Lysistrata: a Tale of Perseverance (blog post 4)

 

VS.

Success is not an accolade easily achieved. To become triumphant, determination is a necessity. The most difficult part of Lysistrata’s plan is perseverance. The women's success is largely a result of Lysistrata’s perseverance herself. She knows her plan is risky due to the amount of sacrifice the women must make however, she consistently encourages the wives to avoid their husbands and suppress their inner desires. The women withhold a tainted reputation of perseverance. In their past efforts, “perseverance” eventually lead to either apathy or stubbornness. Women became too lazy to follow through or demanded that peace was not worth the expense. Nonetheless, Lysistrata continues her course of action even when she believes she has “lost [her] grip on the girls- they’re mad for men!” (70).  Many of the wives face this temptation, enough to even lie to Lysistrata about why they were in such a hurry to return home. They formulate creative excuses: wool in need of protection from moths, flax in need of shucking, and a fetus in need of birth (70-71). She relentlessly opposes these fallacies until she proves to the Magistrate and the other men who try to squash their efforts that the woman will prevail. To further ignite the willpower of the women, Lysistrata reads from the oracle, “But when the swallows… stoutly eschew their accustomed perch on a pole… then shall Thunderer Zeus… establish a stop, by making the lower the upper” (74). Myrrhine eventually transforms into the epitome of persistence when she “[sears] him with kisses, coyness, caresses, everything- but [stops] where [their] Oath begins,” (78).