Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae [The Women's Festival]

Donald Sells (University of Michigan)

Ed. by Jonathan Burgess, University of Toronto
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool)

Dates

First circulation or publication -411

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin)

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Comedy
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Aristophanes’

Thesmophoriazusae

(

The Women’s Festival

) was performed in Athens at the City Dionysia of 411 during one of the most volatile phases of Athenian political history. In the previous winter, Athenian oligarchs plotted the overthrow of Athens’ democracy in an attempt to secure an alliance with the Persians against the Peloponnesians, with whom the city had been at war since 431 BCE. The historian Thucydides tells us that after they made their case to the Athenian Assembly (8.53) the oligarchs began undermining the democracy through a campaign of violence, assassinating certain prominent democrats before a full takeover in June. Although the democracy would eventually be restored the following year, a cloud of fear and uncertainty hovered over the Athenians that spring. This…

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2525 words

Citation: Sells, Donald. "Thesmophoriazusae". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 March 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13330, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae [The Women's Festival]

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