Sex and Gender in Aristophanes' Lysistrata by

2025-09-23 17:48:27 UTC

By attacking the magistrate, the women are elevating themselves to classic Spartan levels of aggression (lines 600)

2025-09-23 17:49:29 UTC

The old men threatening to beat up the old women with their fists, but old women are not an honorable foe to try and fight. They are degrading themselves in needing to fight women. Roughly line 630

2025-09-23 17:49:30 UTC

They're diplomatic, they respond calmly in comparison to the men and try to find solutions rather than coming in with violence (900-950, Myrrhine) (1015-

2025-09-23 17:49:44 UTC

When Lysistrata says that they all want to get laid, example of women being sex obsessed (720ish)

2025-09-23 17:49:49 UTC

Women are actually interested in peace? They’re the only reason peace actually ends up occurring. Lysistrata only has that sense because of listening to speeches of “senior men” and her father. (1308)

2025-09-23 17:50:31 UTC

Women are shown to have a large appetite for wine. They refer to it as their version of blood/sacrifice. (Line 203)
Stereotyped as temptresses. When they are determining the rules of their strike they mention they will wear full faces of makeup and silks. (210-235)

2025-09-23 17:50:55 UTC

Cunning of women when they lie to get out of the acropolis to go have sex, cunning is a bad trait and they are using this to escape their oaths (720ish)

2025-09-23 17:51:01 UTC

Men being lose all sense in the face of desire, sexuality. quite literally being led by their sexuality (1298)

2025-09-23 17:51:02 UTC

sex-obsessed / penis-obsessed
lazy, procrastinating
vain
they care about the war but only because they aren't having sex due to it
(more of a gender role) must be submissive when met with violence from men

2025-09-23 17:51:18 UTC

The old men take off their clothes in front of the old women in public. Generally the men are only naked in the gym around other men and so by being naked in front of these women that are elevating the women to be equals of themselves. Roughly line 670

2025-09-23 17:51:50 UTC

Describes men as extremely dirty (pig pens in their crotches)(1245) - women also being obsessed with cleanliness? Myrrhine w/ perfume (1105)

2025-09-23 17:51:50 UTC

The men are so invested in the war that they are destroying themselves as well as each other. This especially applies to Athenian men, who are "mad for war" (lines 170-171).

2025-09-23 17:52:05 UTC

The beginning of our section the men are portrayed as stupid, drunkards, bad at organization, and messy. They try to break into the house using brute force rather than the common sense of maybe just knocking. (475-483)

2025-09-23 17:52:07 UTC

The male characters are desperate, overly emotional, down bad (Cinesias, 900-950), pining for control, they do not act or take agency as the women do, they just talk a lot. The old man featured later shows a lot of the anger that these men hold in them, but he does nothing to resolve the issues, the old woman does (1015-1040)

2025-09-23 17:52:34 UTC

In the play, some of the primary negative stereotypes that are introduced in our section (Greek lines 1-200) are women being indecisive about swearing the oath (180-200), and their inability to be committed to this agreement (119-148). Women are also presented as undisciplined and sex-crazed.

2025-09-23 17:52:39 UTC

The men’s chorus describes how they pity Cinesias because if the deep pain he’s in from his continuous erection (line 960)

There’s also the conversation between Cinesias and the Spartan Herald where Cinesias accuses him of having a sword when it’s really also an intense erection (980-990)

2025-09-23 17:52:54 UTC

in shape / fit
- well-toned rear, big breasts
more willing to give up penises than the others, only other than Lysistrata to be willing right off the bat.

2025-09-23 17:53:00 UTC

lysistrata says she isn’t worried about the men bc they are all talk and no action. They only say threats but won’t really follow through. (248-251)
This is also seen when they threaten to hit the women in the chorus but when the women goad them on, they don’t take action. (363)
Women’s chorus calls them “dirty old men” and makes them out to be deceitful or selfish, not useful (350)

2025-09-23 17:53:01 UTC

Myrrhine is shown to be more considerate of her child than her child, beginning of a larger misleading around sex. (1060)

2025-09-23 17:53:18 UTC

Myrrhine messing with her husband (1070), repeatedly delaying having sex with him - wasting his time. regardless of the sincerity of the action, she’s being deceptive.

parallel to odyssey? misleading - leading on, never actually giving him what he wants. or performing the action she’s supposed to be.

2025-09-23 17:53:28 UTC

When the magister gets water thrown on himself and retreats to the other magisters to show them what women did to him. The magister is a man but is unable to use his masculine status and powers over women unless other men are present. Lines 618-620

2025-09-23 17:54:04 UTC

Lysistrata criticizes men for not being home and for prioritizing war and external affairs over their wives (99-112).

2025-09-23 17:54:13 UTC

Lysistrata does get called a slut (line 484) and a lot of the stereotypes the men bring up other than sex shaming have to deal with managing the home (i.e. weaving and managing money). They are also characterized as overly emotional (536-543).

2025-09-23 17:56:04 UTC

Lampito is represented as more excited by the wine. She remarks on the smell of the wine/blood (209)
lysistrata trusts her to lead the Spartan women and do what needs to be done which is different than the trust she puts in the Athenian women (243-247)

2025-09-23 17:56:21 UTC

Lysistrata characterizes women as having common sense and are able to plan better than men (line 433). At least in this play they are shown to stand up for themselves and defend themselves from men (lines 515-514).

2025-09-23 17:56:30 UTC

In the conversation between Cinesias and the men’s chorus they’re trying to villainize Myrrhine for withholding sex from him by calling her a stinking bitch and saying she’s a slut for being a tease (lines 960-970)

2025-09-23 17:57:03 UTC

mental fortitude in the face of violence from men (? not sure if that's actually positive or just neutral)
ability to collaborate and organize (but probably not positive for an Ancient Greek audience)
pious, swore an oath (later on, follows through on the oath)

2025-09-23 17:58:01 UTC

Lampito is characterized as more disciplined and thoughtful than the Athenian women because she is more committed to honoring her oath and ending the war. Her strength especially is noted by the Athenian women in a positive light (79-96).

2025-09-23 17:58:21 UTC

The oath in itself is an example of women exerting power and agency and protesting against the war/men (200-240)

And the women standing up against the chorus shows strength and courage, especially since the men are described as weak (350-400… the whole last scene)

2025-09-23 17:59:07 UTC

Cinesias critiques Myrrhine for not taking care of their child since she hasn’t been home and complains about everything in their home being a mess (lines 880)

2025-09-23 18:00:15 UTC

Overall the play gives women agency and some type of political power to negotiate their wants

2025-09-23 18:02:45 UTC

Women are presented as having the ability to come together on common ground as a community despite the men fighting. Lampito comes from Sparta to Athens even though the two city-states are at war in order to hold peace talks (16-90).