Review of Aristophanes: Lysistrata /The Acharnians/The Clouds

This book contains 3 plays: The Acharnians, a play dealing with the conflict between Athens and Sparta and the need for resolution;
Clouds, a black comedy that mercilessly skewers Socrates and his school of philosophy; & Lysistrata, the raunchy classic in which the women of Greece refuse to grant any sexual favors until their men end the Peloponnesian War.

Anyone trying to translate the plays of Aristophanes has his work cut out for him. Puns are hard to convey from one language to another, and these plays are chock-full of them. Not to mention a host of inside jokes regarding politicians, other playwrights, and notable figures. Not to mention a Greek truckload of phallological and scatological humor (Seriously, the Farrelly brothers have nothing on Aristophanes).
Despite these difficulties, Alan Somerstein does an admirable job with his translation and the notes are extremely helpful in clarifying some of the more obscure jokes. The only thing I really had trouble with is when the Spartans & Megarians take on Scottish accents. It just did not work for me.