Abstract:
In this paper I discuss the motif of ‘eating together’ in Knights, Ecclesiazuae and Wealth, as an allegory of political corruption which is nevertheless presented as an act of moral duty. This motif, it will be argued, is a core element in the first play, which promotes an ironic reading; a less evidently political symbol in the second play, which strengthens the case for an ironic interpretation; and only a peripheral point in the third play, which does not undermine the comic utopia. In all cases, the dramatist underlines the complicity of both official representatives and private individuals in corruption.
PDF File:
