Hi folks! In the second half of Birds we get all of the complications and the ways a simple idea can spiral into a very revealing absurdity. What moments stand out to you? What’s the play telling you about Aristophanes's ideas for civilization and the Greek idea?

What stood out the most to me was how easily Peisthetaerus was able to work his way to getting what he wanted with the birds. It just cries to me that a political leader or public figure can negatively use their power. For example, in my version, from what I remember, about visitors and having to be bloodline to own something, was weird to me; in a way, it'll be hard for someone to have access to something for land, property, etc. He came into the scene like he owned the place, and that his way is better because they don't know any better than themselves. Some of his "laws" were not really the best; he was making himself "king" in a way. It seems to me that the birds were happy to have someone tell them what to do, but you can't fully trust your leader blindly at times. Like Athens, they were hoping to have a leader who would be for the people, the citizens, make it better for them, but ultimately, it was never about the people; instead, power and corruption. It seems that's where it's leading to birds.

The timing of the play feels to have a lot of political tension happening in Athens, people are having a new idea of what democracy should be, and not following their leader aimlessly. A wave of expression of how they are feeling about the government. Athens wants change for everyone equally. Aristophanes uses his comedy to hopefully for people and the government see the wrong ways and speak up for an difference in Athens. People in Athens care deeply, Aristophanes cares as well, from what I've read from birds.

Personally from reading the birds and comparing it to Athens it seems like astrotophis believes in the birds are as of the gods, but wheres as in the Athens the lawmakers are similar to the gods themselves in the democracy. it seems like his play on birds is comparable to a time where he is a victim in real time but through plays he becomes the same things that he's trying to get away from. Wanting everything to be a free movement environment but somehow he makes the rules Personally.

What caught my attention was how Peisthetaurus was able to convince the birds to follow his lead and ideas. I think this shows how society looks up to leaders and are easily persuaded to believe what they are told. I think the author was trying to communicate how easily people can be persuaded to follow someone else's ideas. I also think that this was a representation of how people try to escape their current reality only to continue repeating old patterns and cycles. I would like to know if the audience was offended by his portrayal of Athens or were they able to find humor in it?

Following the first half of Birds, its conclusion, was a rather insightful account or representation of the ‘image’ of the Athenian and of Athenian society. This connects to a rather major theme of human foolishness that Aristophanes outlines throughout the second half of Birds. 

Aristophanes addresses this aspect (makes a mockery) of the political state of affairs in Athens at this time. He does this throughout the series of ‘unwanted guests’ that appear in an attempt to support Peisthetaerus as the potential leader of the NEW city,

However, in Birds, as Peisthetaerus refuses entry for these ‘visitors’, Aristophanes is really rejecting the Athenian form of rulership as a bureaucracy. Within this structure is sown the corruption found amongst these pretentious intellectuals who are seeking to gain a foothold primarily for themselves. This in turn reflects the culture in Athens as a society of overly ambitious individuals leading to self interest or personal pursuits in an attempt to attribute more recognition and power; even beyond the gods. 

Perhaps we can consider this as a classical example of ‘pride before crash.’ We are left with a perplexing question: ‘Is there a form of rulership that can be maintained without self interest?’

What stood out to me the most about the second half of The Birds by Aristophanes was the impressive ability that Peisthetaurus had to persuade and manipulate others. Peisthetaurus was able to successfully persuade all of The Birds to join him and to create this city, Cloudcuckooland between the Heavens and the Earth. He was also able to persuade the Gods to agree with his terms to end the war. To me, the second half of The Birds revealed that Peisthetaurus’s intentions in leaving Athens and proposing to create cloudcuckooland may not have been merely to reject the ideals in Athens or to escape and live in harmony. I think his actions in the second half of the play may have revealed that his intentions may have been about his own selfishness and his desires. I think Peisthetaurus actually wanted to escape responsibility and his shortcomings and he wanted to have things his way. I don’t think he necessarily seeked power at first but when he did achieve power and control, it did emphasize his arrogance and his ego. I think Aristophanes is showing that what someone says they want doesn’t always reflect who they really are, and that actions can expose true character. At the same time, the play reflects how the Athenians valued cleverness and ambition while at the same time bringing to light, through comedy, themes about selfishness, the pursuit of power, and human behavior. I would like to know more about what was the audience's perspective of Peisthetaurus. Did they view Peisthetaurus as someone who was corrupted by power? Or did they view him as someone who was already ambitious and had selfish desires and used his ability to persuade and manipulate to get in a position of power?

