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Aeschylus
Pluto is the ruler of Hades. He organizes a contest to determine whether Euripides or Aeschylus is the superior poet; the winner will take over Aeschylus’s chair in Pluto’s Great Hall, and he’ll also journey back to the land of the living with Dionysus to save Athens. At the end of the play, after Dionysus has deemed Aeschylus the winner, Pluto congratulates Aeschylus and wishes him luck restoring Athens to its former glory.
Pluto Quotes in The Frogs
The The Frogs quotes below are all either spoken by Pluto or refer to Pluto. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1, Scene 2 Quotes
XANTHIAS Come on, don’t dither. Remember you’re supposed to be Heracles!
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Dionysus and Xanthias have arrived at Pluto’s palace in Hades, but Dionysus is suddenly nervous and hesitates to knock on the front door. Xanthias impatiently urges Dionysus to get on with it, reminding him that he’s “supposed to be Heracles!” (Dionysus is wearing a lion-skin and robe to disguise himself as his half-brother, the divine hero Heracles, who has been to Hades before.) Xanthias’s remark is played for comedic effect, highlighting the irony that though Dionysus is a god and thus (one would think) should be brave and powerful, he’s in fact cowardly, bumbling, and flawed. But Xanthias also gestures Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciu
DIONYSUS Well, if you’re feeling so brave and heroic, how about taking my place? Here you are, you take the club and lion-skin – a chance to show your courage – and I’ll carry the luggage for you.
XANTHIAS Anything you say. You’re the boss.
[They exchange roles.]
There, how do I look? Xanthias as Heracles! I reckon the part suits me better than it does you, you old coward!
DIONYSUS It’s a very good imitation of a slave dressed up as Heracles. Come on, let me have those bundles.
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Dionysus and Xanthias arrive at Pluto’s palace and are greeted by Aeacus, the gatekeeper. The moment Aeacus lays eyes on “Heracles” (recall that Dionysus is disguised as his half-brother Heracles), he angrily promises to torture and unleash fearsome monsters on him as punishment for Heracles stealing the hellhound Cerberus. As soon as Aeacus goes back inside to fetch the necessary monsters and instruments of torture, the terrified Dionysus urges Xanthias to trade costumes with him, which Xanthias does without question. This passage gives the audience more insight into Dionysus’s and Heracles’s personalities. The nonchalance with which Xanthias agrees (though of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iu
CHORUS
Well now you’re dressed up just the same as before,
A sight to make anyone tremble,
You must roll your eyes and swagger and roar
Like the god you’re supposed to resemble.
If you flinch or waver or fluff your role
And forget to speak bravely and brag, man,
You’ll be putting those suitcases back on that pole
And going back to your job as a bagman.
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Persephone’s maid has just emerged from Pluto’s palace and told “Heracles” (Xanthias wearing Dionysus’s Heracles disguise) about the grand feast and dancing women Persephone has arranged to entertain Heracles. Dionysus demanded that Xanthias give him back his Heracles disguise. But after they traded costumes (with Dionysus now embodying Heracles), two landladies came out and berated “Heracles” for the rudeness he displayed the last time he was in Hades—so now Dionysus, in a cowardly attempt at self-preservation, demands that Xanthias once more assume the Heracles costume, hoping that Xanthias, not Dionysus, will receive any punishment intended for Heracles. Here, as the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut
Act 2, Scene 1 Quotes
SLAVE He’s a real gentleman, your master, by Zeus.
XANTHIAS Of course. Like all real gentlemen he only understands two things: swigging and frigging.
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After Xanthias and Dionysus arrive at Pluto’s palace in Hades, Xanthias and one of Pluto’s slaves are working on some tedious chores together. As they work, Pluto’s slave, who has apparently heard about Xanthias and Dionysus swapping costumes outside Pluto’s palace earlier that day (with Xanthias masquerading as a god and Dionysus posing as a slave) calls Dionysus “a real gentleman,” suggesting that Xanthias is lucky that Dionysus didn’t punish Xanthias for impersonating him. In response, Xanthias sarcastically agrees: “Like all real gentleman [Dionysus] only understands two things: swigging and frigging.” With this, Xanthias insults Dionysus, arguing that he’s not Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accus
SLAVE Well, Euripides came along and started showing off to all the other people we’ve got down here, you know, cut-throats, highwaymen, murderers, burglars – a right rough lot they are – and of course he soon had them all twisted round his little finger, with all his arguments and clever talking. So they’ve all started saying he’s the best, and he’s decided to lay claim to the chair instead of Aeschylus.
