Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 311

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

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Ecclesiazusae. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1907.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Ἐκκλησιάζουσαι (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.)

Translations (2)
Ecclesiazusae (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 311 focus
English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 311 focus

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

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ἐπεῖχε κρούων ὁ κοπρεαῖος, λαμβάνω
The vocative κοπρεαῖος (kopreios, 'the dung-seller') is a specific reference to a stock character of the Athenian comic stage, often associated with the disposal of night-soil and the unsavory aspects of urban life. Its presence here, likely addressing a character named in the preceding dialogue or implied by the action, highlights the play's characteristic use of low-born, working-class figures to disrupt the high-flown political discourse of the assembly scene. The term is not merely a generic descriptor for a laborer but a specific designation that would evoke immediate recognition and potential disgust or humor in the audience regarding the social stratification of Athens.

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τὸ κροκωτίδιον ἀμπισχόμενος οὑνδύεται.
The verb ἀμπισχόμενος is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, derived from ἀμπισχύω (to put on a cloak or mantle over the head). The compound prefix ἀμφί- here implies the action of drawing a garment over the head, a specific detail of costume relevant to the scene where the female characters are disguising themselves as men or vice versa. The form is a present middle/passive participle in the accusative singular neuter, agreeing with the implied subject (the male character or the collective group) and functioning adverbially with the verb οὑνδύεται.
The term κροκωτίδιον is a diminutive of κροκωτός, referring to a saffron-colored garment or hood. In this context, it likely denotes a specific head covering or hood, possibly used as part of the disguise. The diminutive form may carry a tone of irony or mockery, given the absurdity of the situation where characters are adopting exaggerated or inappropriate attire.

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ἐς τὼ κοθόρνω τὼ πόδʼ ἐνθεὶς ἵεμαι,
The verb ἐνθεὶς (aorist participle of ἐντίθημι) is used here in a specific, idiomatic sense of 'putting on' or 'slipping into' footwear, a usage that contrasts with the more common ἐνδύω for general clothing. This construction highlights the physical comedy of the scene, where the character is hastily donning heavy stage boots (κοθόρνοι) to facilitate a rapid exit or entrance, a practical necessity for the actor's performance that is often glossed over in translations but is syntactically and semantically distinct in the Greek.