Aristophanes and Homoeroticism: Admiration or Scorn? :: Aristophanes Homoeroticism Papers

In reading the comedies of Aristophanes, modern readers are able to slip up a rich glimpse of the sex norms and expectations of his time. Visions of power-hungry, crafty women and bumbling, foolish men pervade his plays and reveal ancient Greek views and stereotypes regarding male and female roles. One of the more than complicated concepts to grasp, however, is Aristophanes true sentiment regarding human being love and apply. The aim of this paper is to compare Aristophanes presentation of homoeroticism in The Women at the Thesmophoria to that of his speech in Platos Symposium and attempt to clarify the playwrights stance on the matter. In these two works, Aristophanes offers a mix of mocking and approving sentiments oh transgendered men and the practice of homosexuality itself. As he is a comedian, Aristophanes immerses his characters in satire in order to gain laughs from the audience by looking carefully at the texts, we layabout see he does not genuinely see homoeroticism as an institution to be derided and ridiculed. To begin, an examination of The Women at the Thesmophoria can provide valuable insights into the wonted cultures notion of homosexual relations. Just before Euripides and the Kinsman reached Agathons house, they discussed the poet briefly Euripides There is an Agathon Kinsman You mean the suntanned one, strong guy? Euripides No, a various one. Youve never seen him? Kinsman The one with the full beard? Euripides Youve never seen him? Kinsman By Zeus, never, as far as I can recall. Euripides Well, you must have fucked him, though you world power not know it (38-45).This exchange, which foreshadowed the entrance of Agathon, provides us with a clear idea of how a man ought to look tan, strong, and bearded. The joke here is that Agathon was by no instrument a masculine man, as turn out by Euripides last comment, which solidifies Agathons effeminacy by stating he prefers a pa ssive sexual position. While the literary argument may apparently show disapprove for homosexual acts in general, it actually emphasizes the lack of manliness only in taking the passive homosexual position.Aristophanes and oddity Admiration or Scorn? Aristophanes Homoeroticism PapersIn reading the comedies of Aristophanes, modern readers are able to catch a rich glimpse of the gender norms and expectations of his time. Visions of power-hungry, crafty women and bumbling, foolish men pervade his plays and reveal ancient Greek views and stereotypes regarding male and female roles. One of the more complicated concepts to grasp, however, is Aristophanes true sentiment regarding homosexual love and practice. The aim of this paper is to compare Aristophanes presentation of homoeroticism in The Women at the Thesmophoria to that of his speech in Platos Symposium and attempt to clarify the playwrights stance on the matter. In these two works, Aristophanes offers a mix of mocking and app roving sentiments oh homosexual men and the practice of homosexuality itself. As he is a comedian, Aristophanes immerses his characters in satire in order to gain laughs from the audience by looking carefully at the texts, we can see he does not actually see homoeroticism as an institution to be derided and ridiculed. To begin, an examination of The Women at the Thesmophoria can provide valuable insights into the prevailing cultures notion of homosexual relations. Just before Euripides and the Kinsman reached Agathons house, they discussed the poet briefly Euripides There is an Agathon Kinsman You mean the suntanned one, strong guy? Euripides No, a different one. Youve never seen him? Kinsman The one with the full beard? Euripides Youve never seen him? Kinsman By Zeus, never, as far as I can recall. Euripides Well, you must have fucked him, though you might not know it (38-45).This exchange, which foreshadowed the entrance of Agathon, provides us with a clear idea of how a man ought to look tan, strong, and bearded. The joke here is that Agathon was by no means a masculine man, as proven by Euripides last comment, which solidifies Agathons effeminacy by stating he prefers a passive sexual position. While the statement may apparently show disdain for homosexual acts in general, it actually emphasizes the lack of manliness only in taking the passive homosexual position.