What does Lysistrata stand for?
Lysistrata ( / laɪˈsɪstrətə / or / ˌlɪsəˈstrɑːtə /; Attic Greek: Λυσιστράτη, Lysistrátē, "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC.
When did Aristophanes write Lysistrata?
Before the Propylaea, or gateway to the Acropolis of Athens, 411 BC. Lysistrata (/laɪˈsɪstrətə/ or /ˌlɪsəˈstrɑːtə/; Attic Greek: Λυσιστράτη, Lysistrátē, "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC.
What happens at the end of Lysistrata?
The play ends with Athenians and Spartans singing songs to each other in praise of past joint victories and future harmonious relations. Lysistrata was first performed in 411 BC, the year when another of Aristophanes’ plays, Women at the Thesmophoria, was also produced.
Who is Lysistrata in the Iliad?
Character List Lysistrata - Lysistrata is an Athenian woman who is sick and tired of war and the treatment of women in Athens. Lysistrata gathers the women of Sparta and Athens together to solve these social ills and finds success and power in her quest.
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Who is Lysistrata in Lysistrata?
CaloniceMyrrhineLampitoLysistrataStratyllisCinesiasLysistrata/Characters
Is Lysistrata female?
Lysistrata is both the stereotypical woman and something new. She is an important character because out of all the Greek plays we read, she is the only female cast as the comic hero.
What year is Lysistrata set in?
411 BCEAthens, 411 BCE He was the John Oliver of his time. In fact, the play takes place in the same year that it was first performed: 411 BCE.
Is Lysistrata a real story?
While Aristophanes' play Lysistrata is intended as a farcical comedy, it was written only a year after a disastrous attempt on Athen's part to defeat Sparta's allies in Sicily during the Peloponnesian War.
What does word Lysistrata mean?
Lysistrata (/laɪˈsɪstrətə/ or /ˌlɪsəˈstrɑːtə/; Attic Greek: Λυσιστράτη, Lysistrátē, "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC.
How long is Lysistrata?
Product detailsListening Length1 hour and 5 minutesLanguageEnglishASINB07G2VGB2PBest Sellers Rank#167,276 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #83 in Ancient, Classical & Medieval Drama #151 in Ancient, Classical & Medieval Collections #472 in Ancient & Classical Dramas & Plays7 more rows
When was Lysistrata written?
411 BCLysistrata / Date writtenLysistrata was the third and final of the peace plays written by the great Greek comic playwright Aristophanes (c. 445 - c. 386 BCE). Shown in 411 BCE at the Lenaea festival in Athens, it was written during the final years of the war between Athens and Sparta.
How did Lysistrata end?
After both sides agree, Lysistrata gives the women back to the men and a great celebration ensues. The play ends with a song sung in unison by the Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women while everyone dances.
Is Lysistrata new or old comedy?
Lysistrata is a stage play classified as old comedy. Aristophanes completed it in 411 B.C., during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.
Is Lysistrata married?
Lysistrata is not married, is seemingly less susceptible to erotic desire than the other Athenian women, and wisely works for Peace by masterfully manipulating the men around her.
Is Lysistrata a tragedy?
This is true of tragedy as well as comedy. But Athenian comedy is in many ways a far more physical medium than tragedy. Even when we are reading, we need always to bear in mind the staging invited by the text. Lysistrata is a wonderful play for the stage.
What is the message of Lysistrata?
The themes of an ancient play Lysistrata by Aristophanes can be described as follows namely under the topics of War and peace, Sex and Disobedience. One of the most striking themes of Lysistrata is disobedience of the women to the men. Women were expected to follow whatever they were told to do or instructed to do.
What is the meaning of the play Lysistrata?
386 BCE). Shown in 411 BCE at the Lenaea festival in Athens, it was written during the final years of the war between Athens and Sparta. The play is essentially a dream about peace. Many Greeks believed the war was bringing nothing but ruin to Greece, making it susceptible to Persian attack. So, in Aristophanes' play, the wives and mothers of the warring cities, led by the Athenian Lysistrata, came together with an ingenious solution. In order to force peace, the women decided to go on strike. This was not a typical work stoppage. Instead, there was to be no romantic relations of any kind with their husbands. Further, by occupying the Acropolis, home of the Athenian treasury, the women controlled access to the money necessary to finance the war. Together with the withholding of sex, both sides would soon be begging for peace.
What is the conclusion of Lysistrata?
Conclusion. Lysistrata is a play about peace. As with many of Aristophanes' plays, he used his characters to act as his voice. He detested the war and the effect it had on his beloved Athens. Since the war ended shortly after the play was produced, this became his third and final plea for peace.
