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ENG 1102 University of Massachusetts Week 4 Lysistrata Play Essay

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University of Massachusetts
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Vanessa Brown
Professor C. Norman
English 201
25 June 2020
The play Lysistrata takes place in the town of Athens and Sparta. These two towns are
fighting the Peloponnesian war around 431-401 BC. This war began because Spartans feared the
growth of Athens and did not want them to have too much power (“The Greeks - The Reasons
for the Peloponnesian War in More Detail”). “If the women join us from Peloponnesus, then
hand in hand we’ll rescue Greece,” says Lysistrata when she is explaining about how worried she
is about the town(s) being destroyed (Lysistrata 15).
The main character that we meet and hear about the most is Lysistrata. Lysistrata is a
woman who is fed up with all the war and with the way women have always been treated. The
women of the town have always felt that they are only used to cook, clean houses, and to have
and tend to children. Quietly adorning ourselves in a back-room with gowns of lucid gold… and
dainty little slippers” This quote from Calonice perfectly explains the way the women feel and
what is expected from them (Lysistrata 15). Lysistrata is described as being slightly more
masculine than most of the other females and this causes the men to view her differently and
respect her decisions and authority.
This play is about two cities that go to war for several years. The women are concerned
about the men and want them to come home. The main character, Lysistrata, takes action and
comes up with a plan for all of the women to take part in order to have the men sign a peace
treaty. The women decide that the best method to grab the men’s attention and make them listen
to what they want is to withhold sex from them until the treaty is signed. “To bow to peace, we

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must refrain!” says Lysistrata at the meeting when she calls all of the others to tell about the plan
(Lysistrata 20). At first it sounds ridiculous and might not work but, in the end, it does work. The
men get tired of not being able to have sex when and if they want so they decide that it is best,
after all, to sign the peace treaty like the women want them to. They are simply trying to look out
for them and show their love and care towards the men.
I think there are two different points of view during this play, the men’s side, and the
women’s side. Some might think that the men are treated unfair during the play because of how
the women decide to withhold sex from them. I, however, do not think this is unfair or rude. The
women were simply trying to look out for the men and not lose (any more of) them during war.
On the other hand, there is the women’s point of view. This is also the view that the play is set
from. The women not only want to end the war and keep their husbands and other loved ones
safe, but they are also tired of being looked at as a maid or housewife. They feel like they are not
appreciated in the way that they should be and that the men only want them to clean houses, have
sex, and cook for them. The women are seeking for more appreciation and the sex withhold was
a good way to gain it. It was a win-win type of situation.
There are many themes that can be found throughout this play. Some of them include; the way
men are viewed to be more masculine and powerful compared to women, a political viewpoint,
and perseverance. The power that the men have, and the perseverance are two themes that
personally stand out to me and were easy to spot. There are many times throughout the play that
men show the amount of power they have over different situations and over the women. They do
not allow the women to make as many decisions as they do and sometimes, they completely
leave them out of it without giving them a chance to speak their opinion. The women had few or
no rights compared to the men. “Woman is the most shameless beast of all the beasts that be”

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Vanessa Brown Professor C. Norman English 201 25 June 2020 The play Lysistrata takes place in the town of Athens and Sparta. These two towns are fighting the Peloponnesian war around 431-401 BC. This war began because Spartans feared the growth of Athens and did not want them to have too much power (“The Greeks - The Reasons for the Peloponnesian War in More Detail”). “If the women join us from Peloponnesus, then hand in hand we’ll rescue Greece,” says Lysistrata when she is explaining about how worried she is about the town(s) being destroyed (Lysistrata 15). The main character that we meet and hear about the most is Lysistrata. Lysistrata is a woman who is fed up with all the war and with the way women have always been treated. The women of the town have always felt that they are only used to cook, clean houses, and to have and tend to children. “Quietly adorning ourselves in a back-room with gowns of lucid gold… and dainty little slippers” This quote from Calonice perfectly explains the way the women feel and what is expected from them (Lysistrata 15). Lysistrata is described as being slightly more masculine than most of the other females and this causes the men ...
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