Custic 1

Dragana Custic
Dr. Verrone
EN 410
10 December 2015
The Gender Roles in the Place of War
In Aristophanes, Lysistrata, the Peloponnesian War that took place between Athens and
Sparta is brought to light in the beginning of the play. The effects of the war shape the role
reversal of men and women, affecting their behavior and level of control. Lysistrata, the central
female character, suggests that the women use their sexuality as a weapon and rallies the women
together, proposing a sex strike in order to stop the men from engaging in the violence that
accompanies war. Lysistrata differs from her female troops; the female troops are stereotypical
representations of women whose duties lie in the household and with their husbands. Through
her powerful way with words, she overcomes the barriers that surrounded a females life in the
society at the time. She expresses the masculine nature within herself through her actions as a
leader and a woman who wishes to escape the imprisonment of the constant combatting
implemented through war. The choruses of both men and women signify the separation of gender
roles. The men participating in the war become overwhelmed with their desires because of their
inability to engage in any sexual activity with their wives. Men are illustrated as the weaker sex
in the play, illuminating the womens overbearing strength over them. Lysistrata by Aristophanes
demonstrates how the space of gender roles is influenced and molded by a war-engulfed society
in which women take control and exclude sexual activity from the men, in hopes of gaining
peace and ending the war once and for all.

Custic 2
The battle of the sexes is triggered through Lysistratas decision to hold a sex strike in
order to end the Peloponnesian War. The once male dominated society now takes a turn down a
different path. The shift from male dominance to female dominance is a significant moment in
the play that highlight the hidden power of women. Women faced many restrictions and were
required to abide by all of societys norms. The all-powerful and courageous Lysistrata rebels
against societys restrictions and proves that women are capable of much more than being
trapped in the household taking care of everyone elses needs. As stated in Cynthia Shuyang
Luos article:
She talks about the women conversing with their husbands, but not being able to criticize
them because their men would tell them to be quiet or face a beating. Yet as the decisionmaking grew worse, as Lysistrata claims, the women found it harder to be quiet. And
consequently, despite the mens claim that war is the concern of men, Lysistrata rightly
points out that at the very least, the womens criticism should be allowed to be stated, if
not heeded. Even if men themselves were the only people directly involved in combat, it
is abundantly clear that women still had to face the consequences. Ultimately, all the
women wanted was to return to the way their society was pre-war, with their men back
homenot to enact a revolution or overthrow the status quo.
The quotation above explains how Lysistrata spoke about women and the conversations they had
with their husbands. Women were not allowed to criticize men and if they did, they would be
physically harmed for doing so. Women were constantly silenced by male authority and over
time grew tired of being quiet. Lysistrata strongly believed that war was not only the concern of
men, but of women as well. Women also suffered the effects of the war by not being able to see

their husbands when they wanted to because they were away, fighting for their lives. The war
had a
Custic 3
significant impact on both the men and women. The lives of the women were changed through
the absence of their husbands and lovers. In wanting to end the war and denying men sexual
pleasure, the women demonstrated their space in society through the use of powerful strategies,
which persuaded the men to leave the battlefield and return home to their wives.
The sex strike produced by the women fills the men with intense desire, using their
sexuality as the primary weapon of their war on men. Men show up to the Acropolis yearning
for sexual pleasure. Kinesias comes to see his wife Myrrhine, who uses her sexuality as an
advantage towards her husband. Before their encounter, Lysistrata had a talk with Myrrhine and
explained to her exactly how she should act around her husband to make him desire her even
more. She watches the encounter between the two to make sure that Myrrhine does not give in to
her husband, and ruin what Lysistrata had worked hard to construct:
Myrrhine: Here we are. Our mattress. Now hurry to bed while I undress. Gracious me I
forgot. You dont have a pillow.
Kinesias: I do not need a pillow.
Myrrhine: I know, but I do.
Kinesias: What a lovefeast! Only the table gets laid (Aristophanes 100).

The quotation above shows how the lack of sexual pleasure has a tremendous effect on the men.
Myrrhine knows that her husband wants to make love to her. She pretends to give in to his
desires.

