Great Books Ep 103. Aristophanes - The Thesmophoriazusae. Crashing a Women's Festival
With more prosperity, there could be less rigidity regarding what is masculine vs feminine.
“I choose my dress to suit my poesy. A poet, sir, must needs adapt his ways To the high thoughts which animate his soul. And when he sings of women, he assumes A woman's garb, and dons a woman’s habits.”
~ ‘The Thesmophoriazusae’ by Aristophanes (Benjamin B. Rogers translation. GB5 - p. 602)
Brief Summary:
The play starts with Euripides and his relative Mnesilochus walking towards Agathon, a young poet’s home. Euripides has found out that the women of Athens plan to plot against him in their women-only Thesmophoria festival as a response to his portraying them negatively in his plays. He wants someone to go into the festival disguised as a woman to know the details of the plot. They are going to Agathon’s home since he has a feminine appearance, and he could help gather information. They reach the house and see Agathon dressed up as a woman writing a song for women. When he hears about Euripides’s request, he refuses, saying he will not bear another person’s burden and that Euripides was foolish to denigrate women.
Seeing Euripides’ despair, Mnesilochus reluctantly agrees to help. With Agathon’s help, Euripides transforms him into a woman. In this disguise, Mnesilochus enters Thesmophorium (temple of the home-givers) and sits with other women who are discussing how to punish Euripides since he has insulted them by portraying them as false, faithless gossipers and misery to men. Their husbands have become suspicious of them, and some even lose their business since people no longer believe in gods due to Euripides’ plays. They resolve that he should be killed. Mnesilochus puts forward his (her) view that women actually engage in affairs, baby-swapping, drinking, etc., and Euripides’ plays show only a few of the mischiefs that women do. The other women get upset at this accusation of their character.
A man named Cleisthenes enters dressed up as a woman, saying he is the patron and devotee of women. He says that Euripides has sent a spy disguised as a woman. He goes one by one, questioning each woman, and finds out that Mnesilochus is not a woman. The women examine him and confirm it. Mnesilochus captures a baby from a woman and tells them to let him go free. But the baby that he takes turns out to be wineskin. He is captured, tied to a plank and placed under guard by a Scythian guard.
Euripides tries to rescue Mnesilochus in different ways. First, they enact scenes from his play “Helen”, with Mnesilochus being Helen and Euripides being Menelaus, who has come to rescue him. When that doesn’t work, he tries a scene from his “Andromeda”, with Mnesilochus being the chained Andromeda and Euripides being Perseus. When that also doesn’t work, Euripides comes in the disguise of an old female musician and brings a dancing girl. The Scythian guard gets attracted to the girl and goes after her. Euripides unties Mnesilochus and strikes a deal with the women, promising to stop portraying them negatively and asking them to let them go free. When the guard returns, the women misdirect him.
My Thoughts:
It was interesting to read about Mnesilochus’ transition - the elaborate and comic process of shaving, singeing body hair, and dressing him in women’s clothes. It seemed like Aristophanes was mocking the amount of time it takes to dress up as a woman. I think the jokes and stereotypes of women taking forever to get ready exist even today. I guess, taking time to groom oneself is also a nod to luxury and prosperity. Kings and queens of the past had pretty elaborate and quite impractical dresses. In Anna Karenina, we see some nobles having long nails, which, though probably time-consuming to maintain, were status symbols to indicate that they didn’t use their hands at all and had servants for everything.
One would imagine that as society advances and as there is more prosperity, people would focus more on comfort and not really wear things to get approval from others. I think long nails, long hair, beard, mustache, some kinds of clothing, etc., are a hassle to maintain and time-consuming. People could use that time to take care of their health. But the societal pressure to appear in some way makes people override what is easier and more comfortable.
What dresses are most comfortable for people, I wonder. During the pandemic, most people worked from home, and many were probably in their pajamas throughout the day. So, are PJs the most comfortable wearable? But PJ could mean different things - a soft t-shirt and pants, a t-shirt and shorts, a long t-shirt (nightshirt), a t-shirt and a kilt/lungi, a sleeveless t-shirt and a skirt, a robe and so on. But even in this, the modern world has men and women in different categories with different colors for each, while arguably, most PJs should be unisex.
What dresses do people wear in heaven? In most portrayals that I’ve seen on TV (as I remember it now), everyone - men and women seem to be wearing white robes - similar to the long robes that Arabs wear. Is that the most functional of all clothing humans have invented? Easy to wear, easy to remove and does not fat-shame? Anyway, enough about dressing. I guess people should have the freedom to wear what they want to based on their comfort and the feeling of expressing themselves.
