Lysistrata

                                                                      Lysistrata

Well what comes to mind is the Power of Pussy
CAUTION!  view this at your own moral discretion

Click Here to Hear "The Power of Pussy" by Bongwater


I was really surprised at the mention of dongs, dildos, trimming the grass (07), and see-through numbers (04) These woman like sex - I always thought the ancients just laid back and  'thought of England.' I thought sexual pleasure was a 'new thing'

1960's "Make Love not War"
Lysistrata "no peace, no sex"

Q1- Is the depiction of women's sexuality as the source of their power and influence empowering or
disempowering for woman?

Madonna chose to empower herself with explicit sexuality.
Feminist would probably not agree with woman using sexuality as empowerment
Prude woman wouldn't promiscuous woman would
porn stars? it depends on if it's the woman's choice and if she feels personally empowered and not exploited.

 Lysistrata is using a strategy and is trying to get the guys to use brains not brawn
"You don't need to siege equipment here. Just brains" (Lysistrata, 26).

Q2- If you could imagine the play being written by a woman (Sappho?), in what ways might it be different... if at all?


Q3 - Where is the tension between Passion and reason apparent in this play?

Lysistrata is passionate about peace and has come up with a unique protest. Rrecognising what matters to the men; sex. Discourse may fall on deaf ears but hit below the belt and there is impact.
This is like a sanction a boycott

The woman reason by asking what the consequences will be? what if we are punished or rejected?
"But what if they shrug and walk away?" (Lysistrata, 11)
"Suppose they grab us, drag us to bed." (Lysistrata, 11).

Calonice asks "What thoughtful thing could a women ever do What vivid venture?" (Lysistrata, 05).
Lysistrata taps into the woman's worth and uses it as a weapon.
Q4 - Much of Greek drama depicts events that happened in the mythological past. The first stagings of Lysistrata were contemporaneous with the 20th year of the ongoing and brutal Peloponnesian War. How might this affect the tone of the play?

There's a desperation for the war to end by any means necessary. Try anything, grasp at straws, there's nothing left to lose.

Q5 - We get an interesting view of "democracy" in the play with the working class in Athens being in favour of the war because it brings jobs. any modern echoes here?

Yes, particularly with the US. The military is a huge employer.