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The Birds (Theatre)

 The Birds (Theatre)
type
TVTItem
 The Birds (Theatre)
label
The Birds (Theatre)
 The Birds (Theatre)
page
TheBirds
 The Birds (Theatre)
comment
The Birds (original: ὌÏ�νιθες — Ornithes) is a comedy by Aristophanes, first performed in 414 BC in Athens.Peisthetairos and Euelpides, two Athenians dissatisfied with their native city and willing to emigrate, search the wilderness for Tereus, the Thracian king that was turned into a hoopoe by the gods. For birds, the creatures of the air – so they believe – must naturally know the entire world, and thus Tereus, a bird, yet still capable of human speech, will be able to advise them where on Earth living is best.Their search is successful, but Tereus finds it hard to satisfy his visitors, as no city on Earth seems to quite meet their demands. At this point, Peisthetairos comes up with a brilliant idea: Why not stay with the birds? Not only is life as a bird paradisical, so Peistethairos considers, but he also convinces Tereus that, if only the birds would combine their strength and discover their true power, they could rule the entire Earth.Tereus summons an assembly of all birds to introduce them to Peisthetairos' grand vision. At first, the birds threaten to peck the human intruders to death, but eventually Tereus' prestige and Peisthetairos' eloquence turn their hostility into enthusiasm, especially as Peisthetairos and Euelpides agree to let themselves be turned into birds with a magic root.Thus commences the building of the mighty city of Cloudcuckooland (Î�εφελοκοκκυγία — Nephelokokkygia), occupying the space between heaven and earth. And before you know it, the birds lay blockade to the air so the steam of humanity's sacrifices can no longer rise to Mount Olympus. Famine brings the gods to their knees, and Zeus finds it advisable to negotiate. But are the three emissaries he chooses, Poseidon, Heracles and the barbarian god Triballos, really the right men for the job?... No.The Trope Namer for Cloudcuckooland, though the Cloudcuckooland of The Birds is not strictly an example of the trope.Available as a free e-book from various sources.Not to be confused with Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same name released millenia later.
 The Birds (Theatre)
fetched
2024-02-28T23:47:26Z
 The Birds (Theatre)
parsed
2024-02-28T23:47:26Z
 The Birds (Theatre)
processingComment
Dropped link to GodNeedsPrayerBadly: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 The Birds (Theatre)
processingUnknown
GodNeedsPrayerBadly
 The Birds (Theatre)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_19660a62
type
Non-Specifically Foreign
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_19660a62
comment
Non-Specifically Foreign: Triballos is the walking sum of all barbarian stereotypes, rather than any specific kind of barbarian.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_19660a62
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_19660a62
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_19660a62
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
type
Breaking the Fourth Wall
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
comment
Breaking the Fourth Wall: The chorus promises all manner of benefits if the play wins the prize. If not, prepare to be bird-bombed.note It won second prize.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_1e7487cd
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_23d6eccb
type
Non-Mammal Mammaries
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_23d6eccb
comment
Non-Mammal Mammaries: Males variant: Ribald versions of this play contain references to a rooster's morning erection.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_23d6eccb
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_23d6eccb
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_23d6eccb
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2588feac
type
Winged Humanoid
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2588feac
comment
Winged Humanoid: Iris, the messenger of the gods sent from Mount Olympus.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2588feac
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2588feac
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_2588feac
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2b14367f
type
Bring My Brown Pants
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2b14367f
comment
Bring My Brown Pants: Euelpides wets himself upon seeing Tereus' slave (a human-sized bird).
