Masculinity In Lysistrata

709 Words3 Pages
Lysistrata explores the nature and character of men, in respective portrayals of male characters amidst the Peloponnesian war. Greek society was established on the basis of patriarchal lines. A social system in which the role of the male is primarily authoritative as Lysistrata aimed to illustrate, men who seem bent both on destroying their family life by staying away from home for long stretches of time while on military battles and on ruining the city-state by prolonging a pointless war. The strong certainty that war is only a man’s affair was believed to be because men were regarded as providers. Men were seen as the source of decision making. The very outcome of the decision of war falling in a woman’s hand was seen as preposterous. Even…show more content…
Lysistrata displayed certain truths about how society was ruled by men and then try to improve them. The struggles of power and class that war produced show the way to the development of Greek culture. Lysistrata breaks from the traditional role of a female in many ways; the position of women involved in issues such as war is a subject which provoked much controversy. Women in classical Greece could not have had an extremely pleasant experience; women seemed to have had very little influence and few official civic rights. Lysistrata insists that women have the intelligence and judgment to make political decisions, hence says in the traditional way: “Ever since the war began we women have been watching you men, agreeing with you, keeping our thought to ourselves. That doesn’t mean we were happy; we weren’t,…show more content…
Money representing power and control in Lysistrata was a huge factor in waging war. In the scene were Lysistrata's plan comes to execution as the women of Athens seize control of the Acropolis, which holds the state treasury, without which the men cannot continue to fund their war. The word of revolt is spread and the other women retreat behind the barred gates of the Acropolis to await the men's response. The commissioner needs silver from the treasury for the war effort, and he and his constables try to break into the Acropolis, but are quickly overwhelmed by groups of unruly
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    advocacy towards women’s rights. This plight can be seen in Aristophanes' "Lysistrata" where humor is used as an excuse to present women in a demeaning and insulting fashion customary to 5th century Greece. Throughout the play, Aristophanes is heralded as this great advocate for women’s rights during a time where such a concept was inconceivable. His work says otherwise with him falsely making his main character Lysistrata into a strong advocate for women’s right when in reality she is anything but

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