Lysistrata: Humor and Women

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"Woman is the most shameless beast of all the beasts that be" (Aristophanes). This is a direct correlation of how a woman was thought of in Ancient Greece. In its simplest terms, the Lysistrata is a tale that centers around an Athenian woman named Lysistrata and her comrades who have taken control of the Acropolis in Athens. They are protesting against the endless wars that men are fighting and refuse their husbands sex unless they cease their battles. This revolutionary due to the views of women at the time and how little dominance women had. The woman faced a lot of tyranny in order to weep the benefit of peace. This play by Aristophanes is a comedy and exaggerated in order to show the power of sexual desires that Lysistrata manipulates, and how they can affect a nation.

The use of language in this play may over exaggerate the power of women at the time. In Ancient Greece, it was more than okay to strike a woman especially if she was your wife. Arisophanes gives these women more credibility then what is real. Though Lysistrata is a powerful and a leader, by being a woman she would be killed for the disrespect she expressed. "I laughed at them. Neither threats nor flames shall force our doors; they shall open only on the conditions I have named' (Aristophanes 14). This shows how much power that Lysistrata had over the men and women of Athens. At this time, if men didn't get sexual satisfaction fro their wives then there would be prostitutes to fulfill their needs. Yet in this play, Aristophanes puts the power in Lysistrata as she rallies all the women and money of Athens. Lysistrata, using her smarts to manipulate the troops, takes control of Athens Acropolis and nation through the mens desire for money and sex.

More satire and exaggeration become apparent when the commissioner and police officers confront Lysitrata. The men are forcibly taken over by the women, through the use of pots and pans as weapons, and the women stay in control. Aristophanes makes...
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