A Queda do heroi comico: o papel do protagonista em Nuvens, Vespas e Tesmoforiantes
The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of the protagonist in the Aristofanic plays Clouds, Wasps and Thesmophoriazousai, taking into consideration the pedagogical function of the poet in ancient Greece. For McLeish (1980: 53) since any comment about the events in the dramatic action is made by the characters (and the choir) and not by a narrator, the choice of a type of hero is, therefore, an act of criticism and didactic. The plays chosen for analysis feature heroes who, unlike the protagonists of the other remaining Aristofanic comedies, are ensnared by their own actions, resulting in their downfall followed by their consequent change. Concepts like hamartia and peripeteia, traditionally applied to tragedy, also have a meaningful place in our approach to these three Aristophanes' comedies.