What stood out to me the most in the second part of The Birds, was the way Aristophanes uses this comedy as a way to criticize the arrogance and ambition of Athens. Peisthetaerus’ creation of Cloudcuckooland starts out as a search for freedom but quickly turns into an empire that mirrors Athens’ powerful, controlling, and self-satisfied nature. By showing an ordinary man challenging and even going as far as replacing the gods, Aristophanes warns against the blind hubris of human reason and political ambition. To me, his message is that the Greek ideals of intelligence, order, and civilization can become corrupt when they’re driven by pride rather than moderation and justice.

The second half of Birds, it made me think how easily ambition can twist into pride. A particular part that grasped my attention the most is when the birds finished building “Cloudcuckooland”, and started to rule over both gods and humans. What initially began as a hopeful dream of freedom quickly turned into something controlling, showing how power can change people’s intentions.

I think Aristophanes used this story to poke fun at Athen’s pride and unrealistic dreams. The city in the sky feels like a reflection of Athenian society, both creative and brilliant but often blinded by its own confidence.

The play shows me that Athens was a place full of imagination and ambition, but also caught up in its own ego. I’m interested in how the people in Aristophanes’ time reacted, was the story perceived as funny or were there deeper messages about themselves.

One part that really stood out to me in the second half of Birds is when Pisthetaerus convinces the birds to build their own city in the sky, “Cloudcuckooland.” At first, it seems like this fun, crazy idea about escaping human problems, but then it turns into something much bigger and kind of ridiculous. I think Aristophanes is showing how even good ideas can spiral out of control once power and pride get involved. Pisthetaerus ends up acting just like the gods he was mocking, which is pretty ironic.

To me, this says a lot about Athens during that time. People were clearly frustrated with politics, religion, and how society worked, and Aristophanes uses comedy to call that out. It’s funny, but it also makes you think about how people always try to build “better” worlds, only to repeat the same mistakes. It feels like he’s saying that no matter where you go, human nature always follows.

A detail that jumped out to me in the second half of birds is the immediate arrival of the parade of unwelcome people right when Cloudcuckooland is founded. The main characters leave Athens to escape from them only to have the same type show up at their utopia before the walls are even finished. What I think that Aristophanes was trying to communicate was a satire of Athenian society as he was clearly mocking his fellow Athenians and was a mockery of each type of person they didn’t want in their utopia. What this play is telling about the time and place could be that it viewed “barbarians” as comical, this was shown when the Thracian god Triballus appeared with “comical gibberish” and reflects how non-Greeks and non-Athenians were portrayed as figures of ridicule. I wonder how the Greeks reacted to the ending to this play as it showed Pisthetaerus getting married and takes over the place of Zeus.

A detail or rather course of events that catches my attention is how Pisthetaerus becomes godlike being in a position where he has the birds do what he feels. I also find this interesting as the first half of Birds focuses on the idea of escaping the faults of human society and the idea of freedom. This is where the birds come into play as they are established as the new gods as they do as they like they have their own laws and they are free. Each type of Bird has their own set of laws are very powerful and competent however they can not put their differences aside which leads to them not having any order and becomes a representation of chaos. However when Pisthetaerus befriends them he leads them and commands by serving a voice of order and direction allowing them to come together. Pisthetaerus becomes this godlike figure as he ends up controlling them turning the world of the birds into what he initially wanted to escape. I believe that the author purposefully did this as a representation of the world of Helios, each type of bird representing a city state and emulating their inability to work together. I also think it specifically represents how Athens is trying to preach freedom while it dominates the Delian league and controls its allied states. I believe in a way Pisthetaerus represents Athens and how they have become what they intended to escape. I believe this document speaks a lot on the geopolitical climate in regards to the very poor relationships between the city states.

In the second half of The Birds, what really caught my attention was when Peisthetaerus ends up becoming almost a god himself—taking control over the new city and even marrying Zeus’s daughter. The irony is that the whole story starts with wanting to escape the flaws of human society, but it ends with those same flaws repeating in the sky. I think Aristophanes was showing how ambition and power can twist even the best intentions. The dream of building something better easily turns into the same old struggle for dominance.

This part of the play reflects how Athenians of the time viewed themselves—as clever, persuasive, and destined for greatness—but also how that confidence could slide into arrogance. It tells us a lot about the anxiety surrounding Athenian imperial power and leadership during the late fifth century BCE. I’d like to learn more about how the ending was received in its original performance—did audiences see Peisthetaerus as a hero, or as a warning of what Athens was becoming?