Primary sourceBook405 BCE
The Frogs
Aristophanes · 405 BCE
A comedy by Aristophanes whose chorus mocks people who 'sit chattering beside Socrates,' showing how Athenians viewed him years before his trial.
This comedy's mocking reference to Socrates shows how his contemporaries viewed him years before his trial and death.
About this source
What it is
The Frogs is a comic play written by the Athenian playwright Aristophanes, first performed in 405 BCE at the Lenaia festival. It mainly follows the god Dionysus on a journey to the underworld, but includes a passing mocking reference to those who associate with Socrates.
Why it matters
Though Socrates is not a main character, the joke shows that Athenians still saw him as a figure worth mocking for his style of talking and thinking, years after Aristophanes' earlier comedy The Clouds had already satirised him, and years before his trial for impiety. It is useful evidence for how ordinary Athenians perceived Socrates during his lifetime, outside of the philosophical texts written about him.
Look closer
- Why might a comic playwright find Socrates and his followers funny?
- How might mockery in a popular play have shaped public opinion of Socrates before his trial?
- What does this joke suggest about how unusual Socrates seemed to his contemporaries?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Socrates and Sophocles on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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