Enjoyed Clouds the most and a lot of the humor holds up, but this translation updates a lot of jokes for a 20th century British audience, so it's tough to know what I'm reading. I think I prefer a translation somewhat closer to the original text.

A good reading translation of The Clouds in this volume - Arrowsmith definitely renders the play readable and makes several of the more topical jokes relevant to modern audiences. However, there are several liberties taken at points which can alter the reader's understanding of the subtleties of the play's critique of Socrates. If one were seriously studying this play, it would be worthwhile to cross-reference several editions.

The Frogs and the Wasps are also readable translations, but based on my experience with the rendition of The Clouds, I would be similarly careful were I to examine either play critically.

These are adequate translations of notoriously difficult Greek to English works. They work by changing topical Greek subjects tackled by Aristophanes into rough American mid-20th-century analogs. The humor is still comprehensible and quite funny in places, though scholars won't like their lack of exactitude in matters of translation. Good for modern performances, though.

Great translations. These aren't the historical versions, however; all have been somewhat tampered with in an attempt to make them acting versions. Strangely, however, it seems that the translator's ad libs and changes in a way DO make it more historical- they're hilarious. Even the Wasps, one of Aristophanes' least enticing plays becomes great! The translators have a great knack for bringing the playwright's absurdity to life.

My review is on Birds. I'm no Greek scholar and I'm sure a lot went over my head. I did enjoy the play for the humor. I thought at times I was reading a Monty Python script or even at times, a Marx Brothers version of banter. The puns were great as were all things relating to birds. Reading the notes I saw how raunchy most of it was. I would love to see this acted out.

I don't think anybody cares how I rate Aristophanes: people have been enjoying his plays for two millennia, so it's safe to say the verdict is in. Instead I'm going to rate the modern Aristophanes translations, the quality of which is highly variable. Slang and bawdry seem to be the hardest things to translate, more on account of the people who tend to become translators, I think -- especially translators of ancient Greek -- than of the difficulties inherent in approximating lively foulness. In English Aristophanes has suffered pretty badly; you have to really dig for a translation that conveys why the ancients enjoyed this guy so much.

Disclaimer: I don't know Greek, so I can only judge how these translations read in English - and make no mistake, these are all in English English: it's 'bloody' this and 'bugger' that, with 'poofters' and 'bumboys' galore, which sound to this American like the sort of imprecations you let fly when the waitstaff at Gordon Ramsay serves you some ill-blackened swordfish. But I didn't deduct points for Britishness -- not even for all the 'arses', which I have no idea what to do with -- only for stuff that'd be lousy in any dialect.

Meineck: A
Bartlett & Sommerstein: B
Theodoridis: B
Einhorn (Lysistrata): C+ (his Lampito is straight out of 'Bamboozled')
Halliwell: C
Arrowsmith, Parker, and Lattimore: D-
Henderson: F
Ruden: Oof. In the words of Dean Vernon Wormer - "Zero point zero."

Meineck only did these three plays, so until he gives us an "Aristophanes II" we're stuck with the OK Bartlett & Sommerstein and the slightly unhinged Theodoridis ("Because, by Salty Poseidon, we are so piss-weak ourselves!"). Feel free to take a crayon and a sense of humor to their pages, however: I've found that if you tune up the B&S or give the Theodoridis some Ritalin, they both read decently well. And they are worth reading: Aristophanes is great!

I really like this translation for a modern reader. It’s very accessible and also includes excellent footnotes and endnotes.

Although Clouds is always presented as a satire about Socrates, I found it much more a satire about the main character Strepsiades, his son Pheidippides and sophist reasoning. Actually it's probably a satire about all and everything and probably about Athenian life in general. Most of the dialogue between Socrates and Strepsiades is Socrates making fun of the "fossilized, forgetful old fool."

It was more or less fun to read, and gives some feeling about what comedy must have been in 5th century Athens.

the translation is only a sliver of how well mr peter meineck conveys the comedy of aristophanes. i highly recommend this translation.

If I had to choose one word to describe Aristophanes' humor it would be burlesque. Of the three plays, I most enjoyed the Wasps for its parody of the jury system. But all three plays provide keen insight into the day-to-day lives of typical Athenians. From Strepsiades' complaints about his long-haired horse racing son (in Clouds) to the troop of characters who descend upon the new sky city Cloudcuckooland (in Birds) to get their slice of the action (poet-for-hire, an informer, an inspector, an "oracle-monger"), each play demonstrates that not much has changed in human nature over the last two thousand plus years.

Hilarious

We read "The Clouds" in freshman year seminar and I remember begin surprised by some of the theatrical conventions for Greek comedy and enjoying the lampooning of philosophers.

I haven't read "The Birds" but did just read "The Wasps" for the first time. This time through, I was even more astounded by the bawdyness of the comedy (there's a naked flute girl bit at the end, for example, that I think would push boundaries today). I was also surprised at how good the farce and slapstick were. There are chunks in the middle that I would completely excise, but I love the net-covered house, the calling of a cheese grater as a witness, the wacky chants from the chorus, and the servant master relationship never gets old for me.