10 16 17-10 18 17 Aristophanes PDF

Preview

Summary

Lecture Notes...

Description

Key terms: ● Andreia: 'manly' spirit ● Bacchus: Dionysus is the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, fertility.. he is also known as Bacchus ● Agon: Greek term for a struggle or contest. ● Mnemonic: "of memory, or relating to memory" and is related to Mnemosyne ("remembrance"), the name of the goddess of memory in Greek mythology. ● Glory (kleos): A Greek hero earns kleos through accomplishing great deeds. ● Dionysus ● Cerberus ● Euripides ● Hades ● Pluto ● Xanthias: Xanthias refers to several characters, notably all slaves, who appear in plays by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. ● Aeacus: king of the island of Aegina in Greek mythology. son of Zeus and Aegina, the daughter of the river god Asopus; ● “Reason dances” ● Yonic ● Scatology: interest in or treatment of obscene matters especially in literature Socrates: I don’t want your opinion, I want the heart surgeons (those who matter) Cuero: awkward argument, military tasks The laws may be unjust, but what matters is rule of laws Aristophanes 1. Review 2. Biography 3. Aristophanes’ problematic a. Philosophy b. Epic poetry c. War 4. The Frogs a. Hercules b. Dionysus’s “accident” c. The Rap Battle: Aeschylus (Rabbit) vs. Euripides (Lickety Split) i. Battle itself preceded by a prayer ii. Eskeus prays to Demeter (agriculture and fertility) plays to “ether” his own god not real iii. Can’t be decided on artisticness, so has to be decided based on politicalness

iv. Asks what they’d do about Alcibiades v. Dionysus punishes Euripides for denial of the gods by giving the prize to vi. Aristophanes criticizes same thing over and over again 5. Assemblywomen a. Hairiness unfeminine i. Athenian women grow out their armpit hair, put on fake beards, get tan-to look manly, vote (as men) to turn over the reins of the city to women. Reveals gut politics over rash politics= bad rule is not the exclusive domain of men. ii. Swearing in masculine oaths, swearing like a man, makes superficial distinctions iii. Suggesting that the democracy is failing because of the poor quality of the demos (people) duty was better off before assemblies because everyone is in pursuit of self-interest. Not there to serve the common good iv. Can’t fool the gods b. Household management i. Women are good at managing because they do a good job at managing their household-- household management vs. politics. Private life vs. Public life. ii. Women have better character because they follow the traditions of the city, hag their husbands, hide nun under their bed, “as of old” iii. Don’t ask question just hand over power c. Manly constipation i. Luperus- Prac Sagara’s husband (not too sexually capable) ii. Greeks thought of reproductive system as shameful 6. Bodily methods of political rule a. Private property i. Distinction between public and private realm ii. First thing women do is declare all private property to be public iii. Aristophanes- public realm, public minded, doing private things in public b. Sexual (un)freedom i. Pass laws ensuring sexual freedom of women ii. “Any man who wants to can sleep with her and had children” iii. “If you want a pretty girl, lay one of the plain ones first” iv. Not fair to olden men, how are they supposed to last v. Decrees younger girls sleep with old men before tall handsome ones vi. Body politics over reasonable politics vii. Egalitarian: women flawed in some way 7. Ruling with the shield a. Political decisions made by even lower part of body b. City still needs masculinity in the political arena

THE FROGS: ● Opposing dominant culture/ militarism in Athens ● First person in invoke comedy as political critique ● Won first competition at 18 ● Andreia= courage, Aristophanes taking them to task on obsessor with many virtues ● Ridiculing people explicitly in public pisses a lot of people off (don’t have free speech) ● Written in 404 BC right at the end of the war ● Hercules-> human being who caught the attention of Hera (Zeus's wife) ● Hera turns him temporarily insane and he kills his wife and children ● Apolla: form 12 labors, when he finishes he’s a hero ○ 1st- kill Menian lion ○ 2nd- kidnapping of Cerberus ● Opens with Dionysus talking about how crappy drama is in Atuns rn ● Goes to Hades to bring back Euripides asks Hercules for help ● Dionysus pretends to be Hercules, knocks on door and Aeacus answers cursing him out because he stole dog, he collapses and poops himself ● Kidnapping out of deception, not courage “load of crap” ● Switches spots with Gut politics: ● Contest between eskies and Euripides, Aristophanes brings them on stage compare with two very poetic skit for a seat at plato’s dinner table ● reason/ dancing ● We shall be answered with reason ● Agon- agony- to compete, battle ● Suggest using non violent logos for logos “I provide a useful presentation for democracy” “my women and my sisters spoke and none of them were less courageous” ● Taught them how to talk ● Democratic education, not trying to teach people to be great warriors/ to be critical provides a way for men and women ● Eskelus- war poet, recognizes that amperes himself is acting courageously ● Eskelus wins rap battle ● Aesculus wins because he doesn’t offend the gods through the process ASSEMBLYWOMEN: ● assembly= let’s turn the assembly over to the women ● Led by Prac Sagara ● women= gut politics over rationality

●...