Lysistrata Essay Questions

What is notable about the jokes in the play?

Many of the jokes are rather broad in Lysistrata, whether they are sex jokes that use double entendres and bawdy descriptions, or slapstick/physical representations of desire denied. The men struggle to contain themselves throughout the play, as they are overcome with sexual desire for their wives and sport giant erections. They cannot help but speak in starkly sexual terms, so overcome are they by their lust. Aristophanes' sense of the absurd is not exactly subtle, but it is often uproarious in its irreverence, preposterousness, and tastelessness.

What aspects of war is Aristophanes criticizing?

While the women suggest that their dissatisfaction with the war has mainly to do with their wish for their husbands to return home to give them sexual gratification, we learn that it is not so simple later on. The women also contend that the war is arbitrary and useless, an aggressive desire for money and resources that leads to pointless death. The women suggest that the men often make decisions that are completely misguided, but because of women's subordinate role in the home, they are not allowed to speak their mind and give feedback. Thus, we see that the criticism of war in the play is also a criticism of patriarchy and avaricious accumulation of wealth.

In what way does humor allow the play's message to be transmitted effectively?

Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata at the beginnings of the Peloponnesian War, so criticizing it came with some risk. Using humor, however, Aristophanes was able to get his points across without appearing unpatriotic or stirring up particular controversy. By sewing his argument into a sex comedy, Aristophanes obscures the more pointed indictments of war with cheeky humor.

What does the Acropolis represent in the play?

The Acropolis represents the center of Athenian power, a place where all of the money is stored. It represents the state and its power, and also is a portal to the temple of Athena, the goddess of victory in war. By occupying the Acropolis, the women of Greece turn it into a more anarchic space, and the site of an anti-war protest. The men no longer have access to their money or to their wives, which is what ultimately drives them to end the war and sign a peace treaty.

What is the joke of "Peace"?

At the end of the play, Lysistrata enters with a "naked, walking statue" that she calls "Peace." While she negotiates with the men who have come together to form a peace treaty, they are distracted by the beauty of "Peace." The fact that she is called "Peace" only makes the joke of their attraction funnier, in that one cannot tell if they are negotiating in order to have sex with "Peace" or to enact peace in the region.