Intergenerational Conflict in Aristophanes' "The Wasps": Echoes of the Ancient World Reverberate Today
Aristophanes’ comedy The Wasps was written and performed in 422 BC, about 10 years into the Peloponnesian War, during a time when Athenian spirits were on the upswing after some chance good fortune over Sparta. The blustering Athenian demagogue Kleon had won a surprise victory over Sparta a few years earlier, solidifying his popularity as a leader of the People, but many of the intellectuals of the day disparaged his hot-headed style.
In true democratic fashion, popularity among the people meant everything in terms of political power, thus Kleon had great influence over military affairs and the law courts, and could use his popularity with the jurors to ensure certain officials were prosecuted and certain verdicts were obtained. Athens had no shortage of political drama to say the least.
The Wasps is, on one level, a biting satire of the Athenian jury system, which at this time was comprised in large part of old men who had little better to do and who were easily swayed by political rhetoric, eager to believe in the greatness of their city, whose Golden Age was beginning to wane. However, Aristophanes was criticizing far more than just this institution. The relationship between Phobokleon* and his father Philokleon is central to the story and is a clever portrayal of how drastically the common ideology of Athens had changed from the generation which fought the Persian War to the current generation, which found itself embattled in the Peloponnesian War.
In the time between the Battle of Marathon and the time when Aristophanes wrote The Wasps, Athens’ role in the world had undergone a tremendous transformation from a mildly important city besieged by foreign powers to what was, for a time, the most powerful city in the Hellenic world. It is no surprise the mindset of its citizens changed in significant ways because of this, and it is this contrast between generations that lies at the heart of Aristophanes’ critique.
The older Marathon Generation of Athens (Philokleon) could be characterized as holding very traditional and conservative views towards things such as government, social behavior, and foreign cultures. For the majority of the play, Philokleon and the old men of the jury are portrayed as very close-minded and curmudgeonly, typical stereotypes of old people. Their most striking characteristic, however, is their constant reminiscing about when they were young and praising the glory of everything Athenian. Their enthusiasm over being a juror is representative of their blind admiration for the Athenian law system and democracy, and Philokleon’s rejection of Phobokleon’s Persian coat and Spartan slippers, despite their obvious superiority to his current drab garments, is an example of the Marathon Generation’s disdain for non-Athenian cultures.
The current generation of Athens (Phobokleon) is portrayed as worldly, intellectual, and idealistic, and Phobokleon’s negative attitude towards the jury system is representative of the anti-establishment mindset typical of youth. They seem to enjoy immersing themselves in high society and intellectual small talk, and it is this kind of lifestyle that Phobokleon wants his father (Philokleon) to partake in, giving up his obsession with jury duty.
At first, it would seem this current generation is the more enlightened of the two since they seem more reasonable and honorable. As the play develops, though, one cannot help but feel there is something not quite right with Phobokleon’s peers either. If anything, they are too idealistic and seem to live in a very frivolous way. Phobokleon talks about “crime without punishment” and attempts to cure his father’s jury addiction by having him, absurdly, pass judgement on household appliances. They spend their time in symposiums idly chatting about trivialities and are obsessed with concepts of heroism.
In comparison, the older Marathon Generation is more realistic and grounded in reality, and it is easy to see why they are hostile towards the current generation. While the Marathon Generation may live in the past, the current generation seems completely unappreciative of the labors that the older men went through in order to provide the young with this high-brow society they now enjoy. Thus, the tension between these two generations forms the backbone of the play.
In this light, the ending is quite bleak and seems to suggest that generations can never mix successfully. The father/son reversal at the end, where Philokleon behaves like a young nobleman, seems to suggest that a member of one generation simply cannot live the lifestyle of a different generation authentically. Is this still true today? It is hard to ignore echoes of this dilemma in modern political discourse, where conflicts between conservative vs. progressive and the old guard vs. the youth are as relevant as ever.
*A note on names: Phobokleon’s name has been translated into English several ways. Bdelycleon is the direct transliteration, but ‘Phobokleon’ or ‘Antikleon’ or ‘Contrakleon’ better preserves the humor in English. The dad’s name (Philokleon) means “love of Kleon” and his son’s name is meant to be it’s opposite, essentially “against Kleon”