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2b14367f
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1.0
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_2b14367f
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_2b14367f
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_3c8be88f
type
Bird-Poop Gag
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_3c8be88f
comment
Bird-Poop Gag: At one point the chorus (dressed up as birds) addresses the jurors of the play contest and urges them to award the first prize to The Birds. If they won't, then birds will bombard them with their droppings whenever they wear fine clothes.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_3c8be88f
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_3c8be88f
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_3c8be88f
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_434d893c
type
Funny Foreigner
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_434d893c
comment
Funny Foreigner: Triballos, the "barbarian god", speaks a horribly mangled Greek.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_434d893c
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_434d893c
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_434d893c
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_51300dbf
type
Fat Bastard
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_51300dbf
comment
The play also includes not one but two jabs at Fat Coward Cleonymos.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_51300dbf
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_51300dbf
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_51300dbf
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_688afa6a
type
Evil Uncle
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_688afa6a
comment
Evil Uncle: Invoked by Peisthetairos when he convinces Heracles that his uncle Poseidon wants to trick him out of his inheritance.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_688afa6a
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_688afa6a
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_77e73dc7
type
Food as Bribe
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_77e73dc7
comment
Food as Bribe: The promise of a meal of roasted bird is enough for Heracles to trade away the sceptre of Zeus, and with it, the rule of the world to the birds.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_77e73dc7
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_77e73dc7
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_780a078e
type
Self-Made Orphan
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_780a078e
comment
Self-Made Orphan: Discussed when a short-sighted youth is interested in becoming an eagle for this reason. Peisthetairos dissuades him.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_780a078e
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1.0
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_780a078e
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_780a078e
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_859c8c88
type
Animal Gender-Bender
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_859c8c88
comment
Animal Gender-Bender: The nightingale is said to be female, but still sings. Ancient Greek scholars actually believed that female nightingales sing.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_859c8c88
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1.0
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_859c8c88
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_859c8c88
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_9b0b8109
type
Floating Continent
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_9b0b8109
comment
Floating Continent
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_9b0b8109
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_9b0b8109
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
type
Dumb Muscle
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
comment
Dumb Muscle: Aristophanes' Heracles is positively not the brightest bulb in the box.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_a18fda9c
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a70223
comment
Karma Houdini: Played for Laughs. Despite Tereus' rape of his sister-in-law and Procne's Offing the Offspring in a revenge plan, they have fared well in the avian world.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a70223
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_a70223
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_a70223
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b2407a69
type
Talk to the Fist
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b2407a69
comment
Talk to the Fist, thou fraudulent soothsayer!
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b2407a69
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b2407a69
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_b2407a69
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b53077b3
type
Take That!
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: Tereus claims he is so ugly because Sophocles has "disfigured" him in his tragedy Tereus. The play also includes not one but two jabs at Fat Coward Cleonymos.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b53077b3
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 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b53077b3
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_b53077b3
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b6e1d40b
type
Acceptable Breaks from Reality
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b6e1d40b
comment
Acceptable Breaks from Reality: The use of a flute for nightingale song, due to the actor's lack of an oscine syrinx.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b6e1d40b
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1.0
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_b6e1d40b
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_b6e1d40b
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_e4d079c1
type
Greek Chorus
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_e4d079c1
comment
Greek Chorus
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_e4d079c1
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 The Birds (Theatre)
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_e4d079c1
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_ec0bf4a1
type
Take Over the World
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_ec0bf4a1
comment
Take Over the World: With Peisthetairos as their brain, the birds assume control of the entire world.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_ec0bf4a1
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_ec0bf4a1
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_fed07537
type
Mighty Whitey
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_fed07537
comment
Mighty Whitey: Since his involuntary transformation into a bird, Tereus has taught the birds to speak Greek and is highly respected by them.
 The Birds (Theatre) / int_fed07537
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The Birds (Theatre) / int_fed07537
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The Birds (Theatre)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Animal Gender-Bender / int_fb1446f2
 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Bird-Poop Gag / int_fb1446f2
 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Definite Article Title / int_fb1446f2
 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Floating Continent / int_fb1446f2
 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Food as Bribe / int_fb1446f2
 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Incidental Multilingual Wordplay / int_fb1446f2
 The Birds (Theatre)
hasFeature
Talk to the Fist / int_fb1446f2