Aristophanes' Views

Aristophanes' Views

There have been many arguments as to Aristophanes views and politics.

Some arguing that it is almost impossible to determine any serious

view points Aristophanes may have being trying to say through his

plays. While many others may argue, that points made in the Parabasis

and through the various comic styles, are the key to what Aristophanes

thought and believed. With so little evidence of Aristophanes

himself, it is hard to prove a case either way. While taking into

account the social climate at the time and what the main aims of the

plays were, I will be looking into Thesmophoriazusae and whether

Aristophanes was attempting to make any serious points through various

styles of humour.

In order to determine whether Aristophanes was putting forward a

serious point, it helps to look at the back ground and context in

which his plays were written.

In Greek theatre the audience was made up solely of men. with the only

women being those on stage, and even then only allowed to play silent

parts such as slaves.

Throughout the play, women are a common theme, at the time in which

Thesmophoriazusae was written (411bc), attitudes towards them were

much the same as in many societies. Women were inferior to men, in

almost all parts of society. They were the property of men. Whether it

be their husbands or their fathers, they could not vote, could not

hold a position of office, and could not own any property. However in

some parts of Athenian society they were considered to be almost the

equals of men, religion is a prime example of this. In religious

matters women were at times essential, in burials and civic sacrifice

rituals.

In contrast to this, Pericles’ citizenship law (451bc) raised their

status to that of most prized possessions. The law stated that only an

Athenian wife could produce a legitimate male heir. She became the

only thing that could allow the husband’s family name to be carried

on. It became a constant fear for the husbands, that their wives would

be adulterous and produce a child, as the child would grow up and have

a legitimate claim on the family possessions. Women became far more

protected by their husband’s, than they ever had been previously. A

wife with both an Athenian mother and Athenian father, became highly

prized. This of course was more of a problem for a rich husband than a

poor husband, as they had more to lose. However due to a lack of being

able to afford help around the house, women of poor husbands had

greater freedom, as they had to go out and fetch things needed for the