Women In The Play Lysistrata By Aristophanes

In the play, Lysistrata, the women of Athens learn of Lysistrata’s plan to withhold sex in an effort to bring her husband back from war. The Athenian women decide to unite and implement Lysistrata’s plan in an effort to regain their own husbands and sons. In Aristophanes’ work he demonstrates his view of women as being cunning and resourceful beings yet at the same time comedic without even trying: The women make meeting to conspire plans, the women make themselves luscious to attract the males of the community, and the women work together as one to achieve a common goal. The Athenian women are seen by the males of the Greek society as stay at home mothers: cooking, cleaning, and offering sex. The stay at home mother is not considered to possess the
As the Lysistrata stated, “All our husbands think we are such clever villains.” (Lysistrata, 141). Although this is stated before their plan, I think it also can be seen after the plan is hatched. The men definitely thought this due to the women chose to create outfits that showed off all their best assets, which would attract their men and make them adhere to their demands to come home from battle and quit fighting. Furthermore, the ladies learn to work together for a unified solution: to have their men home. In the story of Lysistrata, the women organize private meetings about the men to help to figure out what one should do in a situation like their own. Together the women organize and cultivate their ideas to eventually receive what they were aiming for: their men back. To conclude, Aristophanes gives the reader a glimpse of what the gender roles were like in ancient Greek civilization. Showing the women being