitative Analysis of AristophanesCarina de Klerk8 Strong Household, Strong City: Space and Politics in Aristophanes’ AcharniansNina Papathanasopoulou9 Aristophanes’ Birds as Satire on Athenian Opportunists in ThraceEdith Hall10 The Politics of Dissensus in Aristophanes’ BirdsMario Telò11 Inscribing Athenians: the Alphabetic Chorus in Aristophanes’ Babylonians and the Politics and Aesthetics of Inscription and Conscription in Fifth-Century AthensDeborah Steiner12 Afterword: the Boy from Cydathenaeum Some Concluding ReflectionsPaul CartledgeIndex