The study of the languages and literature of ancient Greece and Rome—a discipline once considered so foundational it was simply known as “the classics”—has been under siege for decades. University enrollments in all humanities programs have declined; programs, especially in the classics, are imperiled. The idea of a Western canon deriving from the ancient world has been challenged by some left-wing educators even as it has been taken up by right-wing ideologues: its condition as a political football makes the field’s existence all the more fragile.
Although the times seem to be changing, the classics are still relevant today, perhaps more so than ever. “The glory that was Greece” comes in many flavors, shades, and accents. Students are often first introduced to its martial and tragic side. But, more than Homer or Sophocles, Aristophanes, the oldest of the comic playwrights, may be the man for our current moment. When political posturing and empty rhetoric cloud the air, the most vulgar hilarity feels like an antidote: Buffoonery and slapstick, ribald invective, and the sort of comedy that turns on farts and erections all provide a welcome respite—and in the hands of Aristophanes are powerful tools to help us see our problems afresh.
