Analysis Of The Essay 'Athenian Women' By Sarah Ruden

Lysistrata
In her essay on, “Athenian Women,” Sarah Ruden points out that Aristophanes in Lysistrata portray women as supportive of Athenian institutions and eager to save them. But she cautions, “To do this now they must flout law, religion, and every notion of public decency – and this is definitely no reflection on women’s attitudes, but mere satirical farce and fantasy” (Ruden 107). An important element of “satirical farce” in this spirit would be a heavy use of repetition to make people laugh at the weakness being satirized. One example would not be enough, and the audience might not be amused by less than three or four examples. So in important episodes that fill out the action of the play, we have 4 examples of women beating guards,

6 women trying to break the strike by escaping the Acropolis and going home, 5 times that Myrrhine leaves Cinesias to fetch more things for their tryst, 4 times that sexual condition of Spartan heralds and ambassadors and Athenian ambassadors is mentioned.
After the women began their sex strike, the Councilor became furious and demanded the women to end it right away. At the end of his rant, Lysistrata entered the stage to confront the angry Councilor. He ordered the women to end the strike or he will send his guards after them. Lysistrata responds, “By Artemis, if that state property’s fingertip touches me, I’ll make him wail.” The guard backs off. The Councilor orders the guard again and another woman storms out, “Pandrosus help. Lay one cuticle on her, and I shall beat you till you shit.” The Councilor is getting annoyed by the two women and demands the guards to end this, but another woman enters the scene, “By Phosphorus, one hangnail grazes her, and you’ll be nursing eyes as black as tar.” At this point the Councilor is stunned and is unsure on how to handle this situation. Lastly the final women appears to defend the women and states, “Go near her, by Tauropolus, and I will give you screaming lessons on your hair.” The repetition used in this scene is the women are praying to a god hoping the guards do not touch them but if they do, the women will hurt them. It is quite hilarious due to the fact that the guards back off in fear each time a women appears.
In lines 716-780, there are 6 embarrassing attempts by the women trying to end the strike by leaving. Lysistrata caught one woman by Pan’s cave making a hole for a tunnel her size, a second tried to disguised as a civilian escaping to the crane nearby, and one tried to escape to their loved one but Lysistrata grabbed her by their hair and dragged her back. As the repetition continued, it became more humorous for the audience. Lysistrata notices three more woman making an effort to leave and one woman stated she needed to go home and retrieve her wool for the bed. The other women needed to shuck flax from the stems. The last women had the most ridiculous reason for sneaking out. This women used the helmet from the Statue of Athena in the Parthenon. The women said the Goddess of Childbirth made her pregnant. This trick did not fool Lysistrata as she ripped the helmet away from the woman.
Towards the middle of the play, Cinesias heads over to see his wife Myrrhine to try and bring her home.

She offers to go home only if the men end the war. Cinesias decides to stay there and try to make love with Myrrhine. She tells Cinesias that she needs to get a mattress first before they start and leaves. She comes back with the mattress but realizes she forgot pillows and leaves again. At this point, it is abundantly clear she is teasing Cinesias. She comes back with the pillow and lays down on the mattress next to Cinesias. He assumes Myrrhine is ready and he goes to kiss her but she stands back up and yelled sheets! She forgot sheets so she leaves again for the third time. Cinesias is becoming angry. Now it is clearly obvious that she is teasing her husband by denying him sex. Myrrhine returns with the blanket and asked Cinesias if he wants oil as well. He tells her no but he chooses to leave again. This game that Myrrhine is playing with her husband is part of the sex strike plan. She is making the situation harder for the men who desperately want sex. She returns to Cinesias with the oil and gives him a sample. Cinesias dislikes the smell of it and tells Myrrhine he smells delay. She jokingly responses with, “Well, shame on me! I brought the one from Rhodes,” and leaves for the final time. Cinesias is furious and wants his wife to stay put. She returns with another bottle of oil. Cinesias yells at Myrrhine to stop moving around and just have sex. Her plan worked and ends the game by telling Cinesias, “Honey, don’t forget: You’re voting for a treaty,” and she leaves the scene for

good.
The last form of repetition used in this play is when the Spartan Heralds and Ambassadors interrupt the meeting of the Athenian women with the Athenian Heralds and Ambassadors to discuss their sexual condition from the sex strike. The first Spartan Herald walks in holding his hands over his cloak. Cinesias confronts the Herald and asked why he is standing in an awkward way. He opens his cloak and displays his condition to Cinesias. The Herald tells the men’s chorus leader that the Spartan Women have the same sex strike and the Spartan men need a peace treaty. Then the men’s chorus leader presents his condition as well to the women’s chorus leader. The two choruses meet and discuss a possible end to the strike. Then a Spartan Ambassador arrives and opens his cloak and reveals his swollen part of his body. He wants to make peace as quickly as possible. Then an Athenian Ambassador pulls his cloak aside to compare his condition as well. Both ambassadors have heavy swelling in that area. The united chorus calls for Lysistrata to come forth and settle a peace treaty. Lysistrata enters with an actor disguised as a naked women. She does so to torture the men. The naked women is driving the men crazy for sex. So the two ambassadors quickly end the war to finally have sex with their wives.