Lysistrata Flashcards
Lysistrata
Lysistrata is an Athenian woman who is sick and tired of war and the treatment of women in Athens. Lysistrata gathers the women of Sparta and Athens together to solve these social ills and finds success and power in her quest. Lysistrata is the least feminine of the women from either Athens or Sparta, and her masculinity helps her gain respect among the men.
Kleonike
Kleonike is the next-door neighbor of Lysistrata and is the first to show up at Lysistrata’s meeting of women. Kleonike embraces her feminine side and is delighted that Lysistrata’s scheme for peace involves garments like negligees.
Myrrhine
If rank were imposed, Myrrhine would be the second strongest woman in Lysistrata. Myrrhine is able to seduce her husband, Kinesias, but she refuses sex with him just at the last minute.
Lampito
Lampito is representative of Spartan women. Lampito is a large, well-built woman who American audiences might imagine with a thick Appalachian accent (by Arrowsmith’s translation, Sparta was the Greek equivalent of the stereotypically South). Lampito brings the Spartan women into Lysistrata’s plan.
Ismenia
Ismenia is a Boitian girl who has a nice body, keeps herself well tended, and is quite possibly mute.
Korinthian Girl
This lady accompanies Ismenia and Lampito to Lysistrata’s meeting and is known for her vast posterior bodily feature.
Koryphaios of Men
The Koryphaios of Men, a stubborn and rather grouchy fellow, leads the Chorus of Old Men around Athens.
Chorus of Old Men
The Chorus of Old Men live up to their title; the chorus is made up of twelve old men who teeter around Athens attempting to keep the women in line. Although, unsuccessful in their civic duties, the Chorus of Old Men strike up some fantastical misogynistic melodies and are a generally comedic element of the play.
Koryphaios of Women
Like the Koryphaios of Men, the Koryphaios of Women leads the Chorus of Old Women around. The Koryphaios of Women leads a successful seizure of the Akropolis and outwits the men in every possible way.
Chorus of Old Women
The Chorus of Old Women seizes and then protects the Akropolis from the Chorus of Old Men. The Chorus of Old Women, although frail, fights to the last with the men and finds victory in the end.
Commissioner of Public Safety
The Commissioner of Public Safety is apparently the head of security and law in Athens, but is completely overwhelmed by the women and ends up being dressed as a woman himself. Lysistrata has a lengthy conversation with the Commissioner about the future of Athens and peace in the region, but the Commissioner is very slow to understand her logic.
Four Policemen
These Policemen are humiliated again and again by the women. The women, brandishing nothing but lamps, chamber pots and other various household utensils, scare these policemen away.
Kinesias
The needy, desperate clown that Myrrhine calls her husband. Kinesias is the first man to be affected by the sex strike and comes to the Akropolis, fully enflamed.
Peace
Lysistrata’s handmaid. Peace is the unclothed beauty of a woman whom Lysistrata displays and uses during her final plea for peace between Athens and Sparta. Terribly aroused and uncomfortable, the men quickly discuss the terms of a truce, all the while staring at Peace’s body.
Theme: Gender Roles
In Classical Athens, men held political power while women had limited rights and were confined to domestic roles. Aristophanes’ Lysistrata plays with these gender roles by depicting women, led by the intelligent and determined Lysistrata, temporarily seizing political control to end the Peloponnesian War. The play portrays most women as stereotypically frivolous, but Lysistrata argues that their domestic skills provide them with the common sense men lack. She compares Athens to fleece that must be cleaned and woven anew, suggesting that women’s wisdom can restore order. However, the play ultimately reinforces traditional gender norms, as the women’s revolt is meant to bring men back to their rightful leadership, not to permanently change power dynamics.
Theme: Sexuality and the Battle of the Sexes
The women of Greece use abstinence as a weapon, laying siege to the Acropolis and withholding sex until their husbands agree to peace. This comedic “battle of the sexes” parodies real warfare, replacing weapons with domestic tools and desire. The prolonged sex strike leaves men physically and emotionally desperate, symbolizing how unchecked ambition and war deprive people of life’s pleasures. The play suggests that sex is a fundamental human need, and its denial highlights the absurdity of war. When peace is finally restored, it is represented as a naked woman, reinforcing the idea that love and pleasure are essential to a well-functioning society.
Symbol: Athena and the Acropolis
The Acropolis, home to Athena’s temple and the Athenian war treasury, symbolizes wisdom and political control. Lysistrata and the women take it over to restore reason and peace, in contrast to the men’s warmongering. Over time, the Acropolis also becomes a symbol of the female body, with its siege mirroring the women’s control over their sexuality. By the play’s end, peace is restored, Athena’s wisdom reigns again, and sex and reason are united as a civilizing force.
Author
Aristophanes
