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Lysistrata Group Analysis
Lauren Ballington, Lauren Eckerson, & Jennifer Ivey
Dramatic Action
The play by Aristophanes is a continuous one, starting at the beginning of a day and
going over the span of the next few days. It is also linear, there is no fading back and forth to a
memory or the past it is ever present in the lives of the characters. The story begins as the
women of Athens are meeting at the altar to Athena, complaining together about their common
hindrances like their men always being away at war and the inability to get certain trade goods.
The women are frustrated with war and begin to plot to end the war. This is the stasis that the
women soon work to change. The intrusion happens when Lysistrata reveals her plan, on p 159
line 103, “Then we must give up going to bed with our men”. From this moment on the
momentum of the plot moves faster and faster to their goal.
The major conflict of the play is the struggle for power between the women and the men.
Lysistrata wants to deprive the men of their desires in order to deceive them into signing a peace
treaty versus the Commissioner who wants to prove his authority in order to force the women
into submission. This is an example of man versus man. Some of the minor conflicts of
“Lysistrata” are the womens own sexual frustrations versus Lysistrata’s devotion to celibacy
(man versus self), Myrrhine versus Kinesias a frustrated husband and his wife have a conflict of
interest (man versus man), and the Ambassador versus the Commissioner they are fighting the
war over land disputes (man versus man).
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During the battle for the newly forming stasis the women make an oath between the
Athenian women and the Spartan women over a bowl of wine to celibacy, once this oath is made
the women stay true to this ide and take over the Akropolis, letting no man enter. The
Commissioner tries to shut down Lysistrata’s plan, saying he’d never listen to a woman for
advice on war—only to later rely on her for armistice between the men. Myrrhine and her
husband go through a game of cat and mouse, Myrrhine wants Kinesias to sign the peace treaty
while her husband just wants to get her back into their marital bed. This is an example of the
manipulative strategies the women apply to their cause. In scene 5, Lysistrata makes her final
plea to the men for peace and brings forth a statue of a naked woman called “Reconciliation”, the
men finally sign the peace treaty and can go home with their wives. The climax happens at the
moment that the Commissioner says on p176 line 92, “Too much talk already. No, we’ll stand
together…” at this moment the men all listen to Lysistrata and sign the peace treaty, all are
happy and begin their new stasis. The new stasis is exemplified through the line 50 on p 177
Lysistrata declares, “But now, Lakonians, take home your wives. Athenians take yours. Each
man be kind to his woman, and you women be equally kind. Never again, pray God, shall we
lose our way to such madness.”
This also relates to the theme of the play, the major theme of Lysistrata is if you are
devoted to your convictions then you can manipulate others to attain what you desire. This theme
is applied by the women for their quest for peace and stays true throughout the entire play. The
minor themes of Lysistrata are If you refrain from impulsive desires then you can stay true to
your goals. If you have an intimate relationship then you can easily influence the person into
doing what you want. If you want peace between two cities then you must learn to compromise.
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Lysistrata is written in the style of a classic greek and the form of a comedy. It was
especially comical back in ancient Athenian times, when it took place. That’s because, back then,
women pretty much had no role in anything other than having sex with men and then raising the
children that came about afterwards. In the play, women take on the role of men. They start
having masculine characteristics and attitudes. They do this to help the men see what a vital role
they play in the community, hoping it will help convince them to stick around.
I feel like this is a direct play. In the play the chorus talks to the actors. In the play the
women have a clear objective of trying to get the men to make peace and not go to war. They
make what they want known through the entire play.
Lysistrata is the main character, seeing that the play was named after her. She is a
very strong character. She is the mastermind behind the plan that the ladies follow through with.
She calls all of the women together and tells them what to do so that there can be peace and the
men don’t leave for war. I think this shows just how brilliant, brave and strong she really is. All
the women were powerful when they did what they did. They were creating change, but
Lysistrata thought of it all and also had the power to get the other women to follow her.
If there were a second place for the strongest female in the play, it would be Myrrhine.
She may be considered the best one at the plan to abstain from sex with her husband. She is very
seductive, but also strong willed in the fact that she can just stop right before her and her
husband are about to have sex.
Another major character is Kleonike. I feel like she is eager and excited. She is the first to
show up to Lysistrata’s meeting. This shows that she is eager to get the plan underway. She is
excited that the plan might keep the peace and the men around. She also is very womanly and
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sexy. She embraces her womanly side and is very excited about getting to wear seductive
clothing.
Lampito is another pretty strong female character. She is a strong, larger woman. She is a
Spartan. She is a leader. She sjows her leadership when she gets Spartan women to join in on
Lysistrata’s Plan.
