Analysis of Lysistrata Essay

Lysistrata

The play Lysistrata was written by Aristophanes during the twelfth year of the Peloponnesian war. It was first performed in Athens, Greece in 411 B.C., with the typical male audience and all male actors. A great deal of thought went into this play that Aristophanes wrote, he shows the folly of war, chauvinism, and sex by making his audience look foolish though sexual humor and old comedy. Many things that are demonstrated by the play Lysistrata still occupy the American society today. In the play, the women take matters into their own hands by hosting a sex strike; they are determined to win the war by themselves. Lysistrata is seen to be the leader of this great adventure and a whole new look on anti-war gestures are seen. Aristophanes makes the play about making war, and not making love. The sex strike is strung out for six days, at the Acropolis. Overall, the women were upset that their men were never home, thus making an unbalance in their family, leading to an unbalance in society. War not only derives nations, but also the families of the soldiers. Many explanations have raised from the text of Aristophanes play Lysistrata and the theme of Anti-War. Behind every great man, there is a great woman, Brawn vs. Brains, and Women, you cant live with them, and you cant live without them. these sayings are loosely based on the play that has occupied our history. The play Lysistrata shows the theme of anti-war through the precise work of symbolism, characters and word choice.

Symbolism is shown very strongly throughout the whole poetic piece of Lysistrata. The main plot of the play is about the sex strike. The women withhold sex in order to get men to listen and to stop the war. This shows a primitive type of Womens Rights; in such that they are speaking out, or in this case not having sex with their men, to get what they want. For twenty years the men were at war, and were seldom home. This made the women fend for themselves, and children, they also had to tend to the crops and livestock. The Chauvinistic attitude of the men during ancient Greece was very closed minded; women should be seen and not heard. In this, women were deemed unimportant within politics, war, and community affairs. Sex seems to have been used to symbolize something else also; Aristophanes uses sex to poke fun at the male chauvinism and war. At the end of the play, during the treaty, all the men have erections. An erection symbolizes a shameful need run rampant, it also symbolizes that a male is disarmed. When a soldier is disarmed, it shows that he has lost the determined focus on war. He has fallen captive of the female domain of pleasure, and cant think straight, thus not making rational decisions. Aristophanes successfully used symbolisim and sexual references to relay his message of anti-war.

The fictional characters that told the story of Lysistrata were entirely the invention of Aristophanes. Lysistrata was an old, cynical Athenian who always made rustic good sense. She initiates the idea of a sex revolt against the men. I am going to bring it about that no man, for at least a generation, will raise a spear against another. In this line, Lysistrata explains her reason for the sex revolt. Lysistrata is the leader of the group of women; in such that she coached the other women how to act around their husbands. She does not flirt or have any obvious lovers, or a husband; she gains respect from men from her smart wits, and serious tone. At the end of the play, the men call upon Lysistrata to negotiate the treaty between Athens and Sparta. Though the idea that women could end a war, and that they could even withhold sex was probably silly to the Greek male audiences, Lysistratas rejection of the stereotypical domestic female, allowed her to take the stage and achieve a real political voice in a male dominated venue.

Many of the characters have a name that puts a deeper meaning into the text. Lysistratas name means army destroyer, Lampito means to shine, Calonice means beautys victory, and Myrrhine means a bush. Lampito is a Spartan woman, she brings word to Sparta for the women to start the sex strike. Calonice, is Lysistratas best friend, and serves an important part in the story; she supports and sooths Lysistrata when shes being frantic. Myrrhine is a Athenian Woman, and is married to Cinesias; who she tortures in the play with sexual frustration, when he shows up at Acropolis with an erection trying to coax her back home to take care of him and her baby. The Spartan Herald plays a big part in the play, he shows up at Acropolis with an erection also; Lampito was successful at delivering the message to Spartan Women about the sex strike, and begs to have audience with the Athenian Magistrate. After observing the erection that occupied the Heralds pants, the Magistrate proclaims that he has one also. The two enflamed men agree to bring other members of the state to talk about a treaty. The Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women also contribute to the play; in such that the action and relationship between the two choruses parallel the action of the story. The old women were sent to the Acropolis to seize the treasury to stop the funds of the war. They were sent by Lysistrata, because they are past their prime and there is little sexual tension between the two rival groups, and they would be little use in the sex strike. The Old Men were overwhelmed by the women who beat them physical and mentally. When peace is declared and the treaty is on its way to be solved the choruses join as one.

The word choice of the play was directed to get the attention of the audience. Old comedy was used in the play Lysistrata; old comedy displays great imagination and uses cut-throat satire, and caricature to reduce public figures, politics, ideas, trends, and institutions. Vulgarity is used in the play to pursue laughs, and to capture the message of the content. At the same time that the play uses comedy, it also resembles a poetic musical comedy; this is where moments of great beauty are encased in an atmosphere of fantastic and unrealistic. Aristophanes uses a great deal of Stichomythia; these are brief lines of dialogue, expressing strong emotions or arguing. The most obvious part of the play that uses Stichomythia is when the Leader of the Old Women and the Leader of the Old Men threaten each other. Many words that are used in the play have double meaning. Some examples of words that I understood include; during the oath the women have a flash of wine out of a black bowl, this portrays the male sex organ and the black bowl is the female genitalia, Pouring the Wine is symbolizing ejaculation, Burning Torches by the Chorus of the Old Men is demonstrating passion, and the Chorus of the Old Men Battering the Gates is showing sexual penetration. Double Meaning words seem to occupy the text a lot, thus making hidden meanings in actions.

In conclusion, Aristophanes teaches a good lesson in his play Lysistrata about gender and equality. The Symbolism, characters, and word choice was highly thought through by Aristophanes to portray his message of anti-war. The introduction of the idea of Womens rights, and sexual leverage was very outspoken in the play. It shows that , although the men held all the power in the Greek society, they lack of wisdom, common sense, and peaceful nature that women pride themselves with. The saying Alls fair in love and war does not apply to the play Lysistrata, its either love, or war. If todays society was as horny as it was in Ancient Greece, maybe we would have a more peaceful state of living!