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The Assembly of Women (Literary Classics) Paperback – April 1, 1997

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Aristophanes (Author)
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Aristophanes (Author),
Robert Mayhew (Translator)
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5.0 out of 5 stars 4 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Literary Classics
  • Paperback: 124 pages
  • Publisher: Prometheus Books (April 1, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1573921335
  • ISBN-13: 978-1573921336
  • Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.3 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 starsMiddle Comedy never looked so new!
By psychephile on April 30, 2000
Format: Paperback
A specter is haunting Athens, the specter of communism.
This premise animates the plot of Aristophenes' comedy "Ecclesiazusae" (or "Assembly of Women"), wherein the heroine Praxagora leads a conspiracy of hags dressed as men to vote themselves into power. Fresh from her victory, Praxagora unveils her plan for a brave, new world where all property, children and sex are held in common. What follows is an uproariously funny, shockingly vulgar, tremendously insightful satire of communists and the logical consequences of their ideology.
Mayhew's translation and introduction would make for a perfect adjunct to any discussion of Plato's *Republic*, especially in an introductory Greek Lit & Civ course. First, Aristophenes has arguably innovated aspects of communism that would later influence Plato. Second, the play contains so many allusions to contemporary events (helpfully explained by Mayhew), that it provides a useful introduction to ancient history, political philosophy, and dramatic literature. Last, the comedy is funny enough for anyone (particularly sophomores!) to enjoy, and if it's the only play they actually read, they'll know something important about ancient Athens, thanks to the guidance of Robert Mayhew.
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5.0 out of 5 starsSex and Communism--Could you ask for more?
By Amazon Customer on January 23, 2001
Format: Paperback
Aristophanes is at the top of his form here, despite what some critics say. His lampooning of several ideas floating around Athens at the time(women's rights, communism, free love, etc, to use modern terms) is hilarious, and this praise is coming from an avid supporter of everything he's satirizing. The raunchy sex jokes are just as entertaining and twice as intelligent as anything coming out of Hollywood these days, and the political humor teaches one a great deal about contemporary events in Athens. The actual political and social order depicted in the play is very reminiscent of Plato's Republic(written later); as the previous reviewer has stated, this play is excellent in conjuction with Plato's writings on the subject. A class dealing with both works was how I came across this play in the first place, and it provided excellent fodder for discussion.
In terms of this specific edition, Mayhew translates every joke with absolute faith to the witty, vulgar original. The footnotes are unobtrusive, but they provide just the right amount of explanation of obscure references and odd figures of speech. They even mention which sections were expurgated by uptight Victorian translators! Accept nothing less than this version. (PS: If you loved this play, Lysistrata is at least as good, if not even better.)
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Greeks almost were there first!
By Frank on July 15, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This edition had good supplemental notes which helped understand the relationship of characters and the arguments being made. Timely topic! Great value.
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5.0 out of 5 starsStill thought-provoking after thousands of years!
By Z.A. Mrefu on November 7, 2013
Format: Paperback
Possibly one of the most thought-provoking pieces of literature from Ancient Athens. Aristophanes's famous play investigates the idea of gender in the Athenian democracy.

Although Athenian democracy is often heralded as one of the most directly-democratic societies in history, this immortal play asks ancient Athenian men to walk a mile in the shoes of the Athenian women, who were typically understood to be second-class citizens. The result is a political statement that is not anti-democracy, but boldly observes that Athenian democracy was not sufficiently democratic! This was NOT a call for representation (republic), but a demand for democratic power to be decentralized even further. A brilliant critique of Athens from a brilliant play-write.
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