Post: #1

Wikipedia Wrote:Aristophanes' Ecclesiazusae (Greek: Ἐκκλησιάζουσαι Ekklesiazousai; translated as Assemblywomen, Congresswomen, Women in Parliament, Women in Power, and A Parliament of Women) is a play dating from 391 BC[1] which is similar in theme to Lysistrata in that a large portion of the comedy comes from women involving themselves in politics.

[...]

The play concerns a group of women, the leader of which is Praxagora. She has decided that the women must convince the men to give them control of Athens, because they could rule it better than the men have been. The women, in the guise of men, sneak into the assembly and vote the measure, convincing some of the men to vote for it because it is the only thing they have not tried.

The women then institute a communist-like government in which the state feeds, houses, and generally takes care of every Athenian. They enforce an idea of equality by allowing each man to sleep with any woman, provided that he sleeps with every woman in Athens who is uglier first.

Private property is abolished and all money and property are to go into a common fund. All expenses and purchases by each individual are to come out of the common fund. Any individual with personal property is considered to have stolen from the community.

[...]

This play portrays views of women common at the time.[2] Among other things, Aristophanes pokes fun of them as being lazy, drinking excessively and making their husbands' lives into living hell.

The plot presents and makes fun of the ideas of abolition of private property, abolition of the family and purely material prosperity.[3]

Amazing how a man could predict more than 1500 years ago what would happen nowadays, even if then it was considered humorous fiction.

Here's the play for anyone who wants to read it: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristophanes/eccles.html

Post: #2

the part about men being required to sleep with uglier women cracked me up.

reading the play right now. Aristophanes is hilarious

deep forum worthy?