One of the bigger male roles is Kinesias. He is the husband of Myrrhine. He seems
somewhat needy and desperate. He is the first one whose wife starts to hold out on him sexually.
He becomes enraged at what his wife is putting him through. Being needy, he shows up to
confront Lysistrata and his wife about the problem.
Symbols, Images, and Motifs
Throughout the farcical and exploratory play Lysistrata, there is a very blatant homage to
the phallic symbol. This is first mentioned in scene one, line 28, Kalonike “Oh but not those
heavenly eels!” this is a reference to some of the traded goods the women were missing,
particularly the eels. In scene 3 in the quippy dialogue between Myrrhine and her husband
Kinesias, in line 90 Kinesias says “Up? I’ve been up for ages”, Myrrhine is teasing her husband
and will not go to bed with him until the peace treaty is signed but she lures the idea of sex over
his head and tries to convince him to sign the treaty through seduction. Later in scene 5 line 2,
Koryphaois remarks “How oddly they’re walking!” in reference to the Spartan men and their in
their frustrated state, wearing phallic undergarments to emphasize their sexual organs. The
phallic symbol is an ever present symbol of the men’s frustration with their wives withholding
sex and the manipulative power that the women have over the men.
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Another potent symbol in Lysistrata is the bowl of wine that the women swear their
sacred oath of celibacy, the wine is a representation of blood for a sacrifice to the Gods to seal
the deal. In scene 1 line 165 Lysistrata invokes, “O Goddess of Persuasion! And thou, O Loving
Cup: Look upon this our sacrifice, and be gracious!” This symbolic moment is the impetus for
the rest of the plot. The women swear away sex with their men in order to protest war in an effort
for them to tease them into a peace treaty, without this oath-the resolution to peace may never
come.
In scene 5 Lysistrata makes her final proposal to the men to make a vote for peace and
sign the treaty, behind her she has women bring in an enormous statue of a naked womanReconciliation. Lysistrata says in line 37, “Where is Reconciliation?” and then the statue is
brought out as she makes a plea for her case. The men are so sex starved they are paying more
attention to the statue than what she is saying, at this point they agree just for the sake of being
able to sleep with their wives again. The statue of Reconciliation is naked. She is exposed for
the sexual value but also is a representation of how vulnerable the women feel without the men
at home.
There are many images in this play that I feel adequately express the ideas supporting the
themes of seduction, deception, and manipulation. The first image is in the first scene where the
women are all at the center of Athens in the altar to Athena. Lysistrata tells the women of her
plan. It is well thought out that the women should be standing by the altar to Athena, because
Athena is the Greek Goddess of knowledge and war stratagem. The women are in a way waging
war against their own husbands, for peace in all of Greece. The women are also making an oath
to celibacy at the footsteps to the altar of a virgin goddess. I felt that this setting helps with
setting the mood for the rest of the play.
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An image that communicates the intentions of the women would be in scene 3, when
Myrrhine is teasing her husband, seducing him into the idea of signing the peace treaty. She
keeps finding excuses to delay the encounter, like finding a bed. In line 67, Myrrhine says “I’ll
go find a bed” and her husband says for her not to bother but before he can finish his thought,
she is already off looking for something to lie on. This scene is a great example of the influence
the women have and the tricky ways they try to avoid sex and keep to their oath. The women are
determined to save Greece.
In Lysistrata there are several references to ritualized purification baths. I feel that this is
a strong image for the women since they are trying t remain pure to their ideals for peace. They
make this oath at the altar to Athena, a virginal goddess who is known for her purity and
devotion to herself and her warrior prowess. In scene 2 line 51 Lysistrata commands, “you can’t
leave the place before your purification” as she is trying to shut down one of the women from
leaving to go to her husband. Myrrhine also mentions to her husband that she cannot leave
without being purified first. There is a sense of ritual and tradition, respect to the oath that they
have taken and devotion to their path that shines true with this image.
A commonly found motif of Lysistrata would be sexuality. In scene 1 the women are
talking about taking the oath to save Greece and they are very upset by the thought of being
celibate, Kalonike says in line 107, “Lysistrata, no! I’d walk through fire for you—you know I
would!—but don’t ask us to give up that! Why there’s nothing like it!” There is an air of sexual
tension by the men and women throughout the play. It is especially apparent in the seduction of
Kinesias, scene 3 line 55 Kineseas pleads “And our debt to Aphrodite?” in reference to the debt
they owe as a married couple in love to be sexually active. It is this tension and frustration that
allows for the men to finally come together to make a peace treaty. When Lysistrata has the
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statue of Reconciliation behind her the men are more focused on the statue than her speech and
are talking about the speech in a way that is comically also talking about the naked woman
statue, in scene 5 line 75 An Athenian says “Certainly has it’s points”, the men are making
vulgar remarks about the statue. With only sex on their minds, the men eagerly work things out
between them so that they can get to their wives afterwards.
