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Scenes
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Scenes
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The Birds has 20 scenes.
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Scenes20 items
Prologue: Pisthetaerus and Euelpides Seek the Hoopoe
Two Athenian men, Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, have left Athens and are wandering with a crow and a jackdaw as guides, trying to find Tereus the Hoopoe.
Dialogue with Tereus the Hoopoe
Pisthetaerus and Euelpides meet Tereus, a man who was transformed into a Hoopoe after the mythological events of his life.
Parados: The Gathering of the Birds
Tereus calls the birds together, and they arrive one by one from all directions. At first, the birds are furious when they discover two humans are present.
Pisthetaerus Proposes the New City in the Sky
Given the floor by Tereus, Pisthetaerus delivers his proposal: the birds should build a walled city in the sky between the earth and the heavens.
The Birds Are Persuaded
After hearing Pisthetaerus's proposal, the birds debate and then agree to go along with the plan. They commit to building the sky city and accept Pisthetaerus and Euelpides as par…
Preparation and Transformation of the Founders
Pisthetaerus and Euelpides undergo a physical transformation, receiving wings and bird features so they can live among the birds.
Parabasis: The Birds Address the Audience
The chorus of birds steps forward and speaks directly to the Athenian audience, dropping the fiction of the play entirely.
The Building of Nephelococcygia
The birds actually build the city in the clouds, and it gets a name: Nephelococcygia, which translates roughly as Cloudcuckooland.
The Herald Returns with News of the City's Fame
A herald arrives back from the human world with news that Nephelococcygia has become famous. Humans are obsessed with it, and many want to emigrate and become birds.
The Priest and the Sacrifice
Pisthetaerus organizes a religious sacrifice to consecrate the new city, but the ceremony goes sideways almost immediately.
The Poet Arrives
A wandering poet shows up at Cloudcuckooland uninvited, already composing flattering verses about the new city in hopes of getting paid.
The Oracle-Monger Arrives
An oracle-seller arrives claiming he has ancient prophecies that specifically predicted Cloudcuckooland, and that those prophecies entitle him to rewards.
Meton the Surveyor Arrives
Meton, a real historical Athenian astronomer and urban planner, shows up with his surveying tools to map and divide Cloudcuckooland into rational grids.
The Inspector Arrives
An Athenian government inspector arrives claiming he has been officially assigned to oversee Cloudcuckooland. Pisthetaerus refuses to recognize his authority and sends him packing.
The Decree-Seller Arrives
A man arrives trying to sell Athenian legal decrees that he claims will apply to Cloudcuckooland. Pisthetaerus rejects them and chases him away.
Second Parabasis: The Birds Speak Again
The Chorus of Birds steps forward again to address the audience directly, this time pressing harder on the benefits of bird worship.
The Messenger Reports the Gods Are Starving
A messenger arrives with news that the blockade of the sky is working. The smoke from sacrifices on earth can no longer reach Olympus because the birds are intercepting it, and th…
Iris Is Intercepted
The goddess Iris, messenger of the gods, tries to fly through the birds' airspace and is stopped and interrogated by Peisetaerus.
The Athenian Informer and Other Intruders
A series of unwanted visitors arrive at Cloudcuckooland hoping to exploit or join the new city. Among them is a professional informer who wants to use the birds' wings to travel a…
Prometheus Visits in Secret
Prometheus, the god who gave fire to humanity, sneaks down from Olympus hidden under a parasol so Zeus cannot see him.
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