Notes on "Lysistrata"

Notes on THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH AUTHOR & CONTEXT • Aristophanes (c. 446–386 BCE): Known as the greatest comic playwright of ancient Athens, often called the “Father of Comedy.” • Lysistrata (411 BCE): Performed during the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE) between Athens and Sparta. At the time of its staging, Athens had just suffered a devastating defeat in Sicily, and morale was low. Aristophanes uses humor, satire, and exaggeration to comment on politics, war, and gender roles. PLOT SUMMARY • Main Idea: Athenian woman. Lysistrata convinces women from Athens and Sparta to withhold sex from their husbands until the men agree to negotiate peace. • Act I: Lysistrata assembles women and persuades them to swear an oath of sexual abstinence. • Act II: The men react with frustration; comic battles between the sexes unfold. A chorus of old men and women also spar, representing traditional voices. • Act III: Sexual tension escalates; men and women struggle to uphold their sides. The