Aristophanes Comedic Anti-War Play Lysistrata

Aristophanes’ comedic anti-war play, Lysistrata, manipulates gender politics in order to ultimately promote the notion of peace. It is not through feminist ideals, but rather the the exploitation of gender and exploration of gender politics in which the comedy is able to present a political argument against war. In order to demonstrate the politically resonating stance that Aristophanes retains, this paper will outline the facets of the play which clearly validate such stance through the manipulation of gender politics. Such exploitations include the satirical female representation, Lysistrata’s masculine embodiment of peace, the neglect of the polis, the anti-patriarchal and anti-war stratagems as well as the desired and final result of the strike.
Whilst often seen through modern interpretations as a feminist drama, such a notion of feminism emerged in the mid-twentieth century and therefore does not aptly appropriate Athenian culture. The twentieth century notion of feminism encompasses the central belief that the sexes should have “political, economic
First performed in 411BCE, twenty years into the Peloponnesian war, the comedy provides a clear political argument opposing war as it illuminates Athens' growing weakness (Kotini, Vassiliki, and كوتيني ڨاسيليكي 134). The men, as commanders of “women’s bodies, the home, and the state” (Worthen 79), are fighting at war and thus neglect Athens’ city state, or polis (Ehrenberg 147). Aristophanes illustrates such vulnerability of Athens as women, whose power was “restricted to the sphere of the oikos” (Worthen 79), become responsible for the polis and uphold it. This is exemplified through Lysistrata's statement, “now it’s we [the women] who must decide affairs of state”