Dionysus and his slave Xanthias head toward the house of Heracles, Dionysus’s half-brother. Xanthias, who is carrying the pair’s luggage, rides on a donkey. The rather “effeminate” Dionysus walks beside him, looking absurd dressed in the robe and lion skin he has donned to disguise himself as Heracles. Dionysus laments the present state of Athenian drama—he’s unimpressed with today’s comic poets, especially compared to the older generation of great tragedians, all of whom have died. This, as it happens, is the reason he and Xanthias are headed to Heracles’s house: Dionysus wants to go to Hades to find Euripides, one of the great tragedians who has recently died, and bring him back from the dead so that he can save Athens. But first, he must ask Heracles, who has been to Hades before to retrieve Cerberus, for directions.
Dionysus and Xanthias arrive at Heracles’s house. Heracles is so amused by Dionysus’s disguise that he falls to the floor in laughter. He recovers, however, and gives Dionysus directions to get to Hades. Dionysus and Xanthias then continue their journey.
Dionysus and Xanthias reach the big lake Heracles told them about and spot the ferryman, Charon. Charon allows Dionysus onto the ferry but prohibits Xanthias from boarding, explaining that he doesn’t carry slaves—he says Xanthias can meet them near the Withering Stone. Reluctantly, Xanthias disappears into the darkness. Charon makes Dionysus row the ferry, and incompetent Dionysus struggles with the task. Just as he’s settled into a rhythm, he’s interrupted by singing frogs (Frog-Chorus) that perform the play’s first choral interlude (parodos). Annoyed at the frogs’ singing and croaking, Dionysus argues with the frogs and tries to compete with their croaking and singing, but the ferry reaches land before a winner can be determined. Dionysus pays Charon, steps back onto land, and reunites with Xanthias.
Dionysus and Xanthias continue their journey. It’s exceptionally dark and spooky by this point, and cowardly Dionysus soils himself out of fear. Suddenly, they hear flute-playing in the distance and see an approaching crowd (Initiate-Chorus); Xanthias recognizes them as the Initiates Heracles said would give them directions to Pluto’s palace. Dionysus and Xanthias hide as the Initiates sing, dance, and prepare their sacrificial meal. The Initiate-Chorus addresses the audience and condemns uninitiated, corrupt “heathens” who don’t understand morality or “Conventions of Comedy.” Dionysus and Xanthias emerge from their hiding place to ask the Initiates for directions to Pluto’s palace, which luckily turns out to be nearby.
Dionysus and Xanthias arrive at Pluto’s palace, where Aeacus, the frightening doorkeeper to Hades, greets them at the door. Aeacus, mistaking Dionysus for Heracles (due to Dionysus’s Heracles disguise) angrily threatens to torture Dionysus-as-Heracles as punishment for Heracles’s theft of Cerberus. While Aeacus goes back inside to summon monsters and gather torture devices, cowardly Dionysus begs Xanthias to trade clothing with him. Xanthias, who is far braver than Dionysus, does so. But the next time the door opens, it’s not Aeacus who emerges but Persephone’s maid, who happily greets Xanthias-as-Heracles and announces that Persephone is preparing a great feast in Heracles’s honor. After she goes inside, Dionysus begs Xanthias to switch costumes once more. But just as they do so, two landladies pass by and berate Dionysus-as-Xanthias for other questionable acts Heracles committed when he was in Hades. Dionysus makes Xanthias trade costumes yet again, only this time Aeacus returns to torture Heracles. Xanthias-as-Heracles offers his “slave” (Dionysus) for Aeacus to torture instead. Panicked, Dionysus comes clean about his true identity—but not before Aeacus insists on flogging Xanthias and Dionysus to determine which is telling the truth (whoever is really a god wouldn’t feel any pain from the flogging). Unable to determine whether Xanthias or Dionysus is telling the truth, Aeacus brings them to his masters to verify that Dionysus is indeed a god.
The action picks up after Pluto has identified Dionysus and set the record straight. Xanthias and Pluto’s slave are doing chores; they bond over their shared love of complaining about and spreading rumors about their masters. Xanthias hears yelling, and Pluto’s slave explains that the poets Aeschylus and Euripides are sparring over which of them is worthier of holding a chair in Pluto’s Great Hall (Pluto reserves a chair for whoever is best in their field). Aeschylus had long held the chair, but ever since Euripides died, he’s been threatening to take it away from Aeschylus. To settle the dispute, Pluto has decided to hold a contest to test the poets’ skill; the contest is set to begin shortly, and Dionysus will be the judge. Pluto will provide various measuring implements, including a scale, to “weigh” the poetry. Xanthias and Pluto’s slave exit so the contest can begin.
Dionysus and Pluto enter and take their seats. Then Euripides and Aeschylus take the stage. Enslaved people enter next, carrying tools to weigh and measure the poets’ poetry. The Chorus introduces the competitors, praising Euripides’s wit and comparing Aeschylus’s words to “weapons.” Euripides and Aeschylus take turns quoting and praising their own poetry and criticizing each other’s. Euripides claims that his poetry is superior because it’s more logical. Also, it’s written in everyday language and features ordinary characters that commoners can understand. Aeschylus claims that his poetry is better: it’s written in an elevated style and features noble, heroic characters that teach audiences how to be virtuous and what an ideal world should look like. Aeschylus criticizes Euripides’s plays for their predictable prologues. Euripides responds by criticizing Aeschylus’s boring songwriting. Throughout the contest, Dionysus acts as judge and moderator, offering thoughtful commentary and interjecting to settle disputes that become too heated.
Eventually, Pluto orders the poets to recite some lines of their own poetry and then place their hand on the scale, which will tilt lower to determine which poet has recited “weightier” poetry. They repeat this process twice, with the scale tilting in Aeschylus’s favor each time. Even so, Dionysus remains unable to decide which poet is better. Finally, he says that whichever poet can offer better advice on how to save Athens will be the winner. Euripides offers a compelling but vague answer about how Athenians should question everything and trust no one. Aeschylus offers more concrete advice, suggesting that Athens should elect better leaders and strengthen their navy. Still, Dionysus remains conflicted and decides that he’ll “select the man [his] soul desires,” which turns out to be Aeschylus, much to Euripides’s chagrin. Euripides is removed from the arena, and Pluto invites Dionysus and Aeschylus inside to celebrate Aeschylus’s victory. Afterward, he wishes them a safe journey back and good luck saving Athens.