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As Xanthias and Pluto’s slave do chores in Pluto’s palace, Pluto’s slave catches Xanthias up to speed on the ongoing feud between Euripides and Aeschylus. Though it should be obvious that Aeschylus is clearly the better of the two poets, Pluto’s slave explains, the problem is that Euripides, through “his arguments and clever talking,” has won over all the “cut-throats, highwaymen, murderers, [and] burglars” that reside in Hades. This passage reaffirms the play’s stance that the culture of contemporary Athens is debased and immoral and thus has bred a generation of citizens who are incapable of judging good character (or Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro p
XANTHIAS Weighing poetry? What, like slices of meat?
SLAVE Oh, yes, it’s all got to be measured properly, with rulers, yardsticks, compasses and wedges, and god knows what else.
XANTHIAS A regular torture chamber.
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After Xanthias overhears Aeschylus and Euripides arguing, Pluto’s slave tells Xanthias about the contest that Pluto has organized to determine which of them is the better poet. He explains that Pluto will provide all kinds of measuring equipment so that the judge (Dionysus) can objectively “weigh” which poet is better. The literal “weighing” of poetry satirizes literary criticism, comically exaggerating the practice of closely analyzing the mechanics of literature. The play doesn’t condemn literary criticism; to the contrary, it uses the “weighing” of poetry that takes place during Euripides and Aeschylus’s contest to pay homage to great poetry, allowing each Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiore
DIONYSUS I’ll judge between you on this score alone: I shall select the man my soul desires.
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At the end of Euripides and Aeschylus’s contest, Dionysus finds that he’s still unable to determine which poet is better, even after the measuring equipment Pluto has provided to “weigh” their poetry has twice determined that Aeschylus’s poetry is “weightier” than Euripides’s. Thus, Dionysus announces that he’s no longer judging the poets on their technical abilities; instead, he will “select the man [his] soul desires”—in other words, the man whose poetry inspires a greater emotional response. Dionysus’s decision gestures back toward his motivation for journeying to Hades in the first place: a fierce longing for the poetry of Euripides. Thus, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corp
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Pluto Character Timeline in The Frogs
The timeline below shows where the character Pluto appears in The Frogs. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
...people who’ve been “initiated into the rites of the Mysteries” and can direct Heracles to Pluto’s palace. Heracles wishes Dionysus luck, and then he goes back inside his house. Dionysus and...
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...their Hymn to Persephone. Dionysus takes the opportunity to ask the Initiates for directions to Pluto’s palace. They tell Dionysus the palace is nearby and point him in the right direction....
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Act 1, Scene 2
Dionysus and Xanthias arrive at Pluto’s palace; Dionysus knocks on the door and is greeted by Aeacus, the formidable doorkeeper to...
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...blow, and each reacts more strongly. Aeacus, frustrated, decides to take Xanthias and Dionysus to Pluto and Persephone, who will be able to tell which of them is a god. They...
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Act 2, Scene 1
In Pluto’s palace, Xanthias and Pluto’s slave are working together on some tedious chore. Xanthias gripes about...
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The sound of nearby yelling interrupts Xanthias and Pluto’s slave’s conversation. Pluto’s slave explains that it’s Aeschylus and Euripides who are yelling: they’re presently...
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Xanthias asks if Sophocles is also competing for the chair. Pluto’s slave explains that when Sophocles first arrived, he kissed Aeschylus on the hand and promised...
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Dionysus and Pluto enter and find their seats. Slaves carry in a scale and other tools to weigh...
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...the winner, he struggles. One poet is wise, but he “just love[s]” the other poet. Pluto says that Dionysus should just pick a poet; he can take the poet he picks...
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Pluto says it’s time for Dionysus to decide which poet he will take back with him....
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Pluto orders Dionysus and Aeschylus inside to entertain them before they leave. The Chorus stays behind...
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Pluto, Aeschylus, and Dionysus emerge from Pluto’s palace. Pluto bids his guests goodbye and tells them...
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