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Back Of Gods and Men
Chapters (110)
  1. COVER
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. COPYRIGHT
  4. DEDICATION
  5. CONTENTS
  6. INTRODUCTION
  7. THE BIRTH OF LOVE
  8. THE ORIGINS OF THE TROJAN WAR
  9. THE TRUCE
  10. HECTOR VERSUS ACHILLES
  11. THE DEATH OF ACHILLES
  12. THE CYCLOPS
  13. THE SONG OF DEMODOCUS
  14. AND SO TO BED
  15. PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA
  16. WHATEVER ONE LOVES
  17. PERSEPHONE AND THE POMEGRANATE SEEDS
  18. THE LIFE OF AESOP
  19. THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MICE
  20. THE VENGEANCE OF CLYTEMNESTRA
  21. EDUCATING CYRUS
  22. DARIUS AND THE SCYTHIANS
  23. XERXES’ CHOICE
  24. THE FALL OF THE BARBARIANS
  25. THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL
  26. A BEAST OF INDIA
  27. THE ECSTASY
  28. HIPPOLYTUS AND HIS HORSES
  29. EURIPIDES THE WOMAN-HATER
  30. OEDIPUS LEARNS THE TRUTH
  31. ONE GIRL VERSUS THE LAW
  32. THE PLAGUE AT ATHENS
  33. THE MURDER OF ERATOSTHENES
  34. THE POWER OF LOVE
  35. THE AGEING PROCESS
  36. THREE TYPES
  37. THE MISANTHROPE
  38. THE CONTEST OF TWO MOUNTAINS
  39. HERCULES AND THE TWELVE LABOURS
  40. ALEXANDER THE GREAT MEETS THE RAM GOD
  41. THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER
  42. THE CONSTELLATION OF THE MAIDEN
  43. THE MERCHANT
  44. EUROPA AND THE BULL
  45. TROUBLE COMES TO TOWN
  46. PHILOCTETES
  47. SLAUGHTER OF THE HUSBANDS
  48. THE GOLDEN FLEECE
  49. MEDEA’S REVENGE
  50. ARIADNE AND THESEUS
  51. ALCIBIADES
  52. IN THE BEGINNING
  53. SULPICIA’S BIRTHDAY
  54. THE TROJAN HORSE
  55. DIDO AND AENEAS
  56. ROMULUS AND REMUS
  57. THE GEESE ON THE CAPITOL
  58. THE RISE OF HANNIBAL
  59. ATTIS AND THE MOTHER GODDESS
  60. A COUNTRY VILLA
  61. SPARTACUS
  62. A WOMAN SCORNED?
  63. CICERO: FOR HIS DAUGHTER
  64. CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY
  65. DIVINE CAESAR
  66. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
  67. TO HEAL AN ASP BITE
  68. THE GNAT
  69. ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE
  70. NARCISSUS
  71. DIANA & ACTAEON
  72. PYGMALION
  73. OVID’S DEFENCE
  74. THE TOWN AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE
  75. THE EMPEROR’S SLAVE
  76. THE RICHES OF CALIGULA
  77. THE PUMPKINIFICATION OF EMPEROR CLAUDIUS
  78. THE STORY OF BRITAIN
  79. THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME
  80. DINNER AT TRIMALCHIO’S
  81. THE ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS
  82. ON LAMPSTANDS, THE DISCOVERY OF GLASS, ON THE DOLPHIN
  83. THE MADNESS OF HERCULES
  84. THE SIEGE OF JOTAPATA
  85. THE COLOSSAL TURBOT
  86. CANNIBALS IN EGYPT
  87. ACHILLES BECOMES A GIRL
  88. THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAST MILK
  89. DO IT YOURSELF
  90. ANDROCLES AND THE LION
  91. PERSEUS AND MEDUSA
  92. WAR ON THE GIANTS
  93. THE METAMORPHOSIS OF CERAMBUS
  94. FIRST LOVE
  95. A SHAM SACRIFICE
  96. THE DREAM OF LUCIAN
  97. PRAXITELES AND THE GODDESS
  98. CUPID AND PSYCHE
  99. A PICTURE OF PHAËTHON
  100. THE WEDDING FEAST
  101. CUPID CRUCIFIED
  102. A CLASSICS STUDENT
  103. THE PHOENIX
  104. THE TWICE-BORN GOD
  105. INTRIGUES AT THE PALACE
  106. A MEETING WITH LADY PHILOSOPHY
  107. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  108. EXTENDED COPYRIGHT
  109. About the Author
  110. An Invitation from the Publisher

You are much more adept at self-worship

than at piety toward parents.

HIPPOLYTOS.

O most miserable mother! O bitter birth!

Pity anyone who is a bastard!

THESEUS.

Drag him out, servants!

Do you not hear me pronounce him exiled?

HIPPOLYTOS.

No.

You do it. You do it.

THESEUS.

I will if you don’t obey.

Your exile stirs no pity in me.

HIPPOLYTOS.

So, it is fixed.

Sad, what I know I cannot tell.

Hippolytos is wounded when his horses rear, frightened by a divinely-inspired sea monster. The goddess Artemis tells Theseus the truth. Hippolytos forgives his father. Hippolytos slips away.

EURIPIDES THE WOMAN-HATER

Thesmophoriazusae

Aristophanes

Translated by William James Hickie, 1883

A comedy by Aristophanes (c. 446–c. 386 BC), Thesmophoriazusae was first performed in Athens in or around 411 BC. Its tongue-twister of a title translates as ‘The Women Celebrating the Thesmophoria’. Held in honour of Demeter and her daughter Persephone (see Story 11) each year, the Greek festival of the Thesmophoria was celebrated exclusively by women. In this extract, the playwright Euripides attempts to infiltrate the festival to save his own skin. The women of the city have taken umbrage at his harsh characterisation of their sex in his tragedies. Medea (Story 43) and Phaidra in Hippolytus (Story 22) are just two of the many flawed women from his oeuvre. The very idea that women of the fifth century BC might have taken issue with the apparent misogyny of a leading playwright is striking. As Euripides seeks a stooge to do his dirty work for him, the misogyny of which he is accused becomes only too apparent.

EURIPIDES. A great evil is ready kneaded for me.

MNESILOCHUS. Of what kind?

EURIPIDES. On this day will be decided whether Euripides still lives or is undone.

MNESILOCHUS. Why, how? For now neither the courts are about to judge causes, nor is there a sitting of the Senate; for it is the third day, the middle of the Thesmophoria.

EURIPIDES. In truth, I expect this very thing even will destroy me. For the women have plotted against me, and are going to hold an assembly to-day about me in the temple of Demeter and Persephone for my destruction.

MNESILOCHUS. Wherefore? why, pray?

EURIPIDES. Because I represent them in tragedy and speak ill of them.

MNESILOCHUS. And justly too would you suffer, by Neptune! But, as this is the case, what contrivance have you?

EURIPIDES. To persuade Agathon the tragic poet to go to the temple of Demeter and Persephone.

MNESILOCHUS. What to do? Tell me!

EURIPIDES. To sit in assembly among the women, and to speak whatever is necessary in my defence.

MNESILOCHUS. Openly, or secretly?

EURIPIDES. Secretly, clothed in a woman’s stole.

MNESILOCHUS. The device is a clever one, and exceedingly in conformity with your disposition; for ours is the prize for trickery. [The creaking of machinery is heard.]