The Wasps
Notebook
Performed at the Lenaia in 422 BCE, The Wasps satirizes the Athenian jury-courts and the political system by which demagogues like Cleon manipulated the paid jurors. An old man addicted to jury service is cured of his obsession by his son, who establishes a mock court at home. The play is a central source for understanding how the Athenian legal system actually worked in practice.
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