First produced around 388 BC. Chremylos and his slave, Carion, have been to Delphi. Chremylos went there to seek advice from the Oracle on behalf of his son to find out whether he should become educated in injustice and knavery, and how worldly men acquire their riches
In this play the Chorus only serve to separate the acts. At the same time, the Parabasis has disappeared altogether from this play.
Dramatis Personae
Speaking Parts
Chremylos - an elderly poor citizen of Athens, a peasant. [One who deceives his debtors].
Carion - Chremylus' slave.
Wealth - Ploutos, Greek God of Wealth, Son of Demeter. Dressed as a Blind Beggar.
Chorus - Fellow old peasants from the same deme as Chremylos.
Blepsidemos - a friend of Chremylos.
Penia - The personified spirit (daimona) of poverty and need who has been cohabiting with Chremylos for many years.
Wife of Chremylos.
An Honest Man.
An Informer/Sycophant.
An Old Woman - a courtesan.
A Young Man - loved by the old woman.
Hermes.
Priest of Zeus the Saviour.
Mute Characters
Boy - servant to the Honest Man.
Witness - brought by the Informer.
Handmaiden - of the Old Woman.
Slaves - of Chremylos.
Chorus: Citizens of the same deme as Chremylos.
Setting:
A street in Athens. The Skene is Chremylos' house.
Plot:
Chremylos has observed that wealth seems not to be fairly distributed in society and that certainly not all the wealthy are honest and good-minded people. He has a dilemma, whether to teach his son to be a scoundrel and to make his living using scurrilous means or to be a goody. He decides he needs to consult the Oracle at Delphi to settle this matter. So he has set off together to take the advice of the Oracle in this matter.
The Oracle has told him to follow the first person he encounters after he has left the temple at Delphi and to befriend him. That person turns out to be a blind beggar. The blind beggar reluctantly reveals himself to be the god Plutous, god of Wealth, and he tells Chremylos that he has been blinded by Zeus so that he might not be able to distinguish the good from the bad when distributing his bounties in society. Chremylos takes pity on Plutous and offers to help him rid the illness in his eyes. In return, Plutous grants Chremylos the ability to see the true distribution of wealth amongst the people.
At that moment Penia, the daimona of poverty and need, who has been cohabiting with Chremylos for some years in his house, bursts in on the stage and accuses Chremylos of treachery, for wanting to make the just wealthy. Blepsidemos, Chremylos' friend, advises the latter to rush off to the temple of Asceplios with Ploutos as quickly as possible. Chremylos banishes Penia from his home saying he prefers to be wealthy. Penia resentful remarks she may return.
References
Plutus (play) - Wikipedia
Plutus - Wikipedia
PLUTUS (Ploutos) - Greek God of Wealth & Agricultural Bounty Theoi.Com
Asclepius - Wikipedia
ASCLEPIUS (Asklepios) - Greek God of Medicine & Doctors Theoi.Com
Penia - Wikipedia
PENIA - Greek Goddess or Spirit of Poverty Theoi.com
A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama: Synopsis of Aristophanes' Wealth
Crowell's handbook of classical drama pp 279- : Hathorn, Richmond Y. - Internet Archive
Wealth by Aristophanes - Greek Mythology
Wealth by Aristophanes - GreekMythology.com
Plutus (Wealth) - Aristophanes - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature
Aristophanes: Wealth - Tom's Learning Notes
Plutus (Wealth) - Aristophanes - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature
Plutus - World History Encyclopedia
Plutus Summary - eNotes.com
Plutus - World History Encyclopedia
Plutus by Aristophanes: Plutus: Text and Notes
Dithyramb, Tragedy and Comedy p. 328 by A.W. Pickard-Cambridge - Internet Archive
Analysis of Play: Plutus
Google Scholar Search = Aristophanes+Plutus
Aristophanes' Wealth - Google Scholar Search
JSTOR Search = Aristophanes Plutus
Core UK Search = Aristophanes Plutus
What Wealth Has to Do with Dionysus: From Economy to Poetics in Aristophanes' Plutus
Konstan, David, and Matthew Dillon. “The Ideology of Aristophanes' Wealth.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 102, no. 4, 1981, pp. 371–394. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/294325.
Greek Versions
Aristophanous Ploutos. The Plutus of Aristophanes, from the text of Dindorf... - Google Books
The Plutus of Aristophanes by W.C. Green
The Plutus of Aristophanes - Internet Archive Pitt Press Series
The Plutus of Aristophanes edited by B.B. Rogers
Aristophanous kōmōidiai Volume VI = The comedies of Aristophanes Plutus - Internet Archive
The Plutus of Aristophanes edited by F.W. Nicolson
Aristophanes, Plutus - Perseus Digital Library
Translations
Delphi Complete Works of Aristophanes: Wealth
Aristophanes Plutus with English translation by Benjamin Bickley Rogers
Birds and Other Plays (Oxford World's Classics): Aristophanes - Internet Archive
Aristophanes (Collins)/Chapter 9 - Wikisource, the free online library
The Complete Plays of Aristophanes - p. 663 Plutus (Wealth)
Aristophanes; tr. Alan H. Sommerstein (2001). Wealth. Volume 11 of Comedies of Aristophanes. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-85668-739-6.
by Aristophanes; Translated by David Barrett and Alan H. Sommerstein
ISBN 0140443320 9780140443325
The Knights ; Peace ; Wealth ; The Birds ; The Assemblywomen by Aristophanes - Internet Archive
Aristophanes (1825). Plutus; Or, The God of Riches: A Comedy. Wheatley and Adlard.
Four plays by Aristophanes translated by Paul Roche
Aristophanes, Plutus - Perseus Digital Library
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