In 411 BCE, Aristophanes’ play L ysistrata, a tale of war, a sex strike, and the comedy that rises out of male and female conflict was first performed on the Greek stage. While Aristophanes’ work L ysistrata is indeed comedic, it echoes a valid sentiment of consideration: the submission women faced and the gender roles society socialized them to play Sociallydefined norms of gender create a direct reflection on the way each individual views themselves, others in their gender, and their opposite counterparts in the attempt to assimilate to expectations or appropriate them. Due to the disparity of the gender spheres, the women in Lysistrata u se both an exaggerated domestic characterization and malecentered language to attempt to gain power.
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They begin to utilize that power as Lysistrata fights back in a brawl with the Commissioner, boldly declaring “Onward you ladies from hell! Forward you market militia, you battlehardened bargain hunters, old sales campaigners, grocery grenadiers, veterans never bested by an overcharge! You troops of the breadline, doughgirls—INTO THE FRAY!” (Aristophanes 61). The women take these symbols of their domestic roles and transform them into weapons to assert their influence over the men. Instead of fighting back against their established oppressive gender roles, they fight back towards them and pass it off as empowerment. Due to the fact that they find power in their symbols of domesticity, men soon learn that women cannot be stopped from trying to end the war even if they still remain inside the domestic sphere they were patriarchally subjected to. Though as the play goes on, women begin to utilize malecentered language to gain power from the dominant point of view. When the men attempt to smoke out the women, the women respond with a masculine appeal of language, saying “Cover with grace these redeemers of Greece from battles, insanity, Man’s inhumanity. Goldbrowed goddess, hither to aid us! Fight as our ally, join in our sally against pyromaniac slaughter—Haul water!” (Aristophanes 5051). Women seize the dominance and patriarchal influence men have in an attempt to create their own. As the men are the domineers of Greek …show more content…
Consistently, the ultimate source of power and gratification comes from the societal implementation of patriarchy. In a conversation between Lysistrata and the Commissioner, the Commissioner claims “Men have been known to age as well as women” and Lysistrata asserts “No, not as well—better. A man, an absolute antique, comes back from the war, and he’s barely doddered into town before he’s married the veriest nymphet. But a woman’s season’s is brief: it slips, and she’ll have no husband but sit out her life groping at omens—and finding no men” (Aristophanes 73). Seemingly, men are the valued members of society, the leaders, and puppeteers of social standards. The social norms are definite, the status quo of male supremacy is strongly set, and the power that comes from both genders makes one thing clear: it is anything but equal and patriarchy feeds off of female submission. In that regard, the women do not make a particularly feminist statement through their fight to gain power, in the end, everything goes back to the existing circumstances. After the war is ended and peace is established, life seemingly goes back to normal as “Each man stand by his wife, each wife by her husband. Dance to the gods’ glory, and thank them for the happy ending. And, from now on, please be
They begin to utilize that power as Lysistrata fights back in a brawl with the Commissioner, boldly declaring “Onward you ladies from hell! Forward you market militia, you battlehardened bargain hunters, old sales campaigners, grocery grenadiers, veterans never bested by an overcharge! You troops of the breadline, doughgirls—INTO THE FRAY!” (Aristophanes 61). The women take these symbols of their domestic roles and transform them into weapons to assert their influence over the men. Instead of fighting back against their established oppressive gender roles, they fight back towards them and pass it off as empowerment. Due to the fact that they find power in their symbols of domesticity, men soon learn that women cannot be stopped from trying to end the war even if they still remain inside the domestic sphere they were patriarchally subjected to. Though as the play goes on, women begin to utilize malecentered language to gain power from the dominant point of view. When the men attempt to smoke out the women, the women respond with a masculine appeal of language, saying “Cover with grace these redeemers of Greece from battles, insanity, Man’s inhumanity. Goldbrowed goddess, hither to aid us! Fight as our ally, join in our sally against pyromaniac slaughter—Haul water!” (Aristophanes 5051). Women seize the dominance and patriarchal influence men have in an attempt to create their own. As the men are the domineers of Greek …show more content…
Consistently, the ultimate source of power and gratification comes from the societal implementation of patriarchy. In a conversation between Lysistrata and the Commissioner, the Commissioner claims “Men have been known to age as well as women” and Lysistrata asserts “No, not as well—better. A man, an absolute antique, comes back from the war, and he’s barely doddered into town before he’s married the veriest nymphet. But a woman’s season’s is brief: it slips, and she’ll have no husband but sit out her life groping at omens—and finding no men” (Aristophanes 73). Seemingly, men are the valued members of society, the leaders, and puppeteers of social standards. The social norms are definite, the status quo of male supremacy is strongly set, and the power that comes from both genders makes one thing clear: it is anything but equal and patriarchy feeds off of female submission. In that regard, the women do not make a particularly feminist statement through their fight to gain power, in the end, everything goes back to the existing circumstances. After the war is ended and peace is established, life seemingly goes back to normal as “Each man stand by his wife, each wife by her husband. Dance to the gods’ glory, and thank them for the happy ending. And, from now on, please be