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Comments on Production and Interpretation of Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusae

• Τσακμάκης, Αντώνης

Questions about the production of Greek Comedy can better be answered if they are envisaged in close relation to the interpretation of a play. For example, the absence of any allusion to Euripides' physical appearance in Thesmophoriazusae is an argument against the use of portraitmasks in this comedy (1). On the other hand, the abundance of allusions to the appearance of Agathon is a mark for his unusual presentation. It seems probable, that implicit stage directions indicate divergencies from the conventional (2). Those cases are the exceptions, which assure the rule of economy; this rule can be held against the danger of over-interpretation in many disputed passages of the play (3). The expectations of the spectators are also an important parameter which is crucial for the interpretation of the text. The hostage-scene in Thesmophoriazusae can better be explained if we take into consideration the expectations based on the audience's knowledge of a similar scene in the Acharnians, rather than as referring to the remote performance of Euripides' Telephus (4). Parody in Thesmophoriazusae also presupposes an extended use of the written text of Euripidean tragedy, a fact which inevitably determines the character of the comedy itself (5). Finally, a peculiarity of the Andromeda-parody is the abuse of certain characteristic Euripidean techniques or conventions in both dramaturgy and production (6).

• Languages and Literature

• Φιλολογία