In The Birds, written by Aristophanes, two Athenians seek a Utopian refuge from the madness of city life and found a city of birds located between Earth and Olympus. Unfortunately, the idealism of their perfect new City - christened (in 414BC) 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' - is corrupted. When The Birds was performed it featured a Chorus which represented twenty-four different species of birds; one of Aristophanes' other politically anthropomorphic plays. But how did Greek comedy evolve? Why did its subsequent development differ so radically from that of Greek tragedy? To what extent did it reflect the anxieties and preoccupations of a nascent democracy? And can it be said to have left any lasting legacy?

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