Lysistrata #1: Power

Lysistrata’s endeavor to break the rein of war in Athens is not only an attempt to end suffering; it is also an attempt end to the sexist views of her time. It is originally thought that men are to be the leaders. Women must “sit, primped and painted, made up and dressed nice,” (18.) A woman’s only job was to exist. No opinions, no input, no leadership positions. When Lysistrata suggests that it is they, the women, who must bring peace to the land, the other women scoff at the ridiculous idea. It is unimaginable to them that a group of women could possess that amount of power. They retort with comments such as, “Now there’s a last resort.” (18.) Even when the women listen to Lysistrata’s plea to withhold sex from their husbands, they are baffled by how to do so. They express their feelings of powerless by questioning Lysistrata about what to do in certain situations. “Suppose they take us by force,” (27) “Suppose they beat us, “(28.) It seems to these women that there is no situation in which the females win.

            Despite these defenseless attitudes, Lysistrata believes they can make a difference in this war no matter what. Her plans are tactful and well thought-out. She doesn’t choose to withhold making food or cleaning the house or making clothes. Those are all things the men would eventually figure out. Lysistrata relies on the one thing that only the women can give them-sex. She knows that if every woman bands together to be abstinent, the men will go crazy and after a time they will be begging each other to end the war.