Where does the play Lysistrata open?
The play opens outside the Athenian homes of Lysistrata and her friend Calonice; one can see the Acropolis in the background. Lysistrata is obviously very anxious, looking right and left, waiting for the arrival of her friends:
How many plays did Aristophanes write?
As the author of at least forty plays, only eleven of which have survived, Aristophanes is considered by many to be the greatest poet of Greek comedy. Unfortunately, his works are the only examples to remain intact. By the time Aristophanes began to write, Greek theatre was in serious decline. However, much of the presentation of drama remained the same. There was the usual chorus of 24 as well as three actors who wore grotesque masks and costumes.
Why did Aristophanes strike in Lysistrata?
In Lysistrata, the women of both Athens and Sparta go on strike to force the men to stop the war and make peace. Through the outspoken hero of the play, Lysistrata, Aristophanes is provided an avenue for his anti-war views.
Who was Aristophanes' critic?
He was an outspoken critic of both the philosopher Socrates and his fellow playwright Euripides.
Why did the wives and mothers of the warring cities go on strike?
In order to force peace, the women decided to go on strike.
What is the principal image of Lysistrata?
Some of the names of the characters are probably meant as double entendres, and the principal image of the comedy is the erect male phallus, little used in other plays by Aristophanes but worn by almost all male characters in Lysistrata.
What does Lysistrata mean?
Lysistrata means “She who breaks up armies” and Lysimacha “She who breaks up battles.”.
What is the name of the play Aristophanes produced in 411 BC?
In the former, Lysistrata resembles the other play Aristophanes produced in 411 BC, Women at the Thesmophoria, and the penultimate of his surviving comedies, Assemblywomen; in the latter, it is the third and last of Aristophanes’ peace plays, coming after The Acharnians and Peace. Unsurprisingly, Lysistrata is dominated by sexual imagery.
What does Lysistrata say about the Spartans and Athenians?
During the peace talks, Lysistrata reminds the Spartans and the Athenians that they have a past history of cooperation and advises them to remain friends forevermore.
When was Lysistrata written?
First performed in 411 BC (probably) at the Lenaea, Lysistrata is one of Aristophanes’ best-known comedies, primarily because of its modern adaptations as a feminist play. Written just two years after the disastrous failure of the Sicilian Expedition, the play follows an interesting attempt of the Athenian women ...
What dialect is Lysistrata in?
Related to this issue is the fact that our script of the play contains large portions of text spoken or sung in Spartan dialect (or, more precisely, Aristophanes’ representation of it), making Lysistrata, together with the archaic poet Alcman, the main literary source for this dialect otherwise only known from inscriptions.”.
When was Lysistrata first performed?
Lysistrata was first performed in 411 BC, the year when another of Aristophanes’ plays, Women at the Thesmophoria, was also produced. The festival is not known for either, but, as Martin Revermann writes, “topical references in the play and our knowledge, from Thucydides, about the situation in Athens in early 411 lead most recent scholars ...
What is the plot of Lysistrata?
The basic plot of Lysistrata is that the women barricade themselves in the acropolis and go on a sex strike to persuade their husbands to stop the Peloponnesian War .
What does Lysistrata do to make the peace?
Lysistrata Makes the Peace. After a while , the women grow weak with unsatisfied libido. Some claim they need to get home "to their chores," although one is caught trying to escape to a brothel. Lysistrata assures the other women it won't be long; their husbands are in worse shape than they are.
What does Lysistrata tell the Athenian men about the Acropolis?
When they express concern that the Spartans will destroy their city, Lysistrata assures them that women are all they need for defense.
Who acts as a go-between between Sparta and Athens?
Then a Spartan herald arrives to make a treaty. He, too, is very plainly suffering the priapism rampant among Athenian men. Lysistrata acts as go-between Sparta and Athens.
Why did Lysistrata stop him?
Lysistrata, however, stopped him and spent the money to send in the water herself, as she realized that her own tribute no longer had any chance of winning and wanted to leave a chance that if her tribute didn't win, the other tribute from District 12 would.
Who was Lysistrata Vickers?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Lysistrata Vickers was a female resident of the Capitol and a student of the Academy. She was one of 24 top-performing seniors at the Academy selected to be a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games. She was assigned the male tribute from District 12, Jessup Diggs .
Why did Jessup lift Lysistrata over his head?
For the interviews, Jessup lifted Lysistrata over his head to display his immense strength. Lysistrata also whispered to Snow to confess that she felt rather attached to Jessup after he saved her life while arranging the wrapper for baked noodles and cheese, presumably to give to Jessup.
