Sexism in A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum

In A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, several jokes are made at the expense of women, female sexuality, and female intelligence and worth. On several occasions women are highlighted as unintelligent and worthless for anything other than sex. However we do see that similar jokes are made at the expense of the men in the film. The concept of masculinity is fragile as the men search for potions to give them passion, dress as women to get themselves out of tricky situations, and try to kill themselves in outlandish ways with barely any proof of reason. So while women are always portrayed poorly throughout the film, men are not always portrayed wonderfully either. Overall the film was amusing and gave an entirely different perspective on Roman life that didn't focus exclusively on the nobility and instead followed the life of the common people. This different perspective is the reason I believe that A Funny Thing is still a relevant film to watch for modern audiences. So often we see Roman life shown exclusively through the eyes of kings, queens and other noble individuals, that the perspective of slaves and brothel owners is a refreshing take on Roman life. While the scenes may not be entirely historically accurate, they take the essence of Roman life and put a spin on it that can be useful to audiences interested in the history of Rome and its portrayal in film over time.