🚨 Mnesilochus's Peril & Indignity Index
This chart tracks the escalating danger, discomfort, and comic indignities suffered by Mnesilochus, from his reluctant agreement to disguise himself to his desperate attempts at escape.
🎭 The Schemers, the Victims, and the Avengers
Meet the central figures who drive this farcical plot of literary revenge and gender-bending antics.
Euripides
The Poet in PerilThe tragic poet, portrayed as cunning and resourceful but paranoid about the women's wrath over his supposedly misogynistic plays. He orchestrates Mnesilochus's infiltration.
"There’s a great danger brewing for my life... On this day the womankind have sworn To hold a great assembly, to discuss How best to serve me out."
Mnesilochus
The ImpersonatorEuripides' elderly father-in-law, a traditionalist persuaded to disguise himself as a woman. He endures shaving, singeing, and eventual capture, becoming the play's main comic victim.
"I’m not to hear or see at all, I see... What a thing it is to talk with Poets!"
Agathon
The Effeminate PoetA young, effeminate tragic poet whose appearance and lifestyle are themselves targets of Aristophanes' satire. He refuses to infiltrate the women's festival, citing his "womanlike" nature.
"A poet, sir, must needs adapt his ways To the high thoughts which animate his soul. And when he sings of women, he assumes A woman’s garb."
Chorus of Thesmophoriazusae
The Women's AssemblyThe women participating in the Thesmophoria festival, unified and fiercely determined to punish Euripides for his perceived slander. They represent a powerful (and comically exaggerated) female collective.
"We all admit. Who will address the meeting? ... How best to serve him out."
Cleisthenes
The Effeminate InformerAn effeminate man who is a friend of Euripides but whose loyalty is ambiguous. He warns the women about the infiltrator (Mnesilochus) and later fetches the policeman.
"Euripides, they say, has sent a cousin, A bad old man, amongst you here to-day."
Scythian Archer
The GuardA barbarian policeman, speaking broken Greek, tasked with guarding the captive Mnesilochus. He is comically obtuse and easily tricked by Euripides' various disguises and schemes.
"Dere now bemoany to de ouder air."
обвинить Euripides' "Crimes" Against Women
The women are furious with Euripides for his unflattering portrayals of women in his tragedies. Their grievances highlight themes of perceived misogyny and how art can influence societal perception.
Exposing Women's Vices
The women accuse Euripides of constantly portraying them as double-dealers, false, faithless, tippling, mischievous gossips, thereby slandering the entire sex.
"He’d bring some single mourner on, seated and veiled... an empty show of tragic woe, who uttered not one thing."
Creating Suspicion in Husbands
His plays make husbands paranoid and suspicious, constantly checking on their wives, leading to a loss of freedom and simple pleasures for women.
"The men come home Looking so sour—O, we can see them peeping In every closet, thinking friends are there."
Deterring Marriage of Older Men
His portrayal of older women in a negative light (e.g., "An old man weds a tyrant, not a wife") allegedly discourages wealthy old men from marrying, impacting the women's financial prospects.
Revealing Household Secrets
The women imply that Euripides reveals private household secrets and tricks, making it harder for them to maintain certain domestic "perquisites" (like pilfering wine or corn).
"They’ve got such keys, our husbands have... Then in old times we only had to buy A farthing ring, and pantry-doors flew open. But now this wretch Euripides has made them Wear such worm-eaten perforated seals, ’Tis hopeless now to try it."
Euripides' Rescue Parodies: Meta-Theatrical Humor
To rescue Mnesilochus, Euripides stages elaborate, self-parodic rescue attempts, drawing directly from the plots and characters of his own famous tragedies, much to the confusion of the Scythian guard.
Parody of "Andromeda"
Euripides appears as Perseus, the hero who rescued Andromeda from a sea monster while she was chained to a rock. Mnesilochus plays Andromeda, tied to a plank, appealing to "Perseus" for rescue. The Scythian guard, misunderstanding, just sees an old man in distress.
Original: Princess Andromeda chained to a rock. Parody: Mnesilochus chained to a plank. Hero: Perseus (Euripides). Monster: Scythian guard.
Parody of "Helen"
Euripides next appears as Menelaus, searching for his wife Helen, who was thought to be in Egypt. Mnesilochus plays Helen, and the scene is a comic reenactment of their tearful reunion and planned escape. The Scythian again fails to grasp the dramatic context.
Original: Menelaus reunites with the "true" Helen in Egypt. Parody: Euripides "reunites" with "Helen" (Mnesilochus) at the festival. Obstacle: Scythian guard.
Disguise as Music-Woman
Finally, Euripides disguises himself as an old music-woman, distracting the Scythian with promises of a dancing girl and a kiss, allowing Mnesilochus to make his escape.
Strategy: Exploiting the Scythian's simple desires and offering a bribe, which highlights the common tricks used in comedies for escape.
"O, Perseus, Perseus, wilt thou leave me so?" - Mnesilochus, appealing to Euripides in the Andromeda parody.