Why is Lysistrata angry at Snow?
However afterwards as they settled down, Lysistrata confessed that she was angry only due to her frustration for the Games, having lost sleep over it the night before. She also revealed that she believed that the celebration of the games was revolting. Lysistrata expressed that she didn't like being used like this and would rather have the games over quickly.
What color nails did Lysistrata have?
From her carefully braided hair to her evenly filed nails to the crisp, white cuffs of her uniform blouse setting off her smooth, brown skin.". Lysistrata had carefully braided hair and evenly filed nails, contributing to her generally neat appearance. She also had smooth, brown skin.
Did Lysistrata survive the Capitol bombing?
After the Capitol Arena was bombed, Lysistrata luckily managed to survive supposedly only with minor injuries, as after the bombing she talked to a reporter to make a quick statement that her tribute, Jessup threw his own body over hers to protect her.
When did Aristophanes live?
Lysistrata: Context | SparkNotes. Aristophanes's plays range from 427 to 387 BCE. Aristophanes lived in the time of Socrates and Thucydides and was a generation behind Sophocles and Euripides. Plato lived a generation after Aristophanes.
How many plays did Aristophanes write?
Aristophanes put on at least forty plays, eleven of which have survived to modern times. Evidence of other plays by Aristophanes is seen in papyrus fragments and references to unknown works by writers of his time. Plays in the time of Aristophanes were put on at two festivals, in the City Dionysia and the Lenaea.
What year did Sparta break the truce?
The Spartans determined that the Athenians had broken the truce and decided to war against Athens. The truce between the two countries was openly broken in 431 BCE, in the 15th year of the truce between Sparta and Athens. Sparta's strength was in land and Athens strength was in funds.
Did Lysistrata have female actors?
There were no female actors in this time and men played both sexes. Males often wore large artificial genitals on their costumes to heighten their masculinity. To specifically gain an understanding of Lysistrata, one must also have some knowledge of the Peloponnesian War at the time of Aristophanes.
Who is the neighbor of Lysistrata?
Kleonike . Kleonike is the next-door neighbor of Lysistrata and is the first to show up at Lysistrata's meeting of women. Kleonike embraces her feminine side and is delighted that Lysistrata's scheme for peace involves garments like negligees.
Why did Lysistrata gather the women of Sparta and Athens together?
Lysistrata gathers the women of Sparta and Athens together to solve these social ills and finds success and power in her quest. Lysistrata is the least feminine of the women from either Athens or Sparta, and her masculinity helps her gain respect among the men. Read an in-depth analysis of Lysistrata.
Who is Lampito in the Spartan mythology?
Lampito is representative of Spartan women. Lampito is a large, well-built woman who American audiences might imagine with a thick Appalachian accent (by Arrowsmith's translation, Sparta was the Greek equivalent of the stereotypically South). Lampito brings the Spartan women into Lysistrata's plan.
The Chorus of Old Women Quotes in Lysistrata
The Lysistrata quotes below are all either spoken by The Chorus of Old Women or refer to The Chorus of Old Women. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ).
The Chorus of Old Women Character Timeline in Lysistrata
The timeline below shows where the character The Chorus of Old Women appears in Lysistrata. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
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Date and Historical Background
Summary of Lysistrata
- Prologue
Lysistratabegins with a discussion between the main protagonist of the play and Calonice, a young Athenian woman. “Oh, Calonicé, my heart is on fire,” says Lysistrata, “and I blush for our sex. Men say we are tricky and sly… and yet, when I summon the other women to meet for a mat… - Parodos
The scene then shifts to the entrance of the Acropolis, where a group of old men, twelve in all, has gathered to burn down its gates unless the women inside open them. They intend to smoke the women out of the stronghold, but are met with some serious resistance. Armed with pots of wat…
A Brief Analysis
- Described as “one of Aristophanes’ most sophisticated comedies,” Lysistrata – as Alan Sommerstein says – has, essentially a triple plot. The main story is built around two separate schemes devised by Lysistrata: “the boycotting of sexual relations” and “the seizure by the Athenian women of the Acropolis, where the financial reserves of the state were kept.” These tw…
Sources
- There are a few translations of Lysistrata available online, both in verse and in prose; if you are a fan of the latter, you can read an anonymous translation for the Athenian Society edited by Eugene O'Neill, Jr. here. If, however, you prefer poetry, feel free to delve into Jack Lindsay’s verse adaptation here. See Also: Aristophanes, Women at the Thesmophoria, Assemblywomen, Peace