Lysistrata Gender Roles

The play Lysistrata takes on a lot of gender roles, and the views of woman and men in the play are of a stereotypical point of view. There is a lot of gender power and a reversal of traditional gender roles by weakening the theory that men hold real power in society. The woman mostly Lysistrata show through actions, that they are more effective at provoking change. In Ancient Greece, woman were forbidden to leave the house, and were entitled to take on house roles, such as cleaning, cooking, taking care of the children, and being the passive type and typical woman as Cleonice states “It’s not easy for women to leave the house” (9). The men return from war, and then repeat the routine. In the play the woman reverse this order of mundane tasks and typical roles to create unity.

Lysistrata is the antagonist who takes a political stand to make change and unity for woman. Aristophanes exposes women who are passive and woman who can make a difference. Although Lysistrata is the political activist, is there really any political logic in this play? Being that she is taking a strange approach by using sex to end war, bring peace and make the world go round. Perhaps the play is unveiling a message for equal rights as stated earlier, because in society throughout the years the battle of the sexes has been present on how and what is moral and is not. In the play a lot of battles between men and woman happen. A lot of rude comments from the chorus of the men such as “I don’t know what prevents me from roasting you with this torch” then the woman chorus, “I am a free woman I tell you” (15). The message portrays that the men are arrogant, with a huge concern for power. The men are deciding where politics should stand, and decide to do what they please, while woman have no power or expression in much at