The 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 "mothers" or "whores". 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 "The Big Bang Theory" and plays such as Plautus¿ "Cistellaria" and Aristophanes¿ "Assemblywomen", it establishes essential ways in which the dichotomy manifests.