Lysistrata

Women's chorus-

Very important because they take Akropolis and are able to fight off the old men's chorus and win what they want.

Commissioner-

He is part of the Commission of 10. He is important because he asked to have Lysistrata arrested and she and him discuss how Athens should be run at the end of the play.

Does Aristophanes have a negative view of women? What roles in society does he assign them?

I believe that Aristophanes has a positive view on women in ancient Greece. I believe this because in this play he depicts the main character as a strong women who has succeeded in what she set out to achieve. Lysistrata seems to be a very strong women because she defied the social norms of women throughout the play. I think that Aristophanes is trying to portray women as powerful beings to show the audience that women, if given the chance, can be just as powerful as men.

Old men chorus-

Important because sexual tension with women's chorus. Seemed to be dumbed down by the women's chorus

Kinesias-

Is the husband of Myrrhine that arrived with their baby and was denied sex. He is important because he was a target of the sex strike.

Myrrhine-

Another young Athenian wife. She is important because when her husband came to visit her with their baby she denied him sex.

Briefly summarize the theory according to which the characters of Lysistrata and Myrrhine are based on real-life priestesses of Athena Polias and Athena Nike, respectively. Discuss how this theory can shed light on the plot.

Athena Polias is related to Lysistrata because they both take action when it comes to war. They are both strong women and both very brave. Athena Nike and Myrrhine are similar because they both have the same reactions to their husbands and men in general. This connects to the plot because Aristophanes showed that these women are similar and that is what created the theme for the play, because it shows women that can think for themselves and can be as strong as men.

ranking and festival

Lysistrata was shown during 411 BCE at the Lenaia Festival. The Lenaia festival had a lot of competition between plays and it was known that Aristophanes won a couple times. However it is not certain whether or not Lysistrata won.

Kalonike-

She is a young wife from Athens. She lived next to Lysistrata in Athens. She showed up at the meeting with all the women in the beginning of the play. She and Lysistrata are talking at the very start.

Lysistrata-

She is the main character. She made the plan for women to go on a sex strike in order to end the war. The entire comedy is based off her solution.

What, as you see it, is the central theme of the play?

The central theme of the play Lysistrata as I see it, is to show how women are depicted in the ancient Greek Society. Sex was a very big part of their culture. The women were expected to be married young and have husbands and kids at a very young age. They were taught to be submissive to men.

summary of the play

The main character Lysistrata at the beginning of the play is known to have made a successful plan that will end the war. Her plan is to get all women in Athens and Sparta to go on a sex strike from their husbands. Lysistrata created this solution or plan in hopes that the war would finally end. At the start she is awaiting the women of Athens and Sparta to show up. She is waiting for these women because she wants to tell them her cunning plan of how she is going to go about ending the war. The women from Sparta and Athens finally show up and seem to be begging Lysistrata to tell them what her solution is. They say that they will do anything that she asks. Lysistrata tells them her plan and to begin with the women seem to be very hesitant. Lysistrata states that the sex treaty will be enough to convince their husbands to make a peace treaty to end the war. The women then change their mind and Lysistrata gets them to swear to her that they will follow through. She is also certain to make sure that the women she is talking to take an oath. The women then open some wine. The men in this play are one of the choruses. There are two choruses, the "old men" chorus and the "women" chorus. The men bring in firewood because they think that by lighting this wood on fire the women will either leave or be smoked out. This happens in Akropolis. The women however bring in water to take the fire out. There is then conflict between the men and the women. The women pour water all over the men. The men order someone to arrest Lysistrata. This is because the men discovered the women in Akropolis. The commissioner who is a member of commision 10, argues with Lysistrata. She states that Athens should involve more women and uses a spinning wool analogy. She states that women should be married and that some women can't get married because men die in the war. Kinesias the husband of Myrrhine comes with a baby. He has an erected penis. Myrrhine pretends that she wants to have sex but then ends up leaving Kinesias. At the end of the play a peace treaty with erected Spartans and the men of Athens is made. Lysistrata succeeded!

What current events provided the backdrop for the plot?

The peloponnesian war provided the backdrop for the plot of the play. Lysistrata makes her plan of the sex strike in order to end the war.