The Ecclesiazusae

By Aristophanes and J Van Leeuwen

Book Overview

The Ecclesiazusae is a comedic play written by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. The play is set in Athens and follows the women of the city as they stage a revolt against the male-dominated government. Led by the clever Praxagora, the women dress in men's clothing and infiltrate the Athenian assembly, where they propose a series of radical laws designed to establish a utopian society where women have equal rights and power.The play is filled with witty dialogue, satire, and political commentary, as Aristophanes uses the absurdity of the women's demands to highlight the flaws in Athenian democracy and society. Through the character of Praxagora, he also explores the concept of gender roles and the idea that women are just as capable as men in matters of governance.Despite its comedic tone, The Ecclesiazusae is a thought-provoking work that challenges traditional notions of gender and power, and raises important questions about the nature of democracy and the role of women in society.Come, withdraw and remain seated in the future. I am going to take this chaplet myself and speak in your name. May the gods grant success to my plans My country is as dear to me as it is to you, and I groan, I am grieved at all that is happening in it. Scarcely one in ten of those who rule it is honest, and all the others are bad. If you appoint fresh chiefs, they will do still worse.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1419160567
• ISBN13: 9781419160561
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 76 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.6" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Sex and Communism--Could you ask for more?

Aristophanes is at the top of his form here, despite what some critics say. His lampooning of several ideas floating around Athens at the time(women's rights, communism, free love, etc, to use modern terms) is hilarious, and this praise is coming from an avid supporter of everything he's satirizing. The raunchy sex jokes are just as entertaining and twice as intelligent as anything coming out of Hollywood these days, and the political humor teaches one a great deal about contemporary events in Athens. The actual political and social order depicted in the play is very reminiscent of Plato's Republic(written later); as the previous reviewer has stated, this play is excellent in conjuction with Plato's writings on the subject. A class dealing with both works was how I came across this play in the first place, and it provided excellent fodder for discussion.In terms of this specific edition, Mayhew translates every joke with absolute faith to the witty, vulgar original. The footnotes are unobtrusive, but they provide just the right amount of explanation of obscure references and odd figures of speech. They even mention which sections were expurgated by uptight Victorian translators! Accept nothing less than this version. (PS: If you loved this play, Lysistrata is at least as good, if not even better.)

Middle Comedy never looked so new!

A specter is haunting Athens, the specter of communism.This premise animates the plot of Aristophenes' comedy "Ecclesiazusae" (or "Assembly of Women"), wherein the heroine Praxagora leads a conspiracy of hags dressed as men to vote themselves into power. Fresh from her victory, Praxagora unveils her plan for a brave, new world where all property, children and sex are held in common. What follows is an uproariously funny, shockingly vulgar, tremendously insightful satire of communists and the logical consequences of their ideology.Mayhew's translation and introduction would make for a perfect adjunct to any discussion of Plato's *Republic*, especially in an introductory Greek Lit & Civ course. First, Aristophenes has arguably innovated aspects of communism that would later influence Plato. Second, the play contains so many allusions to contemporary events (helpfully explained by Mayhew), that it provides a useful introduction to ancient history, political philosophy, and dramatic literature. Last, the comedy is funny enough for anyone (particularly sophomores!) to enjoy, and if it's the only play they actually read, they'll know something important about ancient Athens, thanks to the guidance of Robert Mayhew.