Lysistrata Analysis

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“Lysistrata” is a tale which is centered around an Athenian woman named Lysistrata and her comrades who have taken control of the Acropolis in Athens. Lysistrata explains to the old men how the women have seized the Acropolis to keep men from using the money to make war and to keep dishonest officials from stealing the money. The opening scene of “Lysistrata” enacts the stereotypical and traditional characterization of women in Greece and also distances Lysistrata from this overused expression, housewife character. The audience is met with a woman, Lysistrata, who is furious with the other women from her country because they have not come to discuss war with her. The basic premise of the play is, Lysistrata coming up with a plan to put an end to the Peloponnesian War which is currently being fought by the men. After rounding up the women, she encourages them to withhold sex until the men agree to stop fighting. The women are difficult to convince, although eventually they agree to the plan. Lysistrata also tells the women if they are beaten, they may give in, since sex which results from violence will not please the men. Finally, all the women join Lysistrata in taking an oath to withhold sex from their mates. As a result of the women refraining from pleasing their husbands until they stop fighting the war, the play revolves around a battle of the sexes. The battle between the women and men is the literal conflict of the play. The war being fought between the men is a figurative used to lure the reader to the actual conflict of the play which is the battle between men and women. With Lampito returning to Sparta to secure the agreement of the Spartan women, Lysistrata and the other women remain with her to make plans to join the w... ... middle of paper ... ...eb. 25 Mar. 2011. . Gill, N.S. "Lysistrata by Aristophanes - Make Love, Not War." Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece & Rome & Classics Research Guide. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . "Lysistrata Study Guide." Cummings Study Guides. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. . "Plot Summary of Lysistrata." Super Summary. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. . "Power and Women in Lysistrata: Character Analysis of Lysistrata." Article Myriad. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. . "SparkNotes: Lysistrata Summary." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .

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