Θεσμοφοριάζουσαι
Women at the Thesmophoria
Aristophanes · first staged 411 BC, probably at the City Dionysia · result unknown
The women at their festival plan to punish Euripides. His kinsman goes in disguise to defend him.
Persons, in order of appearance
- Κη.Mnesilochus
- Ευ.Euripides
- Θε.Servant
- Αγ.Agathon
- Agathon's Chorus
- Γυν.Woman
- Χο.Chorus
- Γυν. ΑʹFirst Woman
- Γυ. ΒʹSecond Woman
- Κλ.Cleisthenes
- Πρ.Prytanis
- Το.Scythian
Translations
- The Eleven Comediesprose · 1912 · aligned by speech · with Coulon's Greek
- W. J. Hickieprose · 1853 · aligned by speech · with Coulon's Greek
- B. B. Rogersverse · 1924 · aligned by speech · with Coulon's Greek
Greek texts
- Coulon & van Daele, Aristophane, vol. 41928
- F. W. Hall and W. M. Geldart, Aristophanis Comoediae, vol. 21907
Cite as Ar. Thesm. 1–1231
Full synopsis (tells the ending)
The women of Athens, gathered for the Thesmophoria, are going to vote on what to do about Euripides, who has told the whole city what women are like. Euripides asks Agathon to infiltrate the festival for him in women's clothes; Agathon declines; Euripides' elderly kinsman goes instead, shaved and singed. He speaks in Euripides' defence and is found out. Euripides tries to rescue him with scenes from his own plays, the Helen and the Andromeda, and fails; then he makes peace with the women and lures the Scythian guard away with a dancing girl.
Drawing: Line drawing after the Apulian red-figure bell-krater Würzburg H 5697, side A; traced from photographs by ArchaiOptix (CC BY-SA 4.0), taken off the vase's curve, changed.