Peace

by Aristophanes

"Peace" by Aristophanes is an Athenian Old Comedy written in 421 BC. A middle-aged Athenian flies to heaven on a giant dung beetle to rescue Peace from imprisonment and end the Peloponnesian War. His mission earns farmers' gratitude while bankrupting war profiteers. The play celebrates an idyllic return to countryside life with joyous anticipation, yet tempers optimism with bitter acknowledgment of lost opportunities. Through wildly absurd action and savage satire, Aristophanes lampoons politicians who profited from war.