Custic 4
Every time they are about to engage in a sexual act, Myrrhine pretends that she needs something.
She leaves multiple times to get objects such as pillows, mattresses, and even perfume. She
leaves him just in time, leaving him suffering immense sexual arousal. The space of women in
society becomes stronger each time they are able to successfully fool men, portraying the men as
the weaker sex.
Lysistratas powerful character plays a dual role, consisting of both femininity and
masculinity; her space in the war stricken society must include both of these roles to bring about
change. Just like men use women for sexual pleasure and to satisfy all of their other wants and
needs, Lysistrata uses the women in a similar way, to accomplish what she has set out to do from
the beginning: regain peace through a sex strike. Through her masculine role, the women:
Explore the sexual viability of each other, and although it is all for achieving the end of a
good causeending the war and bringing the husbands back home, there is something
about this process of selection that takes away from the possible message of gender and
power. While they have a noble goal in mind, it is frustrating that the women cant all be
as strong as Lysistrata. Instead, they all have to turn to this man-like woman and must
undergo a sexualized process (Smith).

The quotation above shows that the women did gain their space in society. They allowed their
voices to be heard by using their sexuality as a weapon, through the leadership of Lysistrata. By
denying men sexual pleasure, women got together in their own spaces and explored the layers of
their own sexuality. The purpose of the sex strike was for the war to end and for peace to reign

Custic 5
over Greece. All of this was being done for a worthy cause, one that will make the spaces of men
and women equal once the war is eliminated. One thing that separates the other women from
Lysistrata is that they are not as intelligent and powerful as she is. Lysistratas space is above the
other women in the play. She has the overbearing authority over the women she has gathered to
help her with her journey. It is Lysistratas masculine ways of leadership that help these women
find a voice, despite the frustration they may feel. The process that they undergo shapes them
and helps them discover who they truly are, apart from their daily household routines.
Lysistratas determination allows them to slowly step out of the stereotypical confinement they
have been trapped in.
The separation of sexes is prevalent through the use of both male and female choruses;
the male chorus is focused primarily on war, while the female chorus shows a dedication to
peace. The male chorus enters with wood, which they want to use to set fire on the women who
are hidden in the Acropolis. The mens chorus consists of very weary and old aged men. The men
run into the chorus of women, who are filled with an abundance of energy. The chorus of women
notices what the chorus of men have planned to do and bring buckets of water filled with cold
water and pour it all over the men. Fire and water are two contradictory things, just like a male

and a female. Fire gives off a very passionate and romantic image. The fire represents the
kindling of desire in women. Through the use of water, they are ridding themselves of the
passionate feelings brought about by men. The act of pouring water on the men is also another
sign of the womens success over men. The emergence of choruses consisting of both genders is
important in that it shows the individual space of each gender through their actions.

Custic 6
Gender roles in the place of war affects the behavior and strength of control of both men
and women; Lysistratas boldness and resistance of societys norms enables her to successfully
carry out the sex strike and bring peace back to Greece. At first reluctant to go on a sex strike, the
women experience a behavioral change as Lysistrata becomes their mentor and uses the power of
words to convince the women that the strike is the only effective way to get their husbands back
and acquire peace in return. She gathers women from all over and they remain in the space of the
Acropolis. The space of the women is heightened through their control over the mens desires.
The mens desires for sexual pleasure are the forces that weaken them. The portrayal of
Lysistrata, through both masculine and feminine means, emphasizes the space of womens voice
that needed to be heard during a difficult time of war.

Custic 7
Works Cited
Aristophanes. Lysistrata. Trans. Douglass Parker and Judith Fletcher. New York, NY: Signet
Classics, 2009. Print.
Luo, Shuyang Cynthia, "Women and War: Power Play from Lysistrata to the Present" (2012).
Honors Scholar Theses. Paper 262.
Smith, Nicole. "Gender and Power in Lysistrata by Aristophanes." Article Myriad. N.p., 6 Dec.
20111. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.