Introduction to Western Literature
Review 3
Lysistrata
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by Aristophanes
A chorus member tries to fool
Lysistrata
Lysistrata
1. Author: Aristophanes (c. 448380 B.C.)
 2. The background of the play:
Lysistrata - Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
 3. Plot summary: Lysistrata
 4. Theme: anti-war
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Lysistrata
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5. Characters:
Lysistrata (meaning dissolving armies): a
director of the action in the play; also separated
from the action of the play and the other women
of the play because she does not participate in
either the sex strike or the seizure of the
Akropolis; showing no sexual desire, no obvious
lovers or husbands, no flirting with men (that’s
why she gain respect from the male character in
the play); smarter, having more wit and more
serious tone than the others (this contributing to
her ability as a leader of Greece;
Lysistrata
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Lysistrata: therefore, however put,
the idea that women could end a
war was probably very silly and
ridiculous to the Greek audience
member; nevertheless Lysistrata’s
rejection of the stereotypical
domestic female allows her to take
the stage and achieve a real political
voice in a male-dominating state
Aeneid
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By Virgil
AENEAS AND ANCHISES
Aeneid
1. The author:Virgil and The
Aeneid
 2. Background: The Aeneid
 3. Plot summary: Plot Overview
 4. Theme: the primacy of Fate; the
sufferings of Wanderers (lost of
identity); the glory of Rome
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Aeneid
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5. Character:
Aeneas: respect Fate (pious Aeneas);
compassion for the sufferings;
committing to obey fate rather than
indulge his feelings of genuine romantic
love (personal desire v.s. civil obligation);
a figure of order and control
Dido: a figure of passion and volatility;
representing the sacrifice Aeneas makes
to pursue his duty; through Dido, Virgil
affirms order, duty, and history at the
expense of romantic love
Beowulf
 1. The author and background:
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About Beowulf
2. The story: Short Summary
3. Theme: the importance of
establishing identity (in terms of
ancestral heritage and individual
reputation); tensions between the
heroic code (valuing strength, courage,
and loyalty in warriors; hospitality,
generosity, and political skill in kings;
ceremoniousness in women; and good
reputation in all people; retaliating
rather than mourning) and other value
systems (medieval Christianity);
Beowulf
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the differences between a good warrior
and a good king:
A good warrior: desiring personal glory
A good king: seeking protection for his
people
Beowulf’s final battle with the dragon:
rehashing the dichotomy between the
duties of a heroic warrior and those of a
heroic king
Beowulf
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4. Character:
Beowulf:
1. Young Beowulf: an unfettered warrior (a
figure of strength, courage, loyalty, courtesy,
and pride)
2. Old Beowulf: a reliable king, comporting
himself as both a warrior and a king
3. In the final episode—the encounter with the
dragon—the poet reflects further on how the
responsibilities of a king, who must act for the
good of the people and not just for his own glory,
differ from those of the heroic warrior. In light of
these meditations, Beowulf’s moral status
Beowulf
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Grendel:
1. A member of “Cain’s clan”, epitomizing
resentment and malice; an outcast
2. Though having many animal attributes and a
grotesque, monstrous appearance, Grendel
seems to be guided by vaguely human emotions
and impulses, and he shows more of an interior
life than one might expect
3. Behind Grendel’s aggression against the
Danes lies loneliness and jealousy.
Beowulf
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Wiglaf:
1. A reflection of the young Beowulf—a
warrior who is strong, fearless, valiant,
and loyal.
2. Representing the next generation of
heroism and the future of the kingdom.
His bravery and solid bearing provide the
single glint of optimism in the final part of
the story, which, for the most part, is
dominated by a tone of despair at what
the future holds.
Just for fun: Illustrated Beowulf
The divine comedy
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1. The author:Dante's Bio
2. Inferno: inferno; Digital Dante: inferno
3. Purgatory: G:\purgatory.bmp; Digital
Dante
##Dante1.bmp
4. Paradise:G:\paradise.gif; Digital Dante
5. Theme and character: SparkNotes:
Inferno
Dante and Beatrice
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Assignment 3
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1. The name of Lysistrata means “releaser of
war,” which typifies the aristophanic tendency for
an “outsider” hero who indicates his or her
function. Interestingly, there was an important
priestess in Athens at that time whose name,
Lysimache, meant “releaser of the battle.”
However, it is impossible to say this significance
of this possible coincidence. Think about the
character of Lysistrata and how the audience
might have viewed her. What figure in
mythology or tragedy does she most resemble?
Assignment 3
2. How negatively does Aeneas’s
abandonment of Dido reflect on his
character?
 3. What role does religion play in
Beowulf?
 4. In what sense is the Divine
Comedy an epic?
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