Extravagant power of invention and remarkable comic vitality make Aristophanes one of the most brilliant of the ancient Greek playwrights. From the hilariously bawdy yet fundamentally serious play, "Lysistrata", to the creative fantasy of the "Birds", to his comic masterpiece, the "Frogs", Aristophanes displays the biting satire, exquisite lyricism and licentious frankness that continue to make audiences laugh at the immensity of their own follies. A poet who hated an age of decadence, armed conflict and departure from tradition, Aristophanes' comic genius influenced the political and social order of his own fifth-century Athens. His true claim upon our attention is as the most brilliant and artistic and thoughtful wit our world has known. [Back cover].