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

In reading the comedies of Aristophanes, modern readers are open to catch a rich glimpse of the gender norms and expectations of his time. Visions of power-hungry, crafty women and bumbling, mistaken men pervade his plays and reveal ancient Greek views and stereotypes regarding male and effeminate roles. One of the more complicated concepts to grasp, however, is Aristophanes true sentiment regarding homosexual grapple 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 plaguey and approving 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 listening 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 valu able-bodied insights into the prevailing nuances notion of homosexual relations. Just before Euripides and the Kinsman reached Agathons house, they discussed the poet shortly Euripides There is an Agathon Kinsman You mean the suntanned one, strong guy? Euripides No, a divergent 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 undefendable 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 still sexual position. While the statement may apparently show detest for homosexual acts in general, it actually emphasizes the lack of manliness only in taking the still homosexual position.Aristophanes and Homoeroticism Admiration or pooh-pooh? 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, infatuated men pervade his plays and reveal ancient Greek views and stereotypes regarding male and female person roles. One of the more complicated concepts to grasp, however, is Aristophanes true sentiment regarding homosexual adore 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 pes tiferous and approving 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 earshot 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 destinations notion of homosexual relations. Just before Euripides and the Kinsman reached Agathons house, they discussed the poet before long Euripides There is an Agathon Kinsman You mean the suntanned one, strong guy? Euripides No, a contrasting 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, wh ich foreshadowed the entrance of Agathon, provides us with a separate 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 trade for homosexual acts in general, it actually emphasizes the lack of manliness only in taking the passive homosexual position.