Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city states by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was the only thing they truly and deeply desired. 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 ...
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Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city states by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was the only thing they truly and deeply desired. 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. The play is notable for being an early expos� of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. Additionally, its dramatic structure represents a shift from the conventions of Old Comedy, a trend typical of the author's career. It was produced in the same year as the Thesmophoriazusae, another play with a focus on gender-based issues, just two years after Athens' catastrophic defeat in the Sicilian Expedition.
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Lysistrata takes place in they city-state of Athens. Athens at that time was devastated economically and socially because of a 30 years with the neighboring city-statesThe war dominated the Athenian way of life and after it, Athens never completely recovered from the war to its former glory. Yet despite all these serious issues, the play produces nothing but waves of laughter from its readers. Lysistrata, the name of the main female progtagonist is fed up with the war and conspires a plan to stop the war and bring the men home. What she conjures up is a sex strike, put on not only by the women of Athens, but of all Greek women. What follows is purely comical and amusing and is a must read for anyone, not just college students. Find out how this fiery woman stop a war and still have time to take care of her children.