THE ARTIFICE OF LYSISTRATA AND THE PLIGHT OF HELLENIC WOMEN IN ARISTOPHANES' LYSISTRATA

Abstract

This essay discusses the subtlety of ancient Greek women in restoring peace that had eluded Hellas for many years, without apparently condemning war. It is based on the comedy, Lysistrata of Aristophanes. Aristophanes satirises the weakness of the male sex in ending the war between Athens and Sparta, and comments on the strength and canniness of the female sex, who has been stereotyped as weak, inferior, and with insatiable appetite for sex; also on their feminist candour in defining an end to the war. Aristophanes elevates the status of Greek women by creating female characters that can control their libido and resist male sexual overtures and domination. In Lysistrata, the women are deprived of sex as a result of the Peloponnesian War. As a form of 'quid pro quo to force the men to a ceasefire and embrace peace, the women, with Lysistrata as their leader, occupy the Acropolis where the treasury of the Greek poleis is located and from which the war is funded, and also agree to refuse marital sex until and unless the men invoke peace.

This paper scrutinizes the resilience of the female gender, as a tool for societal change. The women's sex-strike and seizure of the treasury on the Acropolis force the belligerent men to sign a pact to end the war, which has lasted 27 years. The play continues to influence movements for change in various theatres of war, and has led to disarmament movements such as The Lysistrata Project (a peace project initiative on Iraq). The main thesis of this paper is to explore the role of women in the 'battle of the sexes' and how women use different ploys to highlight their argument and proffer mutually beneficial solutions.