Athenian Women

As we begin to put the first scene on its feet, I am realizing how important it is that we separate Athenian and contemporary women. As we are trying to create a piece of theatre close to that of its original production, I'd like you all to take a moment to read about the women we are bringing back to life. Read carefully, and my hope is that you can apply this information to your work tonight.


*Men: It is vital that you read this as well!

Athenian Women

     Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Lysistrata is the first extant Greek comedy to use female characters as lead parts (Taaffe 105). Not only do the women speak a lot in this play, they harness the power to initiate change. However, Lysistrata is not a feminist play. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Aristophanes had no intention of advocating the political, social, or economic rights of women.

     Women are different in Lysistrata. The ladies like Myrrhine and Lampito were unlike any typical Athenian woman. By law, women were considered, “incapable of a self-determined act, as almost… an un-person, outside the limits of those who constitute society’s responsible and representative agents” (Bowie 95). They were not to attend the ekklesia, or citizen assembly, and therefore had no right to speak publicly or vote (Just 13). It was generally considered the man’s job to find a wild young woman and tame her. Women can be dangerous if they threaten to tamper with the stability of the husband-wife relationship, but they are necessary in the cycle of life (Bowie 96).

     The only valid female opinions laid in matters of family. They were expected to stay quiet in the gunaikeion, which was the women’s quarters of a house (Bowie 95). This is why, in Lysistrata, the women were not used to speaking out. The action that takes place in the beginning of the play is exciting, yet scary, because they are voicing their opinions for the first time.

     It was entertaining for Aristophanes’ audience to see the role-play that takes place in Lysistrata. The women use their womanly wiles to control the men. In a way, they must become more feminine to achieve masculine organization and tactics (Spatz 93). Lysistrata’s name promotes this idea, in that it literally translates to “dissolver of armies” (Wiles 68). Her title implies her eventual success, and therefore her masculine ability to carry out a plan. The women “…become, more and more, emblems of a male vision of femininity” (Taaffe 105). In return, the men are pushed into stereotypical female roles. They become homebound with the children, needy, and easily swayed. They will give up their political power to have their wives back in the home with them (Taaffe 106).

     While the husbands' giant erections and the metatheatrical “role playing” are amusing, the real entertainment lies in the general upset of hierarchy. In a clearly patriarchal society, a woman who maintains even an ounce of authority is laughable. It is as if a slave were in power, making demands of his master (Bowie 96). All the women wanted was a peaceful reinstating of ideal marriages (Taaffe 106). Once the Spartan and Athenian men end the war, they all reunite with their wives to ensure the patriarchal hierarchy. Kinesias uses his child as a guilt trip to get Myrrhine to come back home. He asks her, “Where is your maternal instinct?” and demands, “Come down here, dear. For the baby’s sake” (Aristophanes 82). Myrrhine shows her affection toward the child, but keeps her promise to Lysistrata. The child bit is funny, “but its presence does reinforce the association between marriage and survival” (Spatz 99).

     The women were not after permanent power. They could barely control their sex drives long enough for the men to sign a peace treaty (Spatz 93). In the eleventh scene, Lysistrata demonstrates how none of her women want to stay in the acropolis. One woman proclaims, “What shall I do? My flax! I left and forgot to peel it” (Aristophanes 71). Lysistrata sees right through her. Other women insist they are pregnant, confess they are scared, and complain about noises at night. This scene is key in showing that the women, although seemingly clever, are too weak to band together like men.

     As far as real Athenian women attending this play, it is not likely. Women were not often seen at the theatre, but when they were, it was usually to see tragedies (Just 14). In various Greek plays, female characters mention seeing the tragic plays of Euripides. The choruses of comedies, on the other hand, tend to address the audience as ‘men’ (Just 15). Women were frequently used and abused in comedic plots, “…as in comedy, the familiar note of misogyny is sounded, in many cases it serves more to betray the closeness of familial relationships and the practical influence of women than to express a simple disregard for the female sex” (Just 130).

     While the women in Lysistrata are groundbreaking compared to their contemporaries, it is vital to understand they were not seeking revolution. Lysistrata led her women in a sex strike to achieve “the peaceful restoration of normal life” (Bowie 185). Through their plan, entertainment arises as we watch pure symbols of femininity and masculinity swap places. The comedy stems from “…the seizure of control by one who had no legitimate claim” (Bowie 95).