This play tells the story of women who, fed up with the current parliament (is drinking not an inherent part of politics? Judging by the laws they pass, it certainly seems so), decide to take matters into their own hands. Disguising themselves as men, they seize control of the government and introduce a communist society where everything is shared—property, resources, and even love lives.

In this new system, men are granted the freedom to sleep with any woman they desire. However, to keep things fair, one must first sleep with an elderly woman before being with a young beauty. The final part of the play childishly mocks the absurdity of this arrangement.

Overall, Aristophanes seems to suggest that handing power over to women (or any other faction) leads to an even more chaotic government—and perhaps this is not the way to solve our problems (Very relevant, as evidenced by populist movements erupting all over the world without solving the existing problems). A funny (although a bit childish) comedy with a sharp political undertone.

Lmao Aristophanes

A group of women don fakes beards and their husbands' cloaks, all to attend the male assembly and convince the Athenians to turn the city's rule over to those more competent: the women.

Ok. This play is, eh... Hmm. I'm struggling to know where I should begin. Let's start off with a different Aristophanes' play, the  Thesmophoriazusae which is all about the women of Athens hating Euripides' misogynistic plays so much that they decide to kill him. I hoped Euripides replied with some lost Satyr play about the female Athenians reacting to The Ecclesiazusae because, ho-ly shit, is this terrible. I felt near on shellshocked after reading this, and couldn't understand how the same bloke who created the  Lysistrata wrote this thing. Then I remember  Plutus and say 'oh, right'.

Having gained their power, the women essentially create a free love commune. All wealth is put into a public fund, so now theft is impossible. Meals are served at one giant table for all, so everyone's equal (except the slaves). Sex is free and open, with the only stipulations being free folk and slaves cannot have sex with each other, and the ugliest citizens must always be erotically served first *Socrates roars approvingly*. The women are, apparently, perfectly fine with shagging the least appealing of the male sex, but Aristophanes gives us a scene from the opposite perspective, where a handsome young man tries to visit his girlfriend and is apprehended by three old women, who insist he must deal with them first, ignore his protests and drag him away to rape him. What the ever Zeus-loving fuck, Aristophanes?

I remember  Plutus being very mean spirited, but this play is far worse. The humour is cruder, such as this line about a man with constipation ‘I really think there must be a wild pear obstructing my rectum’, there's lots of talk about fondling buttocks or grabbing privates, and some terrible descriptions of the bodies of old women, with suggestions they should 'stop up their holes'.

This is one of those stories that hates everyone: men are stupid and women are devious. Wikipedia informs me this is less a play about female rule, and more an accusation against the Athenian male elite being both incompetent and effeminate. That might have been his argument, but it does nothing to excuse just how tasteless and cruel this whole mess is.

I happened to read this while drunk and, though I don't reccomend you read the play, I would suggest you get utterly pissed if you do, because it'll make it a hell of a lot easier.

1,5 ⭐️

La leí en el instituto y me pareció un poco sin más. Es graciosa y tiene frases obscenas.

"The Assembly of Women," or, "Ecclesiazusae," reminded me very strongly of my favorite Aristophanes, "Lysistrata." If you loved that play as much as I did, you will enjoy this one as well.

The first scene starts off with a group of wives in Ancient Athens stealing their husband's clothes and setting off to speak at the male-only Assembly. Their novel ideas, which concern land ownership, equality, and even sex, are met with a mixture of both outraged indignation and curious popularity.

This play was very fun, and I loved the spirited, mischievously intelligent women. I cannot leave out their husbands - exaggeratedly slow witted, they were hilarious.

Aristophanes is perhaps the world's first champion of women's rights, and he puts his ideas into comedy very well.

Una de las últimas comedias de Aristófanes, el único autor del que quedan comedias completas de época clásica.

En esta obra veremos cómo las mujeres de Atenas, hartas del caótico gobierno de los hombres, se hacen pasar por ellos en la Asamblea y se hacen con el poder. A partir de ahí, crean una especie de sociedad comunista, en la que todo es común, tanto lo económico como lo sexual.

Al ser una obra corta, me la he leído rápidamente. Quitando lo misógino de la obra, me ha parecido bastante interesante por la cantidad de referencias que hacen de la sociedad griega de entonces. No obstante, creo que hay obras de Aristófanes más mordaces y divertidas que esta.

Should it be taken as a joke? Or not?

A very good read, but pointless if you have little or no contextual knowledge of Greek Theatre and The Peloponnesian War - it makes it harder to appreciate and understand.

Me he reído en algunas partes. No tengo mucho más que decir. :P Se lee muy rápido y es ameno, perfecto para una tarde de viernes.

labai daug poop jokes

How very unsurprising that women at the first chance they get implement big nanny government.

Una genial crítica contra los comunistas y demás basuras por el estilo.
Entre todos los griegos antiguos no hay quien se compare al genial, conservador y tradicional Aristófanes.

Fue un libro obligatorio para la clase de griego. No es que me hiciera mucha gracia, precisamente, ya que es un humor anticuado, pero se lee rápido y es muy facilillo, así que no me molestó demasiado.