Essay on Role of Rulers in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata and Shaw’s Saint Joan

A successful monarchy relies upon a stable leader who is concerned with the satisfaction of those he rules over. Henry Bolingbroke the IV in Shakespeare's Henry the IV Part I follows a trend set by his predecessor in Richard II of self-indulgence and neglect of his kingdom. These leaders worry about the possibility of losing their kingdom or their soldiers to other nobles who were also concerned more with obtaining a higher position rather than governing. The king must also be wary of his own life, something that was once revered and guarded closely by other nobles. Wars once fought for gaining or protecting land are overshadowed by personal battles fighting for the position of king.

Peace and Harmony is the central theme in the play. Lysistrata is out to end the prolonged war. After consideration on how to accomplish her wishes, and idea finally arises. Lysistrata holds a meeting with all the women to become rebellious and refuse to have sexual relations with the men. During this meeting between all the women, Lysistrata states, “From now on, no more penises for you” (Line 124). The women first do not know how to react as they have not seen their husbands in months. However,

Lysistrata is shown to be a very clever and cunning woman as she is able to use emotive language in order to persuade the women into listening to her

In a monarchical society, the leaders had no trust in the people whatsoever so they would take charge. The king was as the people’s father and was over weak and dependent children. As a father would do, he would restrain the people from taking over the country and obeying his commands in the government. Wood explains in his quote how monarchy would only let people say so much, “...monarchies, based on the presumption that human beings were corrupt, had persisted almost everywhere for centuries because they offered security and order. ”(Wood, 93)

However, the government and the women in the Lysistrata are not completely without reason. Lysistrata makes a convincing argument to the magistrate about why women should run the government, where she compares government to household chores (Aristophanes 160-163). The way Lysistrata wishes to run the government is not unreasonable, only when combined with the tone of the play does it become more ridiculous. She uses physical desire in a reasoned way to achieve peace, and therefore the Lysistrata does not completely disregard the place of reason in

Lysistrata takes the position of leader in her relationships with other women; she encourages her followers to fight for the betterment of their polis; thus, she

Aristophanes, one very well-known Greek playwright, and Jane Austen, a clever novelist, both engage in expressing their ideas about the power of women through Lysistrata and Lady Susan. Both Aristophanes and Lady Susan use an intelligent female character to portray how women can manipulate men for better or possibly for worse. Lysistrata uses her powers of seduction to end a war that has been going on for years. Lady Susan uses her powers of seduction to obtain wealth without working a day in her life. In both Lysistrata and Lady Susan the main characters manipulate others and each author has a different argument to enhance their ideas.

In Robert Fagles’ introduction to Aeschylus’s tragedy Agamemnon, he calls Clytemnestra a “female Odysseus” who “has the right of retaliation on her side.” Fagles’ comments on Clytemnestra’s actions and comparison of her to Odysseus can be justified. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen as a very masculine authority figure whose character is defined by his strength, courage, and confidence. His most distinguishing trait, however, is his sharp intellect, which helps him out of some very tough situations he finds himself in throughout the epic. Similarly in Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is portrayed as a strong, independent, and quick-witted character who defies every convention of the female gender role. Within the beginning of the tragedy, the watchman and the chorus describe Clytemnestra as, although being just a woman, a man in strength of purpose. This provides a clear distinction between gender roles but also presents Clytemnestra as having ‘manly’ qualities. One such being her dominant leadership, a trait shared by Odysseus too, during her husband’s absence. Fagles’ notion of Clytemnestra having “the right

Kingship is beneficial because it is the rule of one person. Aquinas states that the correct and most useful way to carry out an objective is "when it is lead to its appropriate end" (15). The incorrect way would be the opposite--to lead something to an inappropriate end, or not to lead it to an end at all. In light

People in similar circumstances may react in totally different ways, leading to different outcomes. While the main characters in both stories are from the same economic class, Lysistrata and Nora deal with their problem differently. The protagonist Nora Torvald from “A Doll’s House”, a new comedic play, lives semi-wealthy life compared to the other female characters but leads a difficult life because of society has dictated her role as Torvalds’s marriage partner. Lysistrata from Aristophanes play struggles against the women’s part in the Peloponnesian War but fights against concepts of their society. The similarities and differences in both stories can be seen through these issues: the sacrificial role of women and the personality of both protagonists.

“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

Lysistrata is a play written by a man named Aristophanes around 400 B.C.E. in Athens Greece. Aristophanes, a contemporary of the Greek philosopher Socrates, was the last and greatest of the Old Attic comedians. He wrote many plays, however, only eleven of his plays have survived until today. Lysistrata, being one of these plays, is a is an extremely bawdy anti-war fantasy. Aristophanes wrote this play during a time when Athens was undergoing a crisis with its social attitudes. Therefor, this comedy shows sympathy and longing for the return of peace. Lysistrata is all about the women of Athens and Sparta, led by a woman named Lysistrata, coming together and trying to force the men at war against each other to return to peace by

In nearly every conflict between man and woman portrayed in Lysistrata, the women emerge victorious. This is especially significant since women can assert themselves and impose their will on man. Traditionally, men are the ones who possess this behavior and force women to be at their ever will. Yet, there are many instances in this play when these roles are opposite occurring, which is further evidence that Aristophanes has switched the characteristics of the genders. One instance from the text is when the men and women choruses are speaking to each other at the Acropolis. “All you fellow citizens, we’ll start to give the city good advice and rightly, since it raised us splendidly… I was born a woman, but don’t hold that against me if I introduce a plan to make our present situation better. For I make contributions to the state—I give birth to men. You miserable old farts, you contribute nothing! (Aristophanes 42-43). Furthermore, this quote portrays the control taken by the women when they take the Acropolis and fend of the chorus of old

The role of a king is to be Kingly. In doing such he must be influential and have personal integrity, be calm and balanced, be able to protect and maintain order, be hard working and energetic, bless and acknowledging the efforts of other people, to teach and deliver his wisdom, to show no fear in the face of adversity, and to be well spoken and deliver speeches.

Throughout class one of the major themes has been what qualities make the best possible ruler. Two of my favorite philosophers, Plato and Machiavelli, although very different both attempt to give an answer of what makes a good ruler. Plato’s Philosopher King and Machiavelli’s Prince share their similarities and differences, but in the end Machiavelli paints a more realistic picture of a ruler which makes his prince more favorable.