The Frogs as a splendid piece of escape literature

 

 Do you consider The Frogs as a splendid piece of escape literature?

 

Ans. It has often been claimed that The Frogs is a splendid piece of escape literature. This play exhibits a flight from the grim reality of life. This drama is based on literary criticism. It has also been shown that it is farther from the truth and reality of life.

 

Firstly, Aristophanes is very far away from the painful reality of the day. He takes every possible opportunity of mentioning them. The whole comic sequence of the slave who changes places with his master is a political allegory and the chorus reveals it later.

 

In the second place the modern reader can go astray. The concept of literary criticism is purely an intellectual activity, rather it did not exist in the days of Aristophanes. Questions of poetical technique are discussed. There is an emphasis on the moral values. It is not Euripides whom Dionysus brings back in the end. It is Aeschylus who fought at marathon and died fifty years ago. As the great debate proceeds, it is conducted with the utmost fairness. We perceive that all the moral issues of the points are steadily mounting up in the favour of Aeschylus. Wisdom is bound up with moral qualities such as courage, integrity, justice and moderation. Dionysus confesses and proclaims Aeschylus the winner. It is not an escape from the realities of life rather it is the literary criticism which is a part of life. It shows that we cannot dump this criticism in the dustbin.