laid siege to the city The following year in B C Athens surrendered marking the end of its dominance in the Greek world Criticism of Athenian Leadership The Frogs criticises the decisions of Athens s political leaders blaming them for the city s downfall The Chorus directly addresses the audience calling them misguided souls who have lost their ability to distinguish between good and bad leaders Aristophanes believed that Athens s decline was due to its failure to recognise and support virtuous capable leaders In the play the Chorus says But now you silly fools it s time to change your ways Use worthy people once again This quote reflects Aristophanes's critique of contemporary Athenian leadership and his call for a return to virtuous governance This criticism of Athenian leadership is reflected in the play s central conflict between the tragedians Aeschylus and Euripides Aeschylus represents the older more traditional values while Euripides symbolizes the new more cynical ways of thinking Aristophanes argues that Athens needs to return to its traditional values represented by Aeschylus to regain its strength and stability The Debate Over Alcibiades One of the key political issues at the time was the debate over General Alcibiades Alcibiades was an Athenian statesman and general When The Frogs was performed many Athenians saw Alcibiades as a potential savior while others distrusted him In the play Dionysus asks both Aeschylus and Euripides what should be done about Alcibiades This fact reflects how central this debate was to Athenian politics A Call for Moral and Political Reform Aristophanes uses The Frogs to argue that Athens s political problems stem from its loss of traditional values and moral integrity The play suggests that the city can only be saved if it returns to the older more virtuous ways After visiting the Underworld Dionysus proritizes finding the best advice for Athens s political recovery He says Whichever one of you will give our state the best advice well that s the man I ll take This quote reinforces the play s call for strong morally sound leadership to guide the city out of its crisis In essence The Frogs is more than just a comedy it is a political commentary on the state of Athens in B C Through satire the play criticises the poor leadership and moral decline that Aristophanes believed were leading the city to ruin By advocating for a return to traditional values and strong leadership the play reflects the political anxieties of the time