Women and Christianity: Lysistrata by Aristophanes Essay

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,

Women have played a major part in Christianity and are an example of the unevenness of women’s commitments to history. Women like Mary Magdalene were at the cross and the first at the vacant tomb. Conventional Christianity trusted that the announcements credited to St. Paul in I Timothy 2 that women were made second, sinned first, and ought to keep quiet. Women traditionalists accepted and acknowledged these lessons as genuine. Jesus' activities as indicated by the Bible reliably resonate his confidence in the fairness of women, and that woman could study, educate and lecture.

The women in Lysistrata are portrayed as strong and confident. This is seen in the form of the main character of the play, Lysistrata; who is the first one to propose the idea of withholding sex as a measure to stop the war. She demonstrates the qualities of a true leader as she has a well-planned strategy to get her way: “if we would compel our husbands to make peace, we must refrain”. At first this idea is instantly rejected by the women, but Lysistrata manages to convince them with her words of wisdom. This indicates how strong and perseverant Lysistrata is, and this is displayed by her idea of giving up sex. This is likely to be appreciated by the contemporary Greek audiences, as sex is described as the “most beautiful thing in the world” and Lysistrata is giving it up.

Lysistrata's whole plan to have a sex strike was clever. She caught the men by surprise as she played on their vulnerability. By requesting that the women use their attractiveness to make the males want them sexually, Lysistrata encourages the women to play to their stereotype and exploit the sexual, romanticized female. Myrrhine is used by Lysistrata to seduce her husband, Kinesias, who is left with his painful erection unsatisfied (pg763-765)

Lysistrata comes to the conclusion that the only way to save Athens from destruction in war comes with defiance of her husband. In her role of rebel within the family, Lysistrata decides to "...compel [her] husband to make peace" by withholding sex from him until he stops his disastrous warring behavior (Lysistrata, 7). She concludes, "...there are a thousand ways of tormenting [him]" that will lead to the ultimate safety of Athens (Lysistrata, 9). Unlike Antigone, Lysistrata realistically considers the possible consequences of her actions. She understands that the consequences of rebellion against her husband could be dire. Lysistrata recognizes that her husband might beat her or even rape her in order to get physical satisfaction, but she also realizes that her husband would, "...soon tire of the game there's no satisfaction for a man, unless a woman shares it" (Lysistrata, 9). Lysistrata acknowledges that defying her husband will have consequences, but she chooses to realistically face those possible consequences, and continues knowing that her actions will benefit Athens. Aristophanes' reveals that a woman's greatest allegiance lies with her polis through Lysistrata's role of rebel within her family to save Athens.

Pomeroy, S. B. (1995). Goddesses, whores, wives, and slaves: women in classical antiquity. New York: Schocken Books.

In the excerpt Lysistrata written by Aristophanes, a flock of women gather in order to listen to Lysistrata’s speech of how to stop the war and bring peace back to Greece. “So very dainty because that the salvation of all Greece is actually in the hands of women” (76). In order for peace to be restored the women must work together. Lysistrata makes them feel useful and powerful by these statements, but she also forms doubt in their minds. “But what can women

The role of women in ancient Greek life was insignificant compared to that of Greek men. A woman's job was to take care of the children and to cook and clean unless she had servants or slaves that would do it for her. Yet, in Greek mythology, women were often written as major characters. Well-known Greek plays contain many well-written, complex, female characters. Female individuals in Greek mythology were often seen as very powerful and fierce and were depicted by “her wits, her beauty, or her bad deeds.”

Since the beginning of time, women have always been looked down upon mentally. During the time period of The Odyssey and Lysistrata, women were known as less powerful gender. They have never had much say about what goes on around them. Some women were recognized as a sex symbol. In The Odyssey, some women were goddesses that just wanted sex and other women had to stay at home to help raise their kids and do all of the feminine work. Compared to The Odyssey, in Lysistrata, women denied sex against their men to get what they want. In addition, they did not have many political rights and a say so on what goes on in their country. In comparing both of these stories, women show similarities toward each other.

Aristophanes and Agathon were peers in Ancient Greece. Aristophanes was the master of comedy, and Agathon was the master of tragedy. They traveled in the same circles and are present in the same works. In looking through the comic lens at Agathon in Aristophanes’ Women at the Thesmophoria, the reader is presented with a portrayal of an effeminate man with a flair for the dramatic and a queenly attitude. Aristophanes’ Agathon is a comic character to be laughed at, a man that is more female than male. In looking at this view of Agathon, Greek views of homoeroticism are brought up and Agathon’s reputation and character in the world of Ancient Greece is brought into question. How much of

The Passion of St. Perpetua and Felicitas, as translated by H.R. Musurillo is the narrative of St. Perpetua’s martyrdom. During the period of time in which St. Perpetua was victimized in order to oppress her faith, medieval vita’s were of great use to coax people to follow Christianity. This first hand account of her own persecution follows Perpetua’s story from the time of her arrest, right up to her death. St. Perpetua herself used biblical symbols, and paradoxical phrases to set the tone of her account, to illustrate the righteousness of her martyrdom to her fellow Christians, and to prove that all of “God’s people will be preserved”, and therefore deserves more exploration.

The satirical comedy known as Lysistrata was written in 411 B.C.E. by Aristophanes, an Athenian who “held the leaders of his city-state responsible for starting the Peloponnesian War” (75). This raunchy play depicts a group of women from all over Greece who come together to try to force their husbands to make peace. The group is led by the main character and namesake of the play, Lysistrata, who suggests abstaining from “cock and balls,” that is to refuse to have sex with their lovers or husbands, as well as seizing the Acropolis to gain control of the finances of Athens (80-81). The passage ends with the women swearing an oath to carry out their plan and immediately moving on to start the process with the taking over the Citadel.

“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

In Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, the plot is during the middle of the Peloponnesian war. The title character Lysistrata, is a Athenian woman who has convened a meeting with the women whose husbands are off fighting in the war. Lysistrata arranges the meeting in order to propose a solution to ending the war which includes the women withholding sex from their husbands. Initially, the women don’t like the idea of her plan but soon come to agree with her after realizing that it may be the only way to get the men to stop fighting. All of the women then take an oath and swear off sex until a peace treaty is signed. Lysistrata also plans to attack and seize the nearby acropolis, which contains the Athenian treasury, in order to cut off funding to the war. When the chorus of women go to the acropolis, they are met by a chorus of men who have intentions of smoking the women out of it but the women meet them with buckets of water. After multiple altercations with different people in the men’s chorus, one of the women’s husbands shows up wanting to have sex with his wife and she plays along with him, giving him the impression that they’re going to have sex but then soon runs back to the acropolis with the other women. Upon their return, men from both the nearby cities as well as Sparta realize that they have something in common: their wives are all withholding sex from them and the conspiracy is international. Upon the realization of this, the men decide to declare peace with one another and the story concludes with large celebrations. A large portion of Aristophanes’ play relies heavily on the use of women and sex in comedic ways. Aristophanes uses women to satirically undermine the athenian government through the use of sexual comedy.

Despite the lower status of women, the plot of Lysistrata is mainly about all of the women coming together and being powerful enough to stop the men’s war. The women in Lysistrata know that the men love intimacy with them and they use that power by withholding pleasure from their men so as to stop the war, even though the women love sex as well: