Lysistrata-Analysis

I chose the scene between Magistrate and Lysistrata to analyze because in the video, this scene was made much more clear to me than in the text. I did not realize that the women dressed the Magistrate in woman's clothing. This is quite humorous. All of the things that Lysistrata says in this scene upsets the Magistrate so much and his lack of power in this situation (his own men refuse to arrest Lysistrata and the other women) make him increasingly angered.

In this version of the play (not VHS), Lysistrata touches and teases the Magistrate and he is very much distracted and enticed by her and the other women but seriously offended and angered at them just the same. The women find his reaction hilarious and after he departs they all burst into teasing laughs toward him.

Much of the comedy in this play comes from subtle jokes the women make toward the men and sometimes it is hard to catch that humor in the text of the play. Watching the video makes the scene come alive and it helps to see different interpretations of the text manifested through the performance.