Table of Contents
- 1 What do the women do to the magistrate to humiliate him?
- 2 What does the magistrate do in Lysistrata?
- 3 Why do the women seize the Citadel in Lysistrata?
- 4 What do the women sacrifice to seal their oath in Lysistrata?
- 5 Is Lysistrata feminist play?
- 6 Why are the women occupying the Acropolis?
- 7 What does Lysistrata say about war?
- 8 What happens to Lysistrata and the other women at the Akropolis?
- 9 What are the two choruses in Lysistrata?
What do the women do to the magistrate to humiliate him?
After a testy exchange, the humiliated Magistrate runs off to complain to the other magistrates. Lysistrata and the women go back into the Acropolis, leaving the Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus to annoy and insult each other through song and dance.
What does the magistrate do in Lysistrata?
The Magistrate is an old member of the Athenian community, who is in charge of finance and wants money to pay ship builders in Athens, but is instead met with a threat, Lysistrata.
What do the women take over in Lysistrata?
Lysistrata calls a policewoman over and tells her to turn over her shield so that the women can sacrifice a sheep on it and swear an oath that they will follow Lysistrata’s directions and make peace in Greece.
Why do the women seize the Citadel in Lysistrata?
Aristophanes’ Lysistrata persuades a group of her women friends to seize control of the Acropolis where the money used to fund the war between Athens and Sparta is stored and demand that their husbands sue for peace.
What do the women sacrifice to seal their oath in Lysistrata?
As the women sacrifice a bottle of wine to the Gods in celebration of their oath, they hear the sounds of the older women taking the Akropolis, the fortress that houses the treasury of Athens. In Lysistrata there are two choruses—the Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women.
What was the purpose of Lysistrata?
It is the comic account of one woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War, as Lysistrata convinces the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands as a means of forcing the men to negotiate a peace. Some consider it his greatest work, and it is probably the most anthologized.
Is Lysistrata feminist play?
Lysistrata is a play of an early feminism movement because it empowered women, created future movements, and left a legacy of its own. In the play, the women of Greece united to determine the affairs of the Peloponnesian War that was ensuing. Women could not disobey their men and would face retribution if it occurred.
Why are the women occupying the Acropolis?
The Men’s Leader commands the Magistrate to interrogate the women about why they are occupying the Acropolis. The Magistrate does so. Lysistrata proudly replies that the women have occupied it so that they can control the treasury—and prevent the city funds from being wasted on war.
Which female persuades the others to agree to Lysistrata’s plan to end the war?
Lysistrata persuades the women of the warring cities to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace—a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes….
| Lysistrata | |
|---|---|
| Setting | Before the Propylaea, or gateway to the Acropolis of Athens, 411 BC |
What does Lysistrata say about war?
Lysistrata tells the Commissioner that war is a concern of women because women have sacrificed greatly for it—women have given their husbands and their sons to the effort. Lysistrata adds that it is now difficult for a woman to find a husband. The women mockingly dress the Commissioner as a woman.
What happens to Lysistrata and the other women at the Akropolis?
The Commissioner, an appointed magistrate, comes to the Akropolis seeking funds for the naval ships. The Commissioner is surprised to find the women at the Akropolis and orders his policemen to arrest Lysistrata and the other women. In a humorous battle, that involves little physical contact, the policemen are scared off.
Why does Lysistrata dress like a woman in Old Comedy?
Old Comedy. The logic of this conclusion is supported rhythmically by the pnigos, during which Lysistrata and her friends dress the magistrate like a woman, with a veil and a basket of wool, reinforcing her argument and lending it ironic point—if the men are women, obviously the war can only be women’s business.
What are the two choruses in Lysistrata?
In Lysistrata there are two choruses—the Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women. A Koryphaios leads both choruses. The Chorus of Men is first to appear on stage carrying wood and fire to the gates of the Akropolis.