Carranza 1

Isaac Carranza
Professor Roberto Saravia
Introduction to Drama
02 October 2015
Lysistrata From a Non-Feminist Perspective
Some analysis of Lysistrata have focused on the feminist idea of women empowerment. This
manichaean idea considers women's contrivance to stop war as an example of women empowerment.
The origin of such analysis is women's role during Aristophanes' Greece. Historically, during the time
Lysistrata was produced, women were regarded as inferior and were not able to participate in public
affairs; they were good for nothing then but love and lewdness!" (Citation page from Lysistrata).
Further, according to Byl, Greek stereotypes not only required that coupled women stay inside the
house but also be quite and accompanied by a man almost everywhere (34). Moreover, as Addei and
Osei note, war was perceived merely as a men's issue in which women had no role (540). This latter
aspect can as well be noted in the dialogue itself when the Magistrate asks, what do women have to do
with war? Because of this patriarchal order in Greece, the feminist idea of women empowerment has
become clich among scholars. However, Lysistrata itself is a comedy play, which means that it was
intended to provoke laughter. More importantly, theater was a male activity in which female characters
were only played by men, and the fact that women were able to stop war was a ludicrous situation
during Aristophanes' time (Dover 159). Hence, Lysistrata should be analyzed from a more
contextualized point of view. Instead of using women to show empowerment, Aristophanes tone uses
women to convey irony, thereby creating a humorous environment in the play.
Roberts explains that tone and irony are related and that these can create humor in the play
through contradictory or incongruous statements and situations. Roberts also distinguishes four major
kinds of irony that tone can convey: Verbal, Situational, Cosmic, and Dramatic (177-178). Taking his

Carranza 2
theoretical framework into account, irony is found in Lysistrata mainly in three kinds: Verbal,
Dramatic, and Situational. Regarding verbal irony, Roberts mentions three types. Double entendre is
the difference between what is said and what is actually meant; understatement is when a character
minimizes the consequences of a situation almost to ridicule; and, overstatement refers to a hyperbole
(178). Double entendre is the main type of verbal irony found in Lysistrata. The analysis of women
empowerment considers the sexual language with which women address men and other women as an
example of their empowerment. Yet, these attitudes and language actually transmit a double entendre
message to create a humorous environment For example, when Lysistrata meets Lampito and her
companion, Lysistrata and Calonice address to them by saying, quote... (citation page). Long quote
and then add.

This part of the dialogue is an example of double entendre. As Dover notes, this is a mockery towards
Spartan women, who coming as she does from a culture which permitted women to take physical
exercise and made them, by Greek standards, masculine women (159). Although these lines of the
dialogue seem a compliment to Lampito, in reality they are an ironic way to laugh at her. Therefore,
Aristophanes actually means to mock at Spartan women. Similarly, the Furthermore, the sexual
language as well as the sex strike might show women as empowered female who have control over
their sexuality and bodies. Nevertheless, double entendre is again present. The sexual language and sex
strike that women concoct is not a mockery at men but at women. For instance, Dover points out that
there is no lack in Lysistrata of mockery directed against women themselves; they are, as always in
comedy, bibulous and adulterous (159). Women, then, seem to be more concerned about sex than men.
In fact, men are more concerned about having to deal with women duties such as the house and babies.
Conversely, women are portrayed more sexual, and they speak with a double sense. This fact is visible
since the beginning of the play, in the dialogue between Lysistrata and Calonice.

Carranza 3
Dialogue

Evidently, the sexual tone used by women throughout the play (e.g. masturbation, coitus, and the initial
denial to participate in Lysistrata's plan) is a way to provoke laughter at them. In fact, Dover clarifies
that Greeks believed that women enjoyed sexual intercourse more than men and that had lower
resistance to sexual temptation. This aspect explains why actually women were the first to crack under
the strain of the strike before men (159-160). Therefore, the double-entendre language used by women
is intended to produce irony and provoke laughter.
Moreover, the hoaxes that women concoct are not an example of their empowerment. Instead,
Aristophanes uses women to create comical situations through irony. This other kind of irony is called
dramatic irony. According to Roberts, dramatic irony takes place when a character either has no
information about a situation or else misjudges it, but readers (and often some of the other characters)
see everything completely and correctly (180). Women, therefore, are core to convey dramatic irony in
the play. One example is the scene of Myrrhine and her husband Cinesias in which Lysistrata is again
the one that conceives the hoax. Here, readers and some other characters know that sexual intercourse
will not take place between them. Yet, Cinesias, ignorant of this information, is teased and deceived by
Myrrhine. Another exemplification of this kind of irony is the plan of Spartan women. Although since
the beginning female characters and readers know that Spartans had a similar plan, Athenians men were
unaware of this. They did not realize about it until the Spartan herald came to their city asking for the
truce. Following Roberts' definition of dramatic irony, these two situations fit adequately into that
category. As Dover adds, (pgina marcada and explain quote). Thus, since women were regarded as
inferior than men, Aristophanes utilizes them to ridicule men and create a humorous environment.
The most relevant reason to support a more contextualized analysis of Lysistrata is situational
irony. In fact, the entire play is utterly an ironic event. Roberts again provides the theory to back this

Carranza 4
assertion. Roberts explains that situational irony is the gap between what is expected and what actually
happens. In this gap, the antagonists forces can be psychological, social, cultural, political, or
environmental (179). Thus, in Lysistrata, the most important kind of irony is situational, and the
antagonist forces are mainly social, cultural, and political. The idea of women empowerment does not
take into account either this gap or the forces that produce it. As was introduced in the first paragraph,
Greek had a patriarchal organization, where women were regarded as less than man. This organization
is visible not only through history but also through dialogue. For example,(add quot and explain them).
Yet, their success has nothing to do with a protofeminist idea of empowerment. Conversely,
Loraux asserts that the feminist-misogynist logic overlooks that women are merely a comedic category
(129). Hence, that women are able stop war through such unusual machination is a complete ironic
circumstance. The gap consists of what is expected (men expect to continue war and women are
expected no to interfere in it) and what actually happens (women do not behave as expected and stop
war). The gap, consequently, is a way to create a humorous environment in the play.
As has been shown, by using irony, tone contributes to provoke laughter. Three types of irony
are found in Aristophanes' Lysistrata: verbal, dramatic, and situational. Women characters, contrary to
the feminist idea of empowerment, are merely a means to convey this irony and create a humorous
environment. Irony then creates a humorous environment because it provides an object to laugh at
(women and sexual stereotypes about them), disproportion and incongruity (sex strike), and unexpected
situations (women stop war). This means that the feminist idea of women empowerment is an out-ofcontext analysis; it is a twentieth-century perspective. This perspective, however, is inaccurate. A
properly contextualized analysis suggests that Lysistrata carries a pacifist theme instead of a feminist
idea.

Carranza 5
Aristophanes did not intended to transmit a feminist idea of empowerment is women's attitudes towards
sex.

Garden
Calonice pidiendo

Carranza 6
Works Cited

Carranza 7
Always try to start with the subject, where the noun phrase should be larger than the adjectival structure
or adverbial. Before all and add context from ideological reading.The feminist idea of women
empowerment is an out-of-context analysis, a twentieth-century perspective. This perspective, however,
is inaccurate. Manicheaism. Thus, women, who did not play a role either in war or theater, are merely
an instrument that Aristophanes uses to convey irony and provoke laughter.

as found in Lysistrata, during war time, women were onl three basic roles: Examples of who and what
they say. However, thesis, support for thesis.

Write briefly, concisely, and straightforwardly.

Avoid wordiness.
Make a clear argumentative thesis statement
Escribir plays a alguien de produccin audiovisual. Al inicio tendr que ser de a gratis.
In the play, tone contributes to create a humorous environment because/in/as/since/
Look for more books on how to analyze plays.
Try to keep passive voice at minimum
Instead of attacking the whole sector, attack the idea itself.
Avoid expletives and void pronouns. Try to refer to concrete ideas.

Carranza 8

TS: Contrary to the feminist idea of women empowerment, Lysistrata should be analyzed from a
more contextualized point of view. Instead, tone uses women to convey irony, thereby creating a
humorous environment in the play.
Introduction: Present feminist idea and restate thesis. More than genre theory, Aristophanes was an
advocate of peace. Manichaeism
Body:
Context with women
Introduction to types of irony and how they are used to create a humorous environment with examples
of course:
Compromise it does present war from women's eyes
Situational
Cosmic
Etc.

Brief explanation of the feminist idea

Take context into account

Carranza 9
Types of irony and how they are used with women
The use of sex to express irony and humor.
Ridiculize men.