Greek writer of comedies at the end of the 5th century bc. In his plays he extols the hard-working peasant farmer in the fields around Athens. One of his characters is a vine-dresser, or early vineyard worker (Trygaios in The Peace), and the goddess of peace is called wine-loving and ‘giver of grapes’. Aristophanes criticizes the young for idling and drinking too much. Women also come in for criticism as topers in several of his plays.
