公民大会妇女

Assemblywomen (Ancient Greek: Ἐκκλησιάζουσαι Ekklesiazousai; also translated as, Congresswomen, Women in Parliament, Women in Power, A Parliament of Women, Assembly-Women, and Women in the Assembly) is a comedy written by the Greek playwright Aristophanes in 391 BCE. The play portrays a scenario where the women of Athens assume control of the government and institute totalitarian proto-communist reforms that ban private wealth and enforce sexual equity for the old and unattractive. In addition to Aristophanes' political and social satire, Assemblywomen derives its comedy through sexual and scatological humor. The play aimed to criticize the Athenian government's expropriation of land and wealth at the time.

Historical background

In the early 4th century BC, Athens was reeling from the Peloponnesian War and remained in the midst of continuing battles with Sparta. Athens and its allies, Thebes, Corinth and Argos experienced over two years struggling to rid themselves of the Spartans with many successes and failures along the way. While Athens was in a position to regain naval authority in the Aegean Sea thanks to alliances forged with Persia and King Evagoras of Cyprus, the people of Athens were impoverished. For this reason, the poor favored war as it ensured future employment while the wealthy favored peace, as war required disbursements. Continuation of the Corinthian War inevitably led to increased confiscations and forced contributions from wealthy Athenians. This atmosphere resulted in a material and moral anxiety that was illustrated in the Athens represented by Aristophanes.

Aristotle claimed that the freedoms permitted to Spartan women in the days of Sparta's successful military campaigns had, by the fourth century BCE, led to Sparta's defeat by the Thebans. He observed that at this time, women under the Spartan constitution were not subject to the same restrictions as men, and therefore lived "luxurious lives," while the men remained in military training. As a result of this, the Spartan women at the time of the 369 BCE Theban invasion, were "utterly useless and caused more confusion than the enemy".

At this time, Spartan women were allowed to own property, but Athenian women were not. According to Plato, if Greek women ever had the opportunity to govern, it would have only been for a brief period of time, and only in the event of a specific problem or an emergency. One example could be in the event of a monarchy or tyranny happening related to a man being in charge.

Plot

Characters

The dramatis personae based on Jeffrey Henderson's translation are:

Praxagora: an Athenian Wife

First Woman: a neighbor of Praxagora

Second Woman: another neighbor of Praxagora

Blepyrus: Praxagora's Husband

Neighbor of Blepyrus

Chremes

Selfish Man

Herald: a woman appointed by Praxagora

First Old Woman

Girl

Epigenes: a young man

Second Old Woman

Third Old Woman

Maid of Praxagora

Silent Characters

Sicon and Parmenon: neighbor's slaves

Two Girls

Setting

An Athenian street

Story

The play begins with Praxagora emerging from a house on an Athenian street before daybreak. She is wearing a false beard and men's clothing, and she carries a walking stick and a lit lantern. The chorus of Athenian women enter one by one, all dressed in similar costume. In order to be more convincingly masculine, some women have developed tans and stopped shaving their armpits. One woman brings a basket full of yarn in order to get some work done as the assembly fills up, to which Praxagora chastises her for this decision as it will ruin their cover.

The women are wary of the plan and Praxagora attempts to rally them as they practise speaking as men before the assembly. Praxagora is frustrated by the women's inability to pretend to be men, as they swear to Demeter and Persephone rather than Apollo, address the assembled women as ladies, and complain about the discomfort of their disguises and their thirst. Praxagora decides that she alone is capable of speaking to the assembly and practices a speech decrying the corrupt leaders of the city as selfish and unpatriotic through their acts of war and personal enrichment through public funds. She proposes to the women that the men should turn over the Athenian government to the women, stating, "For I propose this law: that we put at once the city's entire rule in the women's hands. Do they not manage households efficiently?" She further explains that women are superior to men because they are harder workers, devoted to tradition and do not bother with useless innovations. She concludes that a women-led government will better protect the soldiers and feed them extra rations, as shrewd negotiators, they will secure more funds for the city. Praxagora impresses the women with her rhetorical skills, and explains that it was learned from listening to orators while living with her husband on the Pnyx, where the Athenian assembly was held. They discuss how they plan to handle opposition and practise how to raise their hands to vote before leaving to attend the assembly by dawn in order to receive pay and a complimentary meal. The chorus of women reiterate their intentions before exiting the stage.