Lysistrata
Interplay between the Battle of the Sexes and the Peloponnesian War During the Greek civil war, Aristophanes wrote the comedy Lysistrata which, behind its Battle-of-the-Sexes plotline, critiques the war between the Spartans and Athenians. Like Confucius who used the private family to dictate how a king should govern his country, Aristophanes used the private disputes between husband and wife to reflect the causes and effects of the Peloponnesian war. Suspicion and distrust - responsible for arguments between husband and wife - also instigated the war between the Athenians and Spartans. Likewise, where home disputes cause emptiness and disorder in the house while leaving the children uncared for, the Peloponnesian war created loneliness and chaos within the city leaving Greece open to enemy attack. In the beginning, the text hints at the possibility that Aristophanes is comparing the two battles by comparing Kleonike putting on her "armor" to a man gearing up for battle. As Kleonike "squeezes into that darling negligee" (pg 19), the man is drawing out his sword for battle; and when she is adorning her kimono, he is putting on his shield. Like a man drawing upon his ultimate weapon, the sword, Kleonike dr
As Aristophanes indicates, during the Pan-Hellenic period, Sparta and Athens were like "true blood brothers" taking care of Greece and establishing altars. (pg 83) Athens' marketplace is in a similar situation. Instead of chickens and rotting furniture, men are carrying soup home in their helmets and another man is paying nothing for ripe figs by threatening the salesclerk. " (pg 94) Their former distrust shows the extent of paranoia and distrusts the men experience, where even the simple act of giving the men shirts is looked upon as a possible threat. Through these parallels, Aristophanes reflects the causes of the wars, the most prominent, being suspicion. These problems are reflected in the Lysistrata and with the Lysistrata, readers can experience the raw power of war and its ill effects on its inhabitants. Like a family, Sparta and Athens are the caretakers of Greece and her protectors. " (pg 66) As the men mistaken the motive behind the women's capture of the Acropolis, the Athenians' misunderstand the Spartans. Instead of the soldier providing comfort and safety, he adds to the corruption by threatening the woman to attain her figs for free. Furthermore, like the furniture going to hell, morality in Athens is also heading down a similar path, with a woman being "robbed" in broad daylight. Similarly, this is seen when the men mistaken the women for capturing the Acropolis for evil purposes. Thus, Aristophanes parallels a woman steeling herself to fight in the battle of the sexes to a man preparing to fight in the Peloponnesian War. To restore peace, the women captured the Acropolis yet the men thought that the women intended to steal the money. Like Myhrrine's absence creating a hollow emptiness in the household, the Greek war left many women lonely at night. If the Athenians trusted the Spartans initially then they would not have had suspicions and if the men believed in their women, they would not have suspected the women of working against them.
Common topics in this essay:
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Spartans Athenian,
Spartans Athenians,
Spartans Likewise,
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Lampito Athenian,
Athenians Spartans,
Kleomenes Spartan,
Lysistrata Lysistrata,
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athenians misunderstand lifestyles,
propaganda spartans,
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spartans athenians misunderstand,
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