One question that I was thinking of as I was reading this was whether societies become more feminine or more masculine with prosperity? One would think that since people would become softer, more sophisticated, peaceful, etc., things tend toward being more feminine because those are the attributes that the current prominent culture attributes to women. But those can also be attributed to men. Men seek to control chaos and establish order. In ancient plays, women like Medea, Phaedra, Clytaemnestra, Hecuba, etc., are shown as possessive, fierce, faithless and vengeful, while women like Alestis, Iphigenia, Andromache, etc., are shown as noble, selfless, virtuous and dignified. The same goes with men also. There are feminine and masculine forces within everyone, and everything is not entirely driven by hormones for most people. I think that with more prosperity, there could be less rigidity regarding what is masculine vs feminine. So, generalizing is bad and does gross injustice to human intelligence.
AI Response to the Post (Gemini)
1. Expanding on Men Wearing Women’s Clothing and Vice Versa:
You’re spot-on in recognizing the play’s commentary on the performative nature of gender. Aristophanes uses cross-dressing for comedic effect, but it also serves as a tool for social critique. Your point about everyone having the right to wear what they want resonates strongly with contemporary discussions on gender fluidity and self-expression. Here’s a further elaboration:
Social Commentary:
In ancient Athens, clothing was a powerful indicator of social status, gender, and citizenship. By having Mnesilochus dress as a woman, Aristophanes disrupts these established norms, highlighting their artificiality.
The elaborate process of transforming Mnesilochus into a woman underscores the societal expectations placed on women regarding their appearance. It’s a satire on the time and effort required to conform to these expectations.
The play exposes the anxieties surrounding gender boundaries. The fear of infiltration and the need to “verify” Mnesilochus’s gender reveal the fragility of these constructs.
Modern Relevance:
Your observation about the evolution of comfort in clothing is pertinent. Today, we see a growing movement towards gender-neutral fashion and a rejection of rigid gendered clothing norms.
The idea of “comfort” in clothing is subjective and culturally influenced. What’s considered comfortable varies across time and societies.
The play invites us to question why certain articles of clothing are associated with specific genders. Is it based on practicality, tradition, or social conditioning?
The idea of everyone wearing white robes in heaven, as you mentioned, is interesting. It removes all gender and social distinctions. That illustrates the idea of a universal standard that is outside of the social norms of earth.
Performance of Gender:
Judith Butler’s theories of gender performativity are very applicable to this play. The idea that gender is not an internal essence, but a set of repeated actions and behaviors. Mnesilochus is performing womanhood, and through this performance, the audience sees how constructed gender really is.
2. Deeper Analysis of Themes and Symbolism:
Beyond the humor and gender bending, “The Thesmophoriazusae” explores several profound themes:
The Power of Representation:
The play grapples with the responsibility of artists in portraying societal groups. Euripides’s negative depictions of women have real-world consequences, highlighting the power of art to shape perceptions.
The women’s anger reflects a deep-seated frustration with being misrepresented and marginalized. They seek to reclaim their narrative and assert their agency.
The Nature of Truth and Deception:
The play is filled with disguises, trickery, and shifting identities. It questions the nature of truth and the difficulty of discerning reality from illusion.
Euripides’s theatricality is both his weapon and his downfall. His reliance on dramatic tropes and staged scenarios ultimately fails to deceive the women.
The Dynamics of Gender Conflict:
The play exposes the tensions and power struggles between men and women in Athenian society. The women’s secret gathering and their determination to punish Euripides reveal their hidden agency.
The play shows that even in a patriarchal society, women have the ability to organize and act.
The Role of the Artist:
Aristophanes is also critiquing his own role as an artist. Euripides is a stand in for all poets and playwrights. The play questions the role of the artist in society, and the responsibilities that come with that role.
Symbolism:
The Wineskin baby: The wineskin baby is a symbol of the women’s ability to subvert expectations. It also shows the trickery that the women are capable of.
The Thesmophoria festival itself: The women-only festival is a symbol of female power and autonomy. It is a space where women can gather and discuss their concerns without male interference.
3. Thought-Provoking Questions for Modern Readers:
How do contemporary media representations of different groups impact societal perceptions and power dynamics?
In what ways do we still see gendered expectations and stereotypes reflected in our culture and language?
How do we balance artistic freedom with the responsibility to avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes?
What are the modern equivalents of the Thesmophoria, spaces where marginalized groups can gather and express their concerns?
How has the idea of gender fluidity impacted modern society?
How do we determine what is truth, when we are constantly bombarded with different narratives?
What is the role of satire in modern society?