Aristophanes’ Birds
Student’s Guide | Classical Reference Library
Richer Resources Editorial Team
About This Guide
What would you do if you could leave behind all the arguments, rules, and troubles of your city? In Aristophanes’ Birds, two Athenians hope to find a quieter place to live. Their search leads to an astonishing idea: a city built in the sky. This guide will help you follow the story and consider how a dream of freedom can become a quest for power.
Before You Read
Birds was first performed in Athens in 414 BCE, during the Peloponnesian War. It is an example of Old Comedy, a form of Greek theater filled with extravagant costumes, music, fantasy, jokes, and satire. Satire uses humor to expose human foolishness or criticize public life. The play reflects a world of political ambition, but it is not simply a disguised account of one historical event. Look for ideas that remain recognizable even when the action becomes impossible.
The Story at a Glance
Pisthetairos and Euelpides are tired of Athens. Guided by birds, they find Tereus, a former human king who has become a hoopoe. They ask where they might live peacefully. Pisthetairos soon thinks of something much grander: persuade the birds to build a city between earth and heaven. By controlling the air, the birds could block the offerings that human beings send to the gods and gain power over both groups.
The birds are suspicious at first, but Pisthetairos wins them over. Their city, Cloudcuckooland, begins to take shape. A stream of visitors arrives, including people eager to sell advice, laws, prophecies, and other services. Pisthetairos sends them away. Later, the goddess Iris passes through the new territory, and Prometheus secretly explains that the gods are suffering because sacrifices cannot reach them. When divine ambassadors come to negotiate, Pisthetairos demands Sovereignty as his bride. The play ends with a spectacular celebration of his victory.
Meet the Characters
Pisthetairos — An inventive Athenian who persuades the birds to build their city and gradually takes charge.
Euelpides — His traveling companion, who originally wants a peaceful escape from Athens.
Tereus (the Hoopoe) — A former king transformed into a bird, who introduces the travelers to the bird world.
The Chorus of Birds — A lively community that first resists the Athenians and then supports their plan.
Iris — A messenger of the gods who discovers that the new city challenges divine authority.
Prometheus — A visitor who tells Pisthetairos how the gods have been weakened.
The Divine Ambassadors — Poseidon, Heracles, and a Triballian god, who arrive to bargain with the new ruler.
Important Ideas
A perfect society? — The travelers seek a better life, but their new city develops many of the same struggles over authority they wanted to escape.
Persuasion — Pisthetairos succeeds by making a bold plan sound attractive. Notice what he promises and who benefits.
Freedom and control — The birds gain a city of their own, but who actually makes its decisions?
Political ambition — A plan for a peaceful refuge grows into a demand for supremacy over humans and gods.
Comedy and imagination — Talking birds, a city in the clouds, and hungry gods make serious questions entertaining.
What to Notice While Reading
At the beginning, identify the specific problems that make the Athenians want to leave home. Does their original wish resemble their final achievement?
Listen to Pisthetairos’ arguments to the birds. What does he say about their past greatness? What future does he promise them?
Pay attention to the Chorus. How do the birds change their minds, and how much control do they have afterward?
Notice the visitors who arrive at Cloudcuckooland. Why does a supposedly new society attract familiar types of opportunists?
Finally, think about the wedding celebration. Does it feel like a happy ending for everyone, or mainly for Pisthetairos?
A Literary Feature: Utopia
A utopia is an imagined ideal society. Cloudcuckooland begins as an answer to the troubles of ordinary civic life. But Aristophanes complicates the dream: the new city needs borders, rules, power, and a leader. As you read, ask whether the city is truly an improvement or whether it exposes how easily idealistic plans can become ambitious political projects.
Questions to Think About
- Why do Pisthetairos and Euelpides leave Athens?
- What makes the idea of a city in the sky appealing to the birds?
- How does Pisthetairos persuade others to follow him?
- Why are the visitors to Cloudcuckooland funny or suspicious?
- What changes when the gods can no longer receive sacrifices?
- Who gains the most power by the end of the play?
- Is the final celebration a genuine happy ending? Explain your answer.
Try This
Imagine you are one of the birds who helped found Cloudcuckooland. Write a short letter to another bird explaining whether the new city has fulfilled its promises. Include at least two specific events from the play, and describe one change you would like its leaders to make.
A Final Thought
Birds invites us to enjoy an impossible world while recognizing very human desires inside it. A longing for peace, the excitement of a grand idea, and the temptation to rule others can all exist in the same story. The comedy leaves us to decide whether Pisthetairos has created a better society—or simply a more spectacular form of power.
Note to the Reader
This guide accompanies the Richer Resources Publications edition of Aristophanes’ Birds, translated by Ian Johnston. A printable PDF version of this resource is available by email.
