Representation of Women in Ancient Comedy and the Modern Sitcom. A Comparison and Analysis

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2022 in the subject Communications - Movies and Television, grade: 1.0, University of Tubingen, language: English, abstract: This paper sets out to analyse and compare the representation of women in ancient comedy and the modern sitcom, arguing that both adhere to a dichotomy of presenting women as either "e;mothers"e; or "e;whores"e;. First, it establishes the sitcom as the modern descendant of the ancient comedy while also considering crucial differences, such as the all-male cast in ancient plays and the concentration on indoor spaces (sitcom) versus outdoor spaces (ancient comedy). Subsequently, by analysing select episodes of "e;The Big Bang Theory"e; and plays such as Plautus' "e;Cistellaria"e; and Aristophanes' "e;Assemblywomen"e;, it establishes essential ways in which the dichotomy manifests.