Aristophanes Views :: Aristophanes Greek Theatre Plays Essays

Aristophanes ViewsThere have been many arguments as to Aristophanes bewitchs and politics. close to arguing that it is almost impossible to determine any skillfulview points Aristophanes may have being trying to say through hisplays. plot many others may argue, that points made in the Parabasisand through the unlike amusive styles, are the key to what Aristophanesthought and believed. With so little evidence of Aristophaneshimself, it is overweight to prove a case either way. While taking into report the social climate at the time and what the main aims of theplays were, I forget be looking into Thesmophoriazusae and whetherAristophanes was attempting to make any serious points through variousstyles of humour.In order to determine whether Aristophanes was putting forward aserious point, it helps to look at the back ground and context inwhich his plays were written.In Greek theatre the audience was made up solely of men. with the notwithstandingwomen being those on stage, and even then only allowed to play stillseparate such as slaves.Throughout the play, women are a general theme, at the time in whichThesmophoriazusae was written (411bc), attitudes towards them weremuch the same as in many societies. Women were inferior to men, inalmost all parts of society. They were the property of men. Whether itbe their economizes or their fathers, they could not vote, could nothold a position of office, and could not own any property. However in rough parts of Athenian society they were considered to be almost theequals of men, religion is a prime example of this. In religiousmatters women were at times essential, in burials and civic sacrificerituals.In contrast to this, Pericles citizenship law (451bc) raised their emplacement to that of most prized possessions. The law stated that only anAthenian wife could vex a legitimate male heir. She became theonly thing that could allow the husbands family name to be carriedon. It became a constant fear for the husband s, that their wives wouldbe adulterous and produce a child, as the child would grow up and havea legitimate claim on the family possessions. Women became far more thanprotected by their husbands, than they ever had been previously. Awife with some(prenominal) an Athenian mother and Athenian father, became highlyprized. This of course was more of a problem for a rich husband than apoor husband, as they had more to lose. However due to a lack of being equal to(p) 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