Lysistrata Analysis

The story, Lysistrata by Aristophanes has been a major influence on many literatures because of the ludicrous comedy and ton of sex puns. The movie, Chi-Raq used many elements from the original play to create a modern version of the story. Even though both stories were created in different ways, there are also similar because of the many references that were still original content. There are many interesting similarities that are different in both works. One of the similar elements in both the playwright and story was the war. The Peloponnesian war in the play was between the Trojan and Spartans in the era of Greece. In Chi-Raq, the setting of the movie resides in a neighborhood in Chicago, which has a lot of street gang violence that references the Ancient Greek War between Trojans and Spartans. This was a clever way to make the Lysistrata historical references similar, yet unique. It relates to a war, but in a more domestic point of view, like neighborhood vs. neighborhood within a part of town. Another similarity between
both works is the character, Lysistrata. Even though both characters have different ethnicities, their personality still remained the same; diplomatic, attractive, charismatic and fearless. In the play and film, she was portrayed as the leader of the sex boycott, but the way the boycott was started was in different ways. Comedy has remained the main genre of both works, but could also be towards a different core audience.
The playwright was towards more readers who might also be intrigued by the history of Greece and the Peloponnesian war. Sex puns were part of what made Lysistrata hilarious and an unforgettable play to read, which were also referred in the movie. Vulgar and profanity language was one way to make the play more entertaining and funny. Even though all audiences could enjoy the film, it could be more appreciated by movie lovers and black comedy. With recognized big actors like Angela Bassett, Nick Cannon, Samuel Jackson, it makes the film more likely a Black Film, which is different from the Lysistrata play. Just using these actors in a referred play still keeps the originality without plagiarizing the work, overall. This is a creative way to interpret an old comedic literature without completely redoing something that has already been
done. Both masterpiece works not only had different ways of portraying the story, but also kept the same theme. What I found most interesting about the play was the Peloponnesian war reference. Both gangs quarreling with each other in the film was the main thing that intrigued me. Lysistrata was portrayed as a powerful female leader in the play and movie, yet different features and time period. The comedy was still the main focus, implying vulgar elements such as sex humor.