Overcoming Adversity with Individuality

During times of war, it is easy for the domestic and political spheres of a society to become fractured, and in turn, give rise to corruption. In Archarnians, Aristophanes fabricates a play that reflects upon the conditions during the Peloponnesian war in Greece and its aftermath. Throughout the play, Aristophanes does not criticize what he considers to be the dangerous extreme of democratic individualism, but rather supports the noticeable actions of democratic individualism through his characterization of Dicaeopolis, a common Greek farmer. Aristophanes shows that Dicaeopolis’ strong democratic individualism through times of war enables him to separate his good from the good of the state. Dicaeopolis attempts to assert his individuality through his decision to go against the state and make a personal treaty with the Spartans, resulting in his establishment of a mart in which all good things come to him in their own accord, and his ability to achieve all of his desires with noticeable ease. Dicaeopolis, through his strong self-assertiveness and individualism, succeeds in becoming the master of his own political and familial worlds.

The play begins with Dicaeopolis addressing the audience in a monologue, the beginning of the play shows the first example of his first opposing political stance against the assembly of Athens. Dicaeopolis introduces to the audience that most of his problems are associated with life in the city, and ...

-104 -133 -54 -58 -623 -625 103 130 50 56 620 623 abil abl abroad absurd accept accompani accord acharnian achiev action address advers aftermath agre allow alon also ambassador ancient appeal archanian archarnian argument aristophan armistic arrang arrest assembl assert assn associ assum athen attempt audienc back becom begin belov benefit better blind boeotian buck build call cannot chanc character characterist choos citi citizen cloth coexist come common compar competit compos condit confid consid continu corrupt could courag cours creat critic crowd danger deaf decid decis defin democraci democract democrat deni desir dicaeopoli dicaepoli differ displeas dissuad divid domest done eas easi easili effect egocentr either eleven enabl encount end endeavor endur enemi entir entrust establish euripid even everyon everywher evid exampl express extent extrem fabric failur famili far farm farmer feasibl felt final first fractur free freedom general gentlemen get give go god godson gold good got grant great greec greek group hand handl harri help high hostil howev hum hundr hurt idea immers immort incom indiffer individu individualist ineffectu inevit infatu instead intend interpret introduc introduct journey justifi kiddi kill king lamachus leisur life line littl look louder luxuri m made magistr main make man mani mart master matter megarian messag money monologu motif mutual natur notic observ occur offer offic oh one one-tim opinion oppos opposit option order outcom overcom overrid peac peloponnasian peloponnesian persia persian person plain play plea plot polit politician poloponnesian portray possibl power prais present prevail prime pro pro-war problem proclaim promin provid purpos rather realiz reason receiv reflect reinforc reoccur repli respect respons restor result right rise satir say scene scheme see seen self self-assert send sens separ ship show side situat societi son soon spartan speak speech sphere stanc state strengthen strong succeed success support take talk theme thing though throughout thus time trade travel travel-money treati triumphant troop turn two unfold upon us utmost ve villag vocabulari wage want war way well win wish woman won world would wrath wretch write year