Comedic Conventions
Aristophanes was the face of comedy in ancient Greece. He mastered the style of Old Comedy and wrote plays that were clear, yet innovative. In Lysistrata, he used personalized techniques to write a play with two choruses, blatant symbolism, and metatheatrical undertones.
Taking place during the Peloponnesian War, this play was extremely relevant to the Athenian public. In spite of its importance, Aristophanes made it funny using an Old Comedy technique; parody. For example, the end of Lysistrata parodies Spartan song and dance (Ley 59). The Athenians had made peace with Sparta, but it was still okay to make fun of them. Old Comedy was known for its rough language and candid subject matter (Newiger 100).
It was obvious to the Athenian people what they were watching, but Aristophanes made sure to keep them on their toes with Lysistrata. The major change he made with this play was the divided chorus. There are two choruses, one consisting of old men and the other of old women. Normally, there is one chorus of fifteen men, including the Koryphaios (Wiles 134). In Lysistrata, however, there are twelve men and twelve women who unite at the very end of the play (Wiles 136). When they finally combine, they start with, “Gentlemen, we are not preparing to utter a single ill word against any citizen: no, our intent is to say and do all the good we can, for the troubles already on our hands are enough” (qtd. in Norwood 246). These choruses consist only of old people, so they carry with them a sense of history and charm. A good example of their kindness is how the two choruses combine before the Spartans and Athenians do. Having seen so much history, they understand how important peace is (Norwood 247). They feel that life is short, and stubborn fighting is pointless.
With a chorus, any play automatically becomes metatheatrical. The audience is brought out of the action of the play and into awareness of environment. In Lysistrata, “…the choral odes are closely integrated with the episodes” (Spatz 92). This means it is not easy for auditors to forget where they are; the theatre. Aristophanes’ Lysistrata was not accidentally metatheatrical. When the choruses are not speaking, the role reversal of the men and women ensues. Lysistrata’s plan to take over the acropolis and thus force the men into submission is “play-acting” (Taaffe 106). This gender swap forced the audience, conscious of its location in the theatre, to view the comedic action objectively.
The women playing “men,” or powerful women, in the acropolis is highly symbolic. The role reversal is represented when the chorus of old men tries to burn the women out of the acropolis. Throughout the play, “…the gates of the citadel represent the female gates of love shut tight against any warrior’s phallus” (Spatz 96). Aristophanes purposefully gave the chorus of men sticks of fire to put into women’s space. It is theatrical tactics like these that gave Aristophanes the step up in competitions. He raised the bar in Grecian comedy, and his judges and audiences were grateful for the clarity he provided. While his play is in the style of Old Comedy, Aristophanes innovated choral, metatheatrical, and symbolic conventions.
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