Another motif would be the idea of the battle of the sexes for power. This idea is first
introduced when Lysistrata is talking to the Commissioner in scene 1 line 153 “And so we
women decided to rescue Greece.” Lysistrata and the women agreed that war is now a women’s
affair and she is asserting herself to the Commissioner, saying that if they don’t listen now they
will just have to listen later. The Commissioner is off-put by this notion of women taking charge
and says in line 154 “You expect me to take orders from a woman? I’d die first!” This sparks
some tension throughout the rest of the play between the Commissioner and Lysistrata. Later, in
the moment between Myrrhine and Kinesias, Kinesias tries to get Myrrhine to break her oath and
says in scene 3 line 64 Kinesias, “Leave the oath to me. After all, I’m the man.” There is a clear
sense of a power struggle throughout the entire play between the sexes, that moment exemplifies
it well because at that moment Myrrhine starts teasing him and taking control of the situation.
Ultimately, the women get the peace treaty and the men get the women, leading back into the
sexuality motif.
Another motif is the idea of peace and war; the women want peace because their
husbands are always away at war. They wage war against the men in a battle of the sexes for
power to keep the peace, using sexuality as a means of manipulation. This is true especially in
the moment between Lysistrata and the Commissioner, Kalonike says to the Commissioner in
scene 1 line 160, “War is a woman’s affair!” Also at the end of the play before the Exodus, there
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is a moment where the men are starting to argue but Lysistrata shuts them down with the
entrance of the statue of Reconciliation. It’s this realization that all they really want are the
women that they lust after, that helps them sign the treaty to end the war.
Historical Background Information
There are so many historical moments, and reasons why plays back in the Greek period
were written, and we may never fully know the “facts” of why. But when we are lucky enough
to find the facts, it makes so much more sense of why something was written. According to The
Bedford Introduction to DRAMA, “At the time Lysistrata was written, in 411 B.C. by
Aristophanes, Athens had suffered a steady diet of war for more than twenty years. Since
Lysistra literally translates to “Disband the army”, according the Bedford Introduction to Drama,
it fits the heroine character very nicely, and we see just how bravely she does in the end, disband
the army and get everyone to join together in peace. In the play, on pg. 159 line 88 Lysistrata
says,” From the very day the war began- those Milesians! I could skin them alive! –I’ve not seen
so much, even, as one of those leather consolation prizes.- But there! What’s Important is: If I’ve
found a way to end the war, are you with me?” That particular moment is where Lysistrata set
the whole background for the play and introduced the start to a war against men to stop the war
effort.
“The most remarkable of Aristophanes comedies are those in which the main characters,
the heroes of the story as it were, are women, who use their wits and their solidarity with one
another to compel the men of Athens to overthrow basic policies of the city state.” According to
An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander. When I read this quote, it
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immediately made a light bulb go off in my head because before I looked into the research, I
really had no idea why there was such a strong female background to this story. But once that
quote came into my view, I got a better understanding of what Aristophanes was trying to do
while writing this play. He made Lysistrata into this all powerful being who had gained control
over the whole male species. On About.com, I found a passage that spoke to me even more,
“This is fantasy, of course, and was even more improbable at a time when women didn't have the
vote and men had ample opportunities to whet their sexual appetites elsewhere.” I of course
know this play was a work of fiction that was supposed to be written as an “Old Comedy”, but it
put such an interesting twist on what could happen to make the men stop fighting with each other
and just be at peace.
I thoroughly enjoyed this play and looking into the background for it. As provocative
and funny as this play was, I think the message Aristophanes was trying to get across was very
clear. He wanted the war to end in Athens because everyone was tired of fighting with each
other for over 20 years. In today’s world, a work like this isn’t fiction because we do have female
fighters in our military, and if the women from ancient Greece could see the women now, I’m
sure without a doubt, that they would be proud…especially Lysistrata!
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Bibliography
Gill, N. S. "Aristophanes Lysistrata." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d.
Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
Jacobus, Lee A. The Bedford Introduction to Drama. Boston, Mass. [u.a: Bedford/St. Martin's,
2013. Print.
Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander.
The Peloponnesian War and Athenian Life, Social and Cultural Life at Athens in War
Time, The Lysistrata of Aristophanes. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.