Frogs Quotes

Xanthias' load joke

"I've such a load that if I can't relieve myself I'll fart it all away..."

Xanthias' topical and vulgar humour about Arginusae

"Why didn't I fight in that sea-battle? Then I could tell you to bugger off."

Visual humour of Dionysus' outfit

"look at that lionskin on top of your little yellow number"

What analogy is used for Heracles?

"craving for lentil soup"

Innuendo about desire between Dionysus and Heracles

"Desire? What kind of desire?" "For a man?"

Charon's ironic sarcasm

"Who wants to go to hell or Damnation?"

Charon insults Dionysus

"your seat's here, fatty"

The Frog chorus' annoying verbal refrain of the ancient 'ribbit'

"bre-ke-ke-kex co-ax co-ax"

Dionysus' vulgar complaint about the frogs

"I am beginning to feel a pain - in the arse"

Xanthias on Dionysus shitting himself

"I'm afraid your tunic's turned brown from fright"

Dionysus directly addresses audience

"Priest, save me - I'll get you a drink after the show"

Mocking Hegelochus' mispronunciation in Orestes

"After the storm, a calm weasel"

Politicians satirised in Frogs (3)

"primate Cleigenes", "have a laugh at Archedemus", "Cleisthenes' arsehole"

Vulgar humour about girl in the Mysteries

"A little booby peeped out" "I'd quite like to join the chorus - and play with her myself"

Aeacus insulting Heracles/Dionyus

"You disgusting, shameless, arrogant, brutal, totally brutal, most brutallest man"

Dionysus' scatological humour and cowardice

"I've made a craprifice"

Xanthias parodying Euripides to insult Dionysus' cowardice

"You are the most cowardly of gods - and men"

Xanthias on switching costumes and roles

"not Heracles, but Xanthacles! Now see if I am as cowardly and lacking in spirit as you"

Dionysus' masturbation euphemism

"I start buffing my chick-pea"

Pandoceutria mocking kothornoi

"So you weren't expecting me to recognise you in those high-heeled boots?"

Xanthias suggesting punishing Dionysus to Aeacus

"Take this slave of mine and torture him"

Example of bathos when Xanthias lays out rules of torture to Aeacus

"Except leeks. Don't hit him with a leek - not even a little one."

Slapstick/farce in Dionysus and Xanthias getting flogged

"A blow for you, a blow for him"

Parabasis: what a chorus should do?

"It is right for a holy chorus to encourage and instruct the city in what's good for it."

Parabasis: Phrynicus

"If anyone has been tripped or thrown by one of Phrynicus' moves and made a mistake, I say their slip should be overlooked and, once they've explained themselves, the slate wiped clean"

Parabasis: citizenship

"No man in our city should be without rights"

Parabasis: slaves at the Battle of Arginusae

"Let us gladly claim as brothers and honoured citizens all who fight with us at sea"

Parabasis: commentary on old politicians

"The ones we know to be noble, wise and just, the finest men, raised to wrestle and dance and sing, these men we chuck aside."

Parabasis: commentary on new politicians

"Instead, it's the base-metalled, copper-topper topped foreigners we rely on for everything, the scum of the earth"

Parabasis: advice on which politicians to choose

"Now's the time, you silly fools, to change your ways and go for gold again."

Xanthias talking to the other slave about his master

"all he cares about is boozing and boinking"

Slave on his master

"Every time I curse my master behind my back, I feel like I'm in heaven"

What is said to make slaves the happiest?

Cursing their masters, grumbling after a beating, snooping and passing on gossip to outsiders

Parodying of Aeschylus' refrains, verbal humour

"ay-ee the blow" "phlatto-thratto-phlatto-thrat"

Parodying of Euripides' refrains, verbal humour (potentially with prop)

"lost his little bottle"

Aeschylus on the purpose of tragedy

"children have teachers to instruct them, young men have poets"

Euripides' religious stance being parodied

"Thanks, but I pray to other gods"

Euripides' 'other gods'

"Air, which sustains me, hinge of my tongue, native wit and keen-scented nostrils"

Dionysus' alliterate scatological humour

"All those blows have ballooned my bladder"

Dionysus on the surrealist method of choosing a winner

"weigh up the skill of poets as if I were selling cheese"

Dionysus verbal humour in agon - "don't stop until I say.."

"Cock-a-doodle-doo"

Dionysus on the difference between Aeschylus and Euripides

"One I find clever, the other I enjoy"

Dionysus on Alcibiades and the city

"It longs for him. It detests him. But it wants to keep him"

Euripides reaction to Aeschylus being chosen

"What are you doing, you lousy shit?"

Chorus final lines on advising the city

"Grant the city good advice that brings great benefits"

Chorus' final lines on war

"May our great troubles, / Our destructive use of arms / End completely"