Sirs and Hers: Gender Roles in Greek Custom Reflected in Theater In most any piece of literature you read, especially those of ancient times, you are sure to see the real life culture surrounding it reflected in the work. Often times, this culture encompasses the gender roles that are (or were) imposed on and held so deeply by society. When we look at Agamemon by Aeschylus and Lysistrata by Aristophanes, we can see how gender roles are instrumental in making for either a comedy or a tragedy. In order for dike to be met, gender roles must be met in perfect measure.
In Agamemnon, we see an almost reversal of these mentioned roles. Clytaemnestra is a fierce and powerful woman who has a mission of seeking revenge on Agamemnon, who sacrificed …show more content…
In this piece, we see the gender roles to be above and beyond what is considered “accurate.” For example, we know that the original costuming for the production would have been comically large breasts and buttocks for the women (most likely made using pillows), and long, floppy (fake) penises for the men. Of course, this would have been a ridiculous sight to see, which is where the hilarity stems from, but it gives crucial insight as to how gender roles affected the mood of a work. When a male or female has too much of what makes them masculine or feminine, it often adds to the comedic value. We also see the women in the play as being hungry for sex, which was a common stereotype for women who were at home while their husbands were at war. For instance, when the main characters are discussing their plan for making peace on page 374. Myrrhine asks the question of what they must do without to make peace, and Lysistrata gives the dreaded answer that they must “do without sex altogether” (374). After this, there is much disappointment amongst the women, which is what makes it humorous. This also ties back into the theme of promiscuous women as I mentioned before, however, in this instance we see it as being laughable because of the exaggerated nature of the gender
In Agamemnon, we see an almost reversal of these mentioned roles. Clytaemnestra is a fierce and powerful woman who has a mission of seeking revenge on Agamemnon, who sacrificed …show more content…
In this piece, we see the gender roles to be above and beyond what is considered “accurate.” For example, we know that the original costuming for the production would have been comically large breasts and buttocks for the women (most likely made using pillows), and long, floppy (fake) penises for the men. Of course, this would have been a ridiculous sight to see, which is where the hilarity stems from, but it gives crucial insight as to how gender roles affected the mood of a work. When a male or female has too much of what makes them masculine or feminine, it often adds to the comedic value. We also see the women in the play as being hungry for sex, which was a common stereotype for women who were at home while their husbands were at war. For instance, when the main characters are discussing their plan for making peace on page 374. Myrrhine asks the question of what they must do without to make peace, and Lysistrata gives the dreaded answer that they must “do without sex altogether” (374). After this, there is much disappointment amongst the women, which is what makes it humorous. This also ties back into the theme of promiscuous women as I mentioned before, however, in this instance we see it as being laughable because of the exaggerated nature of the gender