Lysistrata
Aristophanes' comedy in which the women of Greece withhold intimacy to force their men to end the Peloponnesian War
The Meaning of Lysistrata
Lysistrata was performed in 411 BCE during one of the bleakest periods of the Peloponnesian War. The title character, an Athenian woman, organises a pan-Hellenic sex strike: the women of Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Boeotia swear an oath to refuse all conjugal relations until their husbands negotiate peace. Simultaneously, the older women seize the Acropolis and the state treasury, cutting off funding for the war. The men initially dismiss the protest, but as days pass their resolve crumbles in increasingly absurd scenes of physical discomfort. Spartan and Athenian ambassadors arrive at negotiations in visible states of frustration and quickly agree to terms. The play ends with a celebratory feast uniting former enemies. While hilarious in its frank sexual humour, Lysistrata carries a serious undercurrent of grief — by 411 BCE Athens had lost tens of thousands of men and the play channels genuine war-weariness into its comic premise.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Lysistrata has been adapted and performed as a protest against war throughout history, including notable productions during both World Wars and the Vietnam era
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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