In her commentary Dunbar writes: "that Peisetairos is dishonestly deceiving the divine envoys about his plan, since it is incompatible with 1233-7 and 1534-5, may well be to credit Aristophanes with a more completely logical treatment of the birds' coup d'État than he thought necessary, or perhaps advisable" (p. 723). I think it is not too much to assume that Aristophanes intended his audience to realize the difference between what Peisetairos planned (ultimate rulership) and what the embassy expected to negotiate (cessation of the blockade). If we accept that the deceit is intentional, Poseidon's surprise at 1604-5 is more pointed and Peisetairos' persuasive abilities more effective; in short, we can appreciate that the logic of the scene is not haphazard.

Peisetairos persuades the embassy in much the same way, with nearly the same examples he used to persuade the birds of their right to rulership. He seems very careful to ask first for the scepter, and then for Basileia, as we are meant to see her as the real secret behind Zeus' power. This is one proof that helps us to see that Aristophanes has set this scene up with a certain intent: to shock the gods with Peisetairos' demand to rule the universe.[32]

The gods come to Peisetairos and say that they are not profiting from being at war and will give the birds water and halcyon days if they are friendly to them (ˆnte! f€loi). This suggests that they have no idea of Peisetairos' real purpose since it is, I think, meant to seem belittling to offer birds bath water and halcyon days, the proverbial period of calm weather during winter. For the birds are not in need of such things, since they themselves have recently told us, the audience, how hardy they are. In the antode of the second parabasis (esp. 1089-90) they sing:

eÎdaimon fËlon pthn«n

ofivn«n, o„ xeim«no! m¢n

xla€na! oÈk émpi!xnoËnai:

oÈd' aÔ yermØ pn€gou! ≤mç!

ékt‹! thlaugØ! yãlpei:

And while this is not a quote, it is certainly reminiscent of Odyssey 6,42-5:

OÌlumpÒnd', ˜yi fa!‹ ye«n ßdo! é!fal¢! afie‹

¶mmenai: oÎt' én°moi!i tinã!!etai oÎte pot' ˆmbrvi

deÊetai oÎte xi∆n §pip€lnatai, éllå mãl' a‡yrh

p°ptatai én°felo!, leukØ d' §pid°dromen a‡glh.

Here in the latter part of the play the apotheosis of the birds is immanent and any slight comparison with the Olympians is both appropriate and somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The juxtaposition, therefore, of the gods' paltry offer and the impending divine superiority of the birds is quite comical.

Peisetairos responds to the embassy's offer by saying that he and the birds did not start the war. The humor here lies in the fact that, as Dunbar notes,[33] the Athenians often said the same to the Peloponnesians in the course of the war; to be sure, it sounds particularly Periklean. At Thuk. 1,144,2 Perikles says as much to the Athenians with regard to beginning a war with Sparta (pol°mou d¢ oÈk írjomen, érxom°nou! d¢ émunoÊmeya). This is surely an echo of 1,53,4 where the Athenians say the same to the Peloponnesians with regard to the dispute over Korkyra: oÎte êrxomen pol°mou, Œ êndre! PeloponnÆ!ioi, oÎte tå! !pondå! lÊomen. In Birds Peisetairos is being facetious (and Dunbar sees this[34]) and tricky since in the same breath he says nËn t' §y°lomen... which quickly covers up his obvious deceit and moves diplomatically toward his demands (tå d€kaia).

The first demand of Zeus' scepter is essentially ignored by Herakles who is blinded by his hunger and hears only the invitation §p' êri!ton, which is purposefully the last thing Peisetairos says. The verb Herakles uses, époxr∞i[35] ('it's sufficient'), is humorous here and points out that Herakles did not really hear what Peisetairos' request was.