In this fine analysis of two of Aristophanes' comedies, Kenneth De Luca shows the Athenian playwright to have offered a profound analysis of the fundamental problems of democratic politics, including the complex relation between politics and human nature. I strongly recommend Aristophanes' Male and Female Revolutions to students and scholars of political philosophy as well as of classical literature.

David Lewis Schaefer, Holy Cross College

De Luca's juxtaposition of the Knights and the Assemblywomen is richly rewarding. His penetrating analysis offers fresh insights into the philosophic significance of Aristophanes' plays.

Denise Schaeffer, Holy Cross College

According to ancient sources, Friedrich Nietzsche reports, Plato slept with Aristophanes under his pillow. Why was the political philosopher so enthralled by the works of this comic poet? De Luca helps us understand the fascination Aristophanes had for Plato by analyzing the possibilities and problems of democratic politics as presented in the Knights and the Assemblywomen.

Catherine H. Zuckert