Human fantasy and social hierarchy in Aristophanes' The Birds

¶ … Birds: Why do humans fantasize about the ornithological state of being? Refer to "The Birds" of Aritsophanes

To the human eye, birds can seem very much like human beings. Birds seem to behave intelligently, unlike most insects and reptiles, yet unlike mammals birds have the capacity of flight, and often of song as well. They also have exotic plumage that humans can only replicate by gathering feathers or manufacturing clothing. Thus, the sight of birds offers human beings a fantasy of escape and flight. The sight of birds enables humans to fantasize about creating another way of living, but in the context of something that still seems 'human,' and socially organized -- because birds still seem to engage with one another as friends and mates in ways that we engage with our fellow human beings on a personal, if not a political level.

In this vein, Aristophanes' play "The Birds" tells the story of two old Athenians who wish to escape the responsibilities and demands of Athenian society. They try to end their days in a state of peace and harmony, like the birds of the air that do not need government and religion. They seek out a mythical bird-kingdom do so. But over the course of the play, the society of birds becomes just as divided as Athens. When the Athenians when the humans intervene in bird society, these humans cannot resist creating a city, rather than allowing the birds to live freely. They sow the seeds of discord between all the different kinds of birds living who are living away from civilization by creating hierarchies of power, which are necessary even in a democratic city.