Comparing Aristophanes's Lysistrata And Her Children

Pacifism often takes the form of art in times of war. From literature to music, influential pacifists appeal to the counter-culter generation by utilizing these methods of expression. The same is true for drama, but few plays share as much cultural significance as Lysistrata and Mother Courage. As the plays are often cited as two of the most well known anti-war dramas of all time, they share a unique distinction: Aristophanes’s Lysistrata and Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children both feature prominent female protagonists in an era of limited gender equality. Indeed, the function women have in war is often constrained by socially constructed gender roles, but the two protagonists take advantage of this prejudice to advance their …show more content…
It is clear that Lysistrata’s character is present to challenge tradition, in order to end a war. Lysistrata acts as an unconventional policy maker whose role in war, as a women, is unorthodox to say the least. A mother’s opposition to war is echoed by both Lysistrata and Mother Courage. Lysistrata proclaims, “We’ve given you sons, and then had to send them off to fight.” A rational appeal to her cause (Aristophanes 164). Mother Courage re-iterates the point when she says, “A soldier’s life is not for sons of mine!” However, Brecht’s use of Mother courage is different than that of Lysistrata (Brecht 28). Mother Courage being a woman is not so much as to challenge gender roles, but to highlight the hypocrisy of war profiteers: Quick to profit off war, but reluctant to send their own children. Indeed, Brecht uses Mother Courage to promote the idea that only the heartless support war, as Mother Courage’s selfishness leads to her children’s deaths. Nevertheless, both dramas demonstrate that no matter how women are viewed by society, they can influence war in a significant