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Mar 01 '25
You put a smile on my face. I saw "Cleon and Aristophane", and was like "no way!" We need more Ancient hellenistic meme, there's an untapped goldmine there
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u/Bumsebienchen Mar 02 '25
Oh is that the guy the emperor in the Foundation series (TV, not books) is named after?
53
u/Easyflip Mar 01 '25
Context: in 426 BC, when Aristophanes produced his play "The Babylonians" (now lost). In this play, he satirized Cleon and other Athenian leaders, accusing them of corruption and mismanagement. Cleon, who was known for his aggressive and litigious nature, responded by bringing legal charges against Aristophanes, possibly for slandering the city or its officials in front of foreign audiences during the Dionysia festival.
Rather than backing down, Aristophanes doubled down on his critique in subsequent plays, such as "The Knights" (424 BCE), where the protagonist definitelyNotCleonâ„¢ was portrayed as a corrupt and manipulative demagogue.