The Thesmophoriazusae E-Book

- Aristophanes

• Herausgeber: Ktoczyta.pl
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

This bold statement by Euripides is an absurd premise on which the whole game depends. Women are outraged by the image of the female as crazy, murderous and sexually depraved, and they use the Thesmophoria festival as an opportunity to discuss a suitable choice of revenge, Fearing their abilities, Euripides seeks out his tragic friend Agathon in the hope of convincing him to spy on him and become his protector at the festival – a role that, of course, would require him to disguise himself as a woman.

Leseprobe

Contents

Characters of the Play

Euripides

Mnesilochus, Father-in-law of Euripides

Agathon

Servant of agathon

Herald

Women

Clisthenes

A magistrate

A scythian policeman

Chorus of thesmophoriazusae, Women celebrating the Thesmophoria

[Scene:-Behind the orchestra are two buildings, one the house of the poet Agathon, the other the Thesmophorion. Euripides enters from the right, at a rapid pace, with an air of searching for something; his father-in-law Mnesilochus, who is extremely aged, follows him as best he can, with an obviously painful expenditure of effort.]

Mnesilochus: Great Zeus! will the swallow never appear to end the winter of my discontent? Why the fellow has kept me on the run ever since early this morning; he wants to kill me, that’s certain. Before I lose my spleen antirely, Euripides, can you at least tell me where you are leading me?

Euripides: What need for you to hear what you are going to see?

Mnesilochus: How is that? Repeat it. No need for me to hear....

Euripides: What you are going to see.

Mnesilochus: Nor consequently to see....

Euripides: What you have to hear.

Mnesilochus: What is this wiseacre stuff you are telling me? I must neither see nor hear?

Euripides: Ah! but you have two things there that are essentially distinct.

Mnesilochus: Seeing and hearing?

Euripides: Undoubtedly.

Mnesilochus: In what way distinct?

Euripides: In this way. Formerly, when Aether separated the elements and bore the animals that were moving in her bosom, she wished to endow them with sight, and so made the eye round like the sun’s disc and bored ears in the form of a funnel.

Mnesilochus: And because of this funnel I neither see nor hear. Ah! great gods! I am delighted to know it. What a fine thing it is to talk with wise men!

Euripides: I will teach you many another thing of the sort.

Mnesilochus: That’s well to know; but first of all I should like to find out how to grow lame, so that I need not have to follow you all about.

Euripides: Come, hear and give heed!

Mnesilochus: I’m here and waiting.

Euripides: Do you see that little door?

Mnesilochus: Yes, certainly.