How we cite our quotes: Line
Quote #1
I heard the cock crow quite a while ago, / but the slaves are snoring. They wouldn't in the old days. / Damn the war, it's messed up a lot of things. (4-6)
This play was written and first performed while the Peloponnesian War was in full swing. As a result, war, patriotism, bravery, etc., is very much in the minds of the characters.
Quote #2
Oh dammit, why'd you light the thirsty lamp? Come here and take your beating! (57-58)
Strepsiades is a fairly violent dude, apparently. Here, the slave made the wrong call regarding which lamp to light, and Strepsiades is eager to suggest beating him. Sheesh, calm down, dude.
Quote #3
They look like prisoners of war, the ones from Sparta. / But why are they peering at the ground like that? (186-187)
See, didn't we tell you that the characters have war on the brain? Here, even though Strepsiades is staring at a line of pasty students frozen in a ridiculous pose (i.e., butts to the air), he thinks straightaway of Spartan POWs… which seems like a leap.