 | The Birds |  |
iii
- Peisthetairus,—An Athenian citizen, but disgusted with his own country, starts on his travels proposing to seek his fortune in the kingdom of the Birds. He is represented as the essential man of business and ability, the true political adventurer; the man who directs every thing and every body; who is never in the wrong, never at a loss, never at rest, never satisfied with what has been done by others, uniformly successful in his operations. He maintains a constant ascendancy, or if he loses it for a moment, recovers it immediately.
- Euelpides,—A simple easy-minded droll companion, his natural follower and adherent; as the Merry Andrew is of the Mountebank. It will be seen, that like the Merry Andrew, he interposes his buffoonish comments on the grand oration delivered by his master.
- Epops,—King of the Birds; formerly Tereus King of Thrace, but long ago, according to the records of mythology, transformed into a Hoopoe. He appears as the courteous dignified sovereign of a primitive uncivilized race, whom he is desirous to improve: he gives a gracious reception to strangers arriving from a country more advanced in civilization; and adopts the projects of aggrandizement suggested to him by Peisthetairus.
- The Chorus of Birds, his subjects, retain on the contrary, their hereditary hatred and suspicion of the human race; they are ready to break out into open mutiny against their king, and to massacre his foreign (human) advisers upon the spot. It is with the greatest difficulty, that they can be prevailed upon to hear reason, and attend to the luminous exposition of Peisthetairus. His harangue has the effect of conciliating and convincing them; his projects are adopted without a dissentient voice. War is not immediately declared against the gods, but a sort of Mexican blockade is established by proclamation.
- Prometheus,—A malcontent deity, the ancient patron of the human race, still retaining a concealed attachment to the deposed dynasty of Saturn. He comes over secretly with intelligence which Peisthetairus avails himself of, and which proves ultimately decisive of the subjugation of the gods.
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Neptune, Hercules, Triballus, or the Triballian, Joint ambassadors from the gods, commissioned to treat with Peisthetairus. Neptune is represented as a formal dignified personage of the old school. Hercules as a passionate, wrong-headed, greedy blockhead: he is cajoled and
gained over by Peisthetairus; and in his turn intimidates the Triballian, an ignorant barbarian deity, who is hardly able to speak intelligibly. They join together, Neptune is out-voted, and Peisthetairus concludes a treaty by which his highest pretensions are realized.iv
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.
The characters abovementioned are the only ones who contribute in any way to the progress of the drama; the remainder, a very amusing set of persons, are introduced in detached scenes, exemplifying the various interruptions and annoyances incident to the man of business, distracting his attention and embarrassing him in the exercise of his authoritative functions. There are however exceptions.
- Iris, who is brought in, having been captured and detained for an infringement of the blockade.
- A Priest who comes to sacrifice at the inauguration of the new city.
- Two Messengers arriving from different quarters, with very interesting and satisfactory intelligence.
The rest are a mere series of intruders on the time and attention of the great man.
- Poet,—A ragged vagabond, who comes begging with an inaugural ode on the foundation of the new city.
- A Soothsayer, arriving with oracles relative to the same important event, and a demand of perquisites due to himself by divine authority.
- Meton,—The Astronomer, proposes to make a plan and survey of the new city.
- A Commissioner from Athens, a very authoritative personage.
- A Vender of copies of decrees: he enters reading them aloud, like a hawker to attract purchasers.
- Parricide,—A young man who has beaten his father, and proposes to strangle him, offers himself as a desirable acquisition to the new colony.
- Kinesias, the dithyrambic poet, applies for a pair of wings.
- Informer,—A young man whose hereditary trade is that of an informer, and whose practice extends to the Islands, comes with the same application.
| The Birds | |