The Lysistrata Analysis

Sex and politics is the main topic in the anti-war comedy, The Lysistrata, written by “The father of comedy,” Aristophanes, which first staged in 411 BCE. One may argue that this play is based on feminism, and although it may seem that way, women are actually victims of prejudice who play under the role of using their sexuality to get what they want. Thus, this play accounts of one woman’s mission, Lysistrata, to end the Peloponnesian war by convincing all the women of Greece to stop engaging in sexual privileges with their husbands until they agree to a peace treaty. Lysistrata, an Athenian woman, took matters into her own hands to end the war between Athenians and Spartans by withholding several meetings with different city-states all throughout Greece with women to explain her plan. Although most women were dubious of the idea, a long solemn oath had taken place where all women agreed to abjure all sexual privileges, to prove the significance of this oath, Lysistrata specifically mentions various of sexual positions. All women who abided by this oath, seized control of the state’s treasury, Acropolis. Without access to this, the men would not be able to …show more content…
During this time, women were seen in a negative light due to the ancient myth of Pandora. Women were strictly controlled by their husbands or eldest son; however, if the men were at war, the women were then allowed to hold and manage property. In the play, Aristophanes provides an example of the relationship between men and women, where the magistrate concludes that the only reason why the women are revolting against sex privileges is because of the lack of male power during time of war. Although the audience of this play is composed entirely of Athenian male citizens, Aristophanes’