The clever and practical Praxagora has a vision for a new government in the city of Athens, and she has a cunning plan to make it a reality. She convinces the women of the city to disguise themselves as men to infiltrate the citizens� Assembly, and pass a motion that puts women in charge of the government. The scheme works, and Praxagora and the women set about turning Athens into a socialist utopia, where everything - from personal property to food and even sex - is equitably distributed. The men are skeptical at first, but are soon won over by the new laws, and only those who selfishly resist the new “dictatorship� of women are left in the lurch.
Aristophanes� comedy about a government run by women appears light-hearted to modern audiences, but was scathing political satire at the time of its composition. The complete reversal of gender roles - and the male characters� passive acceptance of such a reversal - would have been viewed as a criticism of overly diplomatic government practices in ancient Greece. Aristophanes� distaste for “effeminate� governance was a topic which he explored in several of his works, such as Lysistrata.
The Assembly of Women guide sections
