Lysistrata Essay

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Aristophanes play Lysistrata takes place during the Peloponnesian War and the women of Greece are tired of their men being at war. Greek women want to preserve the traditional way of life in their community. With this in mind, Lysistrata calls all the women of Greece together and devises a plan. She argues that if the women all participate in two activities, their men will end the war. Her proposals are that the women hold a sexual strike against the men. She urged the women to dress in sexy clothing but refuse sexual activity with the men. The second part of her proposal is that the women take over the acropolis. The old women are to do this first, while the younger women are having the strike.
In order to accomplish this, the women challenge …show more content…

Athenian women would get distressed when their men went to war. Most Athenian women married in their teens and never had to be on their own, and probably wouldn't know what to do if they did land on their own. The men leave for war and some do not return mostly because of death. This creates hardship for the widow who finds herself on her own, most likely with children, and no one to take care of them anymore. The widow has few prospects. If she is young and attractive enough with the right domestic skills she might be able to remarry. But her situation is not too promising. After all, why would you want a widow, when you could get a "fresh" wife to "break-in" the way you want and start a family from your own …show more content…

Though they were not allowed to be a part of political life in Athens, they knew that they could influence their husbands. Lysistrata " Heretofore we women in time of war have endured very patiently through it, putting up with whatever you men might do, for never a peep would you let us, but we knew very well, while we sat at home, when you'd handled a big issue poorly, and we'd ask you then, with a pretty smile though our heart would be grieving us sorely, 'and what were the terms for a truce, my dear, you drew up in assembly this morning?' 'And what's it to you?' says our husband 'Shut up!' -so as ever, at this gentle warning I of course would discreetly shut up.” The relationship between a man and his wife would be different in every marriage and, therefore, the amount of influence that each woman had would

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