Source edition
Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This comedy depicts the frantic efforts of the tragic poet Euripides to save himself from the wrath of Athenian women, who hate him for portraying them negatively in his plays. Set during the solemn, women-only festival of Thesmophoria, Euripides schemes to have his male relative dress in drag and infiltrate the women's assembly as a spy. However, the relative's clumsy attempt to defend Euripides leads to the exposure of women's secrets, causing his disguise to be uncovered and leading to his capture. Tied to a plank and heavily guarded, the relative attempts to escape by staging various parodies of Euripides' own tragedies alongside the poet himself. Ultimately, Euripides strikes a peace treaty with the women and uses a clever trick to distract the guards, successfully rescuing his relative in a chaotic and humorous finale.