Masculinity In Lysistrata
Lysistrata a classic greek comedy written by Aristophanes, who is considered to be the greatest representative of ancient Greek comedy and the one whose works have been preserved in greatest quantity. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, Lysistrata is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was the only thing they truly and deeply desired. Lysistrata, a middle-class Athenian housewife, plans a meeting between all of the women of Greece to discuss the plan to end the Peloponnesian War. This play is considered a classic and people still reenact this play in the 21st century. This is because many of the themes and moments of the play are relevant
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One of the most striking features about Lysistrata is the fact that the male characters are portrayed as bumbling, incompetent fools, in contrast to the play's powerful women. The sex-strike has the effect of turning man's most prized possession, the symbol of his, er, manhood, into a weapon against him. When all of the men in Greece are walking around in pain due to not being able to make love with their wives, many would say that it isn't a source of pride. A perfect example is when one of the husbands, Cinesia, speaks about his wife not listening to him by saying, “Ah! what a bad thing it is to let yourself be led away by other women! Why give me such pain and suffering, and yourself into the bargain?” (Aristophanes). In this way, the women knock the men down a few pegs and clear some space for their own voices to be heard. Each of these themes are relevant in present time. The idea of a strong and powerful female not being a stereotypical housewife is accepted a lot more now than in the past. Especially due to women now running fortune 500 companies and political offices. The themes of how people become power hungry is also relevant today in the political races most notably the Presidential Election with not only Donald Trump but also Hillary
One of the most striking features about Lysistrata is the fact that the male characters are portrayed as bumbling, incompetent fools, in contrast to the play's powerful women. The sex-strike has the effect of turning man's most prized possession, the symbol of his, er, manhood, into a weapon against him. When all of the men in Greece are walking around in pain due to not being able to make love with their wives, many would say that it isn't a source of pride. A perfect example is when one of the husbands, Cinesia, speaks about his wife not listening to him by saying, “Ah! what a bad thing it is to let yourself be led away by other women! Why give me such pain and suffering, and yourself into the bargain?” (Aristophanes). In this way, the women knock the men down a few pegs and clear some space for their own voices to be heard. Each of these themes are relevant in present time. The idea of a strong and powerful female not being a stereotypical housewife is accepted a lot more now than in the past. Especially due to women now running fortune 500 companies and political offices. The themes of how people become power hungry is also relevant today in the political races most notably the Presidential Election with not only Donald Trump but also Hillary