For some prep as I at last get back into reviewing the surviving fragments of ancient Greek comedy every now and then, here’s my 2011 review of Demoi by Eupolis. Along with Aristophanes and Cratinus, Eupolis was one of the Big Three of Attic Old Comedy. Background info is HERE.
THE PREMISE
Demoi is considered to be Eupolis’ greatest political satire. The premise is simplicity itself. An Athenian named Pyronides, like many of his fellow citizens, is disgusted with the pettiness, corruption and incompetence of the current crop of political and military leaders in the great city-state. Thus motivated, Pyronides retrieves four of the greatest figures of Athens’ storied past from the Netherworld and brings them back with him so they may set things right.
THE PLAY
In my introductory post about AGC (see above) I illustrated the similar problems faced by the Athenians’ ancient experiment in popular rule and our own often teetering enterprise. Corruption, partisanship and a tendency to subordinate the general good in the name of personal gain were as rampant then as now.
As all societies are prone to do, the Athenians romanticized the leaders of the past, believing them to be of a heroic stature lacking in the current crop of Athenian politicians and generals. Pyronides sets out to restore the cultural and political capital of the Hellenic world to its glory days by descending into Hades’ realm and returning with Pericles, Miltiades, Aristeides and Solon the Lawgiver (just in case you thought I meant Solon the Bus Driver). Continue reading
As promised this time around I’ll depart from the works of Aristophanes to examine the fragmentary remains of a work by another genius of Ancient Greek Comedy, in this case Eupolis. 
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