Masculinity and Lysistrata Flashcards
What are some general considerations of masculine ideologies of Greek and Roman Cultures?
- Talk about a lot of manliness, always comes with positive connotations
a) Latin: Virtus, or virtue is used for manliness
b) Greek: Andreia means man - Penises were seen as a symbol of protection. Unclear where femininity necessarily relates to this.
- Any man other men don’t like is classified as “nota real man”. They are gay, sexually ridiculed, foreign, etc.
- Society’s anxieties come from whether civilization is manly enough
- Masculinity was not static, and changed over time
Discuss two examples of how masculinity changes over time
- Democratic Athens 500-300 BC. Traditionally competitive masculinity, men were quite idealized and exclusive of others. Social sites such as assemblies and theatres were “men only” spaces. Lots of physical penetration imagery
What is a herm?
Originally, herms were depictions of the god Hermes that were places on paths for travellers. Now they’re a male bust with a penis at the base…. for some reason
What was Roman masculinity like?
- Like Greece, it was also quite competitive, but there were extra things added the more elite you got
- They were super big on dominance over subjects, social inferiors, slaves, women, kids, and themselves! You can’t indulge in pleasure too much!
- Women are more present, but still quite subordinate
- Frequent concern that we are less manly than we were before, similar to Greeks. Lots of anxiety around self-control, which involved a lot of comparison
What is a Cinaedus? What comes of it?
A cinaedus is sexually deviant and has no self-control. This leads to a lot of anxiety, because a cinaedus can be ANYONE, which often drives people to asceticism. In art, there is a constant resistance to moralism, and an embrace of sexual deviance.
Sulpicia reacts to male poets in elegiac (contemplative) poetry?
Describe the background of the comedy, Lysistrata
Written in 411 by Aristophanes about the Peloponnesian war (been going on for 20 years, Athens will eventually lose because it keeps refusing to negotiate peace), it is the most popular antique play and revolves some cool gender reversal.
Describe the style of Aristophanic Comedy
- Set in contemporary Athens, with very absurd plots
- Humour designed to appeal to men, who want wine, food, and sex
- Choral music with singing, dancings, etc.
- Women aren’t allowed in the audience, but plays often involve subversive female action
- Lots of topical and political humour about politicians and famous people
What is the plot of Lysistrata?
War is the problem, sex strike is the answer. The women meat, swear off sex. Older women occupy the Acropolis and the city’s wealth. Women start to get horny and break (unlikely because men didn’t really know how female bodies worked). Spartan ambassador comes and makes peace with a weird final scene where they divide Greece using a naked woman
What are the themes of Lysistrata?
The differences in genders is balanced out by a universal need for sex. Men are idiots and singularly focused on sex to make us root for the woman. Lysistrata is a crazy, unusually strong leader. Women come in on traditionally male activities like politics, sexual pleasure, and war. It goes back to normal with the naked lady.
What are the women’s points of view that are noted in Lysistrata?
- Mothers: We produce sons for the battlefield! We are involved in the war
- Wives: We miss our husbands!
- Our dependence: We can’t do much if we’re not married, and the more men the die, the less of a chance we have!
Sexual violence seems to be normal and expected….
How does Aristophanes seem to imagine women?
- The younger women are obsessed with wine and sex
- Older women: More concerned with civic role
- Lysistrata’s speech about the idea the women have perspectives that no one hears, comparing democracy to a ball of yarn and spinning
