Women’s oaths in Aristophanes

Abstract

THIS PAPER focuses on the oaths of Aristophanes’ women. In three of Aristophanes’ comedies (Ecclesiazusae, Thesmophoriazusae, Lysistrata) women are usually presented to take an oath, in contrary to what was really happening in classical Athens. The way of oath utterance, the circumstances and the comic conventions are the chief topics examined in this study. A close reading of the related passages reveals various aspects of female discourse and the way it is used in the comedy. Drama through performance brings private discourse to public and contributes to the understanding of the feminine nature by men, both actors and viewers. Oath utterance is proved to be a very important “comic tool” emphasizing on the distinction between women and men.