Firstly, in Lysistrata the male characters do not play a significant role, and rarely appear. But in the scenes that involves the male characters, they are either seen discussing political issues, or desperate for sex. For example: the scene of Myrrhine’s seduction. Cinesias is seen as desperate for sex as he is “stiff with desire”. The word stiff is used to describe Cinesias’s penis, which shows his sexual desires and how desperate he is for sex. This also shows that he is unable to control his sexual temptations, while Myrrhine is able to; further revealing that men were weak. The quote: “won’t you please come?” proves this as Cinesias is shown pleading for sex.
The men in TIOBE play a more dominant role in the play, although they do not fully reflect on the ideals of Victorian manhood. For example,