Rhetoric has been used throughout history, including the classical era. In fact, it was often celebrated in ancient Greece, where rhetoric was often considered a skill, even an art form. Since then, it has evolved and modified according to now different standards in different languages. However, similarities can be drawn between the writing style of ancient literature and that of modern works. When an ancient work is translated, the translator may choose specific words to capture the themes and overall flow of the writing. An example of this is Alan H. Sommerstein's translation of Aristophanes' play, "The Acharnians." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay “The Acharnians” is one of Aristophanes' earliest surviving plays. Although it is believed that he produced this play with Callistrates to win one of several first place prizes in comedy plays, Aristophanes is accepted as the author. Throughout his life, he won numerous awards for his plays, often arousing powerful enemies, such as a government official named Cleon, as his plays often mocked Athenian society and politics. “The Acharnians” is no exception. In “The Acharnians,” Sommerstein uses rhetorical devices to recreate Aristophanes' distinct writing style that not only appeals to the audience, but also depicts Aristophanes' sarcastic tones and views on Athenian society. A literary device used throughout the play is rhyme. . In fact, rhyme is the first literary device he uses in the first scene. In the Dikaiopolis monologue, Sommerstein uses words that end in "ic" at the end of several sentences. For example, he uses the words pleasure, ecstatic, traumatic, and tragic in lines five through ten. By including rhymes in the passage, Sommerstein is able to hold the audience's attention. Rhyming creates a sense of rhythm in the text, so instead of just reading a block of text, certain parts are underlined, making the monologue feel like it is being spoken while reading. Another way in which rhyme is used in the play to create a sense of rhythm is present in all the chants and songs. Distinct rhyme patterns are used when different characters give their speeches or sing their songs. This is first seen when the leader of the Acharian mob sings to encourage the mob to pursue Dikaiopolis for trying to make peace with the Spartans. The leader has an AABB rhyme pattern in his speech. Between lines 204 and 207, each sentence ends with words that follow the AABB pattern. The words used are found, ground, man and can. However, when the chorus or crowd responds, the rhyme pattern changes to ABCB DEFE. Rhyming words are placed at the end of each sentence, but the pattern is separated by buffer words because each sentence is divided into two lines. In lines 208 to 215, the rhyming words are scene, summer, coal, soul, the words in lines 209, 211, 213 and 215, respectively. This change in rhyme pattern creates two different rhythms for the leader and the crowd. This can be interpreted as a method to show the difference in intelligence between the two, because when Dikaiopolis sings a song to respond to the crowd, his verses are in the AABB pattern. Between lines 264 and 274, this rhyme pattern is used, resulting in the full pattern of AABBCCDDEEF. This difference in rhythm can be considered as a sign of thoughtsintellectually different, as Dikaiopolis is one of the few characters actually portrayed as semi-intelligent and uncorrupted. Therefore, by varying the rhythms and rhyme patterns in which the different characters speak, the differences between their traits are also highlighted. Another rhetorical device present in the play is polysyndeton, which involves using multiple unnecessary conjunctions. An example of this is the opening scene, when Dikaiopolis is describing his condition, while awaiting the arrival of the Athenian officials at the meeting. Multiple “ands” and “I will” are used in this section to show his boredom and the absurdity of the official's tardiness. This is seen when he says: "I sit down, and after a while, when I see that no one else is coming, I sigh, I yawn, I stretch and I fart, then I don't I don't know what to do anymore, and then I scribble... . and all the time I look at the countryside…” (Lines 29-33). Dikaiopolis's frustration also appears in this section, when he considers what he would do if the meeting did not address the issue of war. He states: “I will shout, I will heckle, I will insult, I…” (Line 38). Polysyndeton was used in the play to depict the discontent of Dikaiopolis and highlight the inadequate actions and behavior of government officials. Dikaiopolis's resentment toward Athenian government officials mirrors that of Aristophanes. In fact, there are multiple allusions in the play that link Dikaiopolis to Aristophanes, with most of the allusions ridiculing the politician Cleon. Although Cleon is first mentioned in line six, he is later mentioned to unfairly accuse Dikaiopolis of slandering the city in the presence of strangers (lines 502–504). Aristophanes does not elaborate on this point, largely because the ancient Greeks of that era probably knew how Cleon had brought Aristophanes to trial and accused him of the exact same crime. By alluding to this specific event, Aristophanes is able to link it to Dikaiopolis and declare them to be basically the same person. This is also supported by the allusion to Euripides, a tragic playwright. In this passage, Dikaiopolis asks Euripides for props to make him look like a beggar. Euripides was another famous playwright of this period, and by including him as a character in the play, Aristophanes is able to make the play relevant to this period. By alluding to certain events and characters, the audience would know that the play was about the actual time period they were in, namely the time of the Peloponnesian Wars. In addition to the relevance of the period, Aristophanes also emphasizes the importance of the different locations in the play. Sommerstein translates this using similes and metaphors in the dialogue between Dikaiopolis and the chorus. An example of this is in line twenty-three, when Dikaiopolis refers to the crowd's thirst for violence as "the black embers of your anger." In this metaphor, anger is compared to a fire while the black embers are their desire for revenge. It is important to note the use of "black embers" because the mob is made up of Acharnians and their lands are known for their coal. Their land was once destroyed by the Spartans, which is why they were initially unhappy that Dikaiopolis had made peace with the Spartans. Dikaiopolis later uses his connections to coal to convince them to listen to him instead of killing him outright. A simile Sommerstein uses to refer to the house of Dikaiopolis is found in line 350, when he compares temperament to sour grapes. Although Athenians are not generally associated with grapes,.