This is the classic book about Aristophanes. Russo examines the plays as libretti for actors and singers rather than as mere texts, and never loses sight of the stage.

Carlo Ferdinando Russo's book has been a seminal work on Aristophanes since its publication in Italy in 1962. In his detailed analysis, Russo considers the plays as libretti for actors and singers rather than as mere texts, and never loses sight of the stage. This is the classic book about Aristophanes. Now finally available in English and much-updated, it is essential reading for any student of Athenian comedy.

'This work confirms the author as a major figure in Aristophanic scholarship.' - Classics'Russo's book is both scholarly and lively, philological and theatrical. It is justly established as a milestone in Aristophanic studies.' - Oliver Taplin'A lively and thoughtful book; no comparable study of Aristophanes' dramatic technique is available in English.' - Kenneth Dover, reviewing the 1962 edition, in the Classical Review.