Though the farce remains, The Frogs has taken a serious turn. The contest between Euripides and Aeschylus for the position of greatest tragedian has commenced, and it's brought the play's tone some gravity.
If it weren't for the measured arguments, the two poets could be said to be flyting. But there's just too much order and decorum present for that to be the sort of argument at this play's center.
So, what the contest has come down to so far is that Aeschylus brought honour and nobility to the stage. In turn, his works inspired people to act similarly. On the other hand, however, it is argued that Euripides has corrupted people in featuring corruption in his plays.
That's not to say that the heat of the poets' argument is entirely serious. Part of the jab against Euripides is that he helped to usher in a period wherein people are unfit, lazy, and selfish. To illustrate this point, [] mentions a portly man participating in the Athenian Pentathalon and lagging behind the rest. The imagery used here is a sort of proto-slapstick.
Also, Dionysus is supposed to be the moderator and judge of this debate, but is switching back and forth between the two with every point. There's some humour in a god being so indecisive, even if it is a god associated with passion rather than reason.
In a way then, the farce detected earlier in the play continues through the debate section. It is, however, of a much quieter sort.
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