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.

Lysistrata

I enjoyed this play because it demonstrates women's ability to outsmart men and it is proof that women may never be underestimated. In a world where women are constantly put down, it is interesting to see a twist in the plot. The irony in the play is that although these women end up getting what they want and outsmarting their men, they do so by exploiting themselves as mere sex objects.

Lysistrata encourages the women to tease and taunt their husbands without actually having sex with them. In this she believes the men won't be able to resist their wives, thus they will agree to do whatever it is the women demand of them. Lysistrata makes sexual comments on the woman's bodies in such a way that suggests she is only concerned with using their sexual potential to gain peace and end the war.

In a way these women begin to look at themselves as men do and I think Lysistrata personifies a man in this play. She resists all sexual urges completely and dedicates herself to encouraging the women to remain committed to their oath. I took a lesson from this play that perhaps it is not so bad to exploit oneself for a cause that one feels deeply about. Before reading this play I may have strongly gone against this type of action: using "what you've got to get what you want."

Lysistrata - Kaleb Babb

To be honest, before reading the play I was very apprehensive that the play was going to be anywhere near excellent. What I did, and what I highly suggest before reading these types of classical plays is to read a short synopsis of the play before reading. This may give away the ending but it doesn’t give away most of the details and helps you follow along with the story.
As I read this play I began to enjoy it more and more surprisingly enough. I understood that they were trying to stop the Peloponnesian War but as I read I couldn’t help but think how relevant this play could be during any time period. Perhaps during the American Revolution, World War II, or even the War on Terror. Imagine if the simple way to end any war was for all women to make a pact to stop having sex with their husbands. I specifically kept imagining Lysistrata as the strong and confident “Rosie the Riveter” type of character putting her foot down and stopping war but with just a different cause.
Something I found very interesting was that the women came off strong cool calm and confident, but that is easier said than done. As soon as they are in the presence of the men hostility arises. It just goes to show that it cannot be one sex winning over the other but a give and take of both. Recently, funny enough, I read an article in Cosmopolitan magazine about couples who were having more successful relationships because they returned sex for favors. The husband asks the wife to cook a fancy dinner and she returns with sexual favors and vice versa. Simple enough right.
One last thing I found amusing was when the women referred to not having men but having marble consolation. Maybe all the women had a perfect statue of David waiting in their homes waiting to please them instead.