Aristophanes' __Thesmophoriazusae__: Philosophizing Theatre and the Politics of Perception in Late Fifth-Century Athens

Aristophanes' Comic Masterpiece Thesmophoriazusae Has Long Been Recognized Amongst The Plays Of Old Comedy For Its Deconstruction Of Tragic Theatricality. This Book Reveals That This Deconstruction Is Grounded Not Simply In Aristophanes' Wider Engagement With Tragic Realism. Rather, It Demonstrates That From Its Outset Aristophanes' Play Draws Upon Parmenides' Philosophical Revelations Concerning Reality And Illusion, Employing Eleatic Strictures And Imagery To Philosophize The Theatrical Situation, Criticize Aristophanes' Poetic Rival Euripides As Promulgator Of Harmful Deceptions, Expose The Dangerous Complicity Of Athenian Theatre Audiences In Tragic Illusion, And Articulate Political Advice To An Audience Negotiating A Period Of Political Turmoil Characterized By Deception And Uncertainty (the Months Before The Oligarchic Coup Of 411 Bc). The Book Thereby Restores Thesmophoriazusae To Its Proper Status As A Philosophical Comedy And Reveals Hitherto Unrecognized Evidence Of Aristophanes' Political Use Of Eleatic Ideas During The Late Fifth Century Bc-- Machine Generated Contents Note: Proagon: A Tragic Fable; 1. Introduction; 2. Rereading The Prologue; 3. Sophistic Models: Eristic And 4. On What [it] Is Not: Gorgias And Empedocles; 5. On What [it] Is: Parmenides, Para-doxa, And Mortal Error. Ashley Clements. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Aristophanes' comic masterpiece Thesmophoriazusae has long been recognized amongst the plays of Old Comedy for its deconstruction of tragic theatricality. This book reveals that this deconstruction is grounded not simply in Aristophanes' wider engagement with tragic realism. Rather, it demonstrates that from its outset Aristophanes' play draws upon Parmenides' philosophical revelations concerning reality and illusion, employing Eleatic strictures and imagery to philosophize the theatrical situation, criticize Aristophanes' poetic rival Euripides as promulgator of harmful deceptions, expose the dangerous complicity of Athenian theatre audiences in tragic illusion, and articulate political advice to an audience negotiating a period of political turmoil characterized by deception and uncertainty (the months before the oligarchic coup of 411 BC). The book thereby restores Thesmophoriazusae to its proper status as a philosophical comedy and reveals hitherto unrecognized evidence of Aristophanes' political use of Eleatic ideas during the late fifth century BC."-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Series page 4 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Contents 7 Acknowledgements 9 Abbreviations 12 Proagōn: A tragic fable 14 1 Introduction 17 2 Rereading the prologue 28 3 Sophistic models: eristic and ἀντιλογία 44 4 On What-[It]-Is-Not: Gorgias and Empedocles 49 5 On What-[It]-Is: Parmenides, para-Doxa and mortal error 59 6 Conclusion 175 Appendices 211 Bibliography 216 Index of principal passages discussed 237 General index 240 Offers scholars of Greek literature new evidence of Aristophanes' polemical use of philosophy in poetic competition; ancient philosophers new evidence of the popular reception of Parmenides; and scholars in theatre studies new evidence that explicit theorizing about theatre begins with a comic appropriation of Eleatic ideas about reality and illusion. Content: Proagōn: a tragic fable -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Rereading the prologue -- 3. Sophistic models -- 4. On what-[it]-is-not: Gorgias and Empedocles -- 5. On what-[it]- is: Parmenides, para-Doxa, and mortal error -- 6. Conclusion.