Lysistrata: Characters

Ismenia

-Boiotian girl -nice body -keeps herself well tended -possibly mute

Kinesias

-Myrrhine's husband -tries to convince Myrrhine "you should be ashamed of yourself, letting those women lead you around. Why do you DO these things?"

Korinthian girl

-accompanies Ismenia and Lampito to Lysistrata's meeting -big breasts

Myrrhine

-athenian woman -is able to seduce her husband Kinesias but she refuses sex with him just at the last minute "keep your hands away from me!"

Lysistrata

-athenian woman -leader of the women, devises plan for abstinence -least feminine "We can force our husbands to negotiate Peace, Ladies, by exercising steadfast self control-by total abstinence"

Kleonike

-athenian woman -next door neighbor of Lysistrata, first to show up to meeting -embraces feminine side -delighted that Lysistrata's scheme for peace involves garments like negligees "Peachy! I'll have that kimono dyed.."

Spartan Herald

-comes in bearing erection -makes everyone realize that this is an international strike

Four policemen

-humiliated again and again by the women -scare them off with lamps, pots, utensils

Chorus of old men

-old men of Athens -attempt to keep the women in line -misongynistic

Koryphaios of the women

-old women of Athens -leads the chorus -leads successful seizure of the Akropolis -outwits the men in every way possible "hold it. what have we here? You don't catch true-blue patriots red-handed. These are authentic degenerates, male, taken in flagrante"

Commissioner

-public safety -overwhelmed by the women and ends up being dressed as a woman himself -slow to understand "This is a monstrous maltreatment of a public official- maltreatment of me!

Lampito

-spartan woman -brings the Spartan women into Lysistrata's plan -accent

Koryphaios of the men

-stubbron and rather grouchy man -leads the chorus of Old men "First, we deposit these logs at the entrance and light our torches. Next, we crash the gate. When that doesn't work, we request admission. Politely. When that doesn't work, we burn the damned door down, and smoke these women into submission"