Make Love. Not War

After reading a couple of introductions to Lysistrata on different websites, I'm anxious to start reading the play. I haven't read the 2 essays either, so perhaps I'll change what I am thinking at this time. Because one of my major interests in literature and history is the place of women in both the stories and as the writers, at this point, I wonder if Aristophanes was sincerely looking at the possibility of women being capable of strong enough actions to secure peace - or if in his critique of the inept handling of the Pelopponesian War, he showed through his play he showed how ridiculous the situation was. Not to focus on the capability of women, but by using them, to shame the patriarchy. After all, it is a comedy.

One of the quotes I found referring to the reception of Lysistrata in contemporary times., "Modern audiences enjoy the sexuality and humor in Aristophanes' work, and they enjoy what appears as modern feminism and the depiction of strong women" (italics mine). Somehow I can't picture Aristophanes of The Symposium being an early feminist.

Another interesting quote, " The opera Lysistrata and the War, which was written in the early 1960s and first performed by the Wayne State University opera workshop as a protest to the Vietnam War." I can remember protesters from those years carrying signs that read MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR. Intriguing, that connection between Lysistrata and the 1960s!

A brief summary of Lysistrata is she convinces the women to withhold sex from their husbands/lovers until they end the war. I'm sure this was not an original idea with Aristophanes, nor that it is intended to compliment women's ingenuity or strength of character. Women have always been portrayed as being sneaky or underhanded especially in matters pertaining to sex. Women denied power in the public sphere have usually retained some power within the privacy of their relationships. Withholding sex? Seems like the logical place to start.

I'm looking forward to reading...