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Comedy by Aristophanes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lysistrata (/laɪˈsɪstrətə/ or /ˌlɪsəˈstrɑːtə/; Attic Greek: Λυσιστράτη, Lysistrátē, lit. 'army disbander') is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city states by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was said to be the only thing they truly and deeply desired. Lysistrata persuades the women of the warring cities to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace - a strategy that inflames the battle between the sexes.[citation needed]
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| Lysistrata | |
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Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley, 1896 Dramatis Personae in ancient comedy depend on scholars' interpretation of textual evidence. This list is based on Alan Sommerstein's 1973 translation.[1] | |
| Written by | Aristophanes |
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| Mute |
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| Setting | Before the Propylaea, or gateway to the Acropolis of Athens, 411 BC |
The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. Its structure represents a shift from the conventions of Old Comedy, a trend typical of the author's career.[2] It was produced in the same year as the Thesmophoriazusae, another play with a focus on gender-based issues, just two years after Athens' defeat in the Sicilian Expedition.[citation needed]
LYSISTRATA
There are a lot of things about us women
That sadden me, considering how men
See us as rascals.
CALONICE
As indeed we are!
The play begins with these lines spoken by the Athenian Lysistrata and her friend Calonice.[3] Women, as represented by Calonice, are sly hedonists in need of firm guidance and direction. In contrast, Lysistrata is portrayed to be an extraordinary woman with a large sense of individual and social responsibility. She has convened a meeting of women from various Greek city-states that are at war with each other. Soon after she confides in her friend her concerns for the female sex, the women begin arriving.
With support from the Spartan Lampito, Lysistrata persuades the other women to withhold sexual privileges from their menfolk as a means of forcing them to conclude the Peloponnesian War. The women are reluctant, but the deal is sealed with a solemn oath around a wine bowl in which the women abjure all their sexual pleasures, including the "lioness on the cheese-grater".[6]
Soon after the oath is finished, a cry of triumph is heard from the nearby Acropolis—the old women of Athens have seized control of it at Lysistrata's instigation, since it holds the state treasury, without which the men cannot long continue to fund their war. Lampito goes off to spread the word of revolt, and the other women retreat behind the barred gates of the Acropolis to await the men's response.
A Chorus of Old Men arrives, planning on burning down the gate of the Acropolis if the women do not open up. They are still making preparations to assault the gate when a Chorus of Old Women arrives, bearing pitchers of water. The Old Women complain about the difficulty they had getting the water, but they are ready for a fight in defence of their younger comrades. Threats are exchanged, and the Old Men are defeated with the water.
The magistrate then arrives with some Scythian Archers (the Athenian version of police constables). He reflects on the nature of women, their devotion to wine, promiscuous sex, and exotic cults (such as to Sabazius and Adonis), but above all he blames men for poor supervision of their womenfolk. He has come for silver from the state treasury to buy oars for the fleet and he instructs his Scythians to begin levering open the gate. However, they are quickly overwhelmed by groups of women with long names.[7]
Lysistrata restores order and allows the magistrate to question her. She explains the frustrations that women feel at a time of war when the men make decisions that affect everyone, and further complains that their wives' opinions are not listened to. She drapes her headdress over him, gives him a basket of wool and tells him that war will be a woman's business from now on. She then explains the pity she feels for young, childless women, aging at home while the men are away on endless campaigns. When the magistrate points out that men also age, she reminds him that men can marry at any age whereas a woman has only a short time before she is considered too old. She then dresses the magistrate like a corpse for laying out, with a wreath and a fillet, and advises him that he's dead. The magistrate storms off to report the incident to his colleagues, while Lysistrata returns to the Acropolis.
The debate is continued between the Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women until Lysistrata returns to the stage with the news that her comrades are desperate for sex and they are beginning to desert on the silliest pretexts (for example, one woman says she has to go home to air her fabrics by spreading them on the bed). After rallying her comrades and restoring their discipline, Lysistrata again returns to the Acropolis to continue waiting for the men's surrender.
A man suddenly appears, desperate for sex. It is Kinesias, the husband of Myrrhine. Lysistrata instructs her to torture him. Myrrhine informs Kinesias that she will have sex with him but only if he promises to end the war. He promptly agrees to these terms and the young couple prepares for sex on the spot. Myrrhine fetches a bed, a mattress, a pillow, a blanket, and a flask of oil, and after delaying the act for some time, locks herself in the Acropolis once more.
A Spartan herald then appears with a large burden (an erection) scarcely hidden inside his tunic and he requests to see the ruling council to arrange peace talks. The magistrate laughs at the herald's situation, but agrees that peace talks should begin.
They go off to fetch the delegates. While they are gone, the Old Women make overtures to the Old Men. The two Choruses merge, singing and dancing in unison. Peace talks commence and Lysistrata introduces the Spartan and Athenian delegates to a woman called Reconciliation. The delegates cannot take their eyes off the woman; meanwhile, Lysistrata scolds both sides for past errors of judgment. The delegates briefly squabble over the peace terms, but with Reconciliation before them, they overcome their differences and retire to the Acropolis for celebrations. The war is ended.
Some events that are significant for understanding the play:[citation needed]
Old Comedy was a topical genre and the playwright expected his audience to be familiar with local identities and issues. The following list of identities mentioned in the play gives some indication of the difficulty faced by any producer trying to stage Lysistrata for modern audiences:[citation needed]
Pellene was also the name of a Peloponnesian town resisting Spartan pressure to contribute to naval operations against Athens at this time. It was mentioned earlier in the Birds.[44]
Lysistrata belongs to the middle period of Aristophanes' career when he was beginning to diverge significantly from the conventions of Old Comedy. Such variations from convention include:
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