La trasgressione felice nelle commedie ‘pacifiste’ di Aristofane

Abstract

This paper examines the dramatic model adopted by Aristophanes in his ‘pacifist’ comedies (Acharnians, Peace and Lysistrata). In spite of the ambiguity of the term ‘pacifist,’, since the ideology of non-violence is a completely foreign concept to the thought of ancient Greece, the definition may be justified by the need to define the coherent commitment of Aristophanes against the war, that polarizes the maximum social anomaly, able to disrupt the organization of human activities. This subversion, which involves not only the breaking of the natural order on earth, but also a decay of relations among the Olympian gods, cannot be fought or eradicated without breaking other rules that also have core value for the society as a whole: just thanks to the transgression, the supreme rule is reborn, with an unprecedented tour de force.