Lysistrata is a play by Aristophanes about a woman named Lysistrata who leads the women of Greece in withholding sex from their husbands as a means to end the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. The women deny the men intimacy and humiliate them until the men can no longer take it and agree to sign a peace treaty, ending the long-running conflict. The play comments on themes of women disobeying men, achieving peace, and how women may have more wisdom about ending war despite living in a male-dominated society.

1. LYSISTRATA By Aristophanes Sarah Meek History 4 Dr. Arguello

2. About Aristophanes 448 B.C. – 385B.C. Famous Greek comedy play-writer Known as The Father of Comedy The Prince of Ancient Comedy In his plays he tries to recreate life in Athens Little is known of him The information obtained from him was mostly from his plays

3. Lysistrata This play was about a girl named Lysistrata She wants to end the Peloponnesian War She rounds up all the women from all over Greece She asks them to deny sex from their husbands until their make a treaty to end the war While denying the men sex, the woman humiliate them as well In the end the men can not take it anymore and sign a treaty to end the war

4. Themes Obedience The women in this play to a big risk by disobeying the men Women never did it in this era and it made the men shocked Peace Aristophanes created this play to bring peace to the people of Greece The fighting was not worth the outcome Too much time and too many deaths Women's knowledge Though men rank higher, women have more common sense about peace and how to get it

5. Peloponnesian War What caused it Athens and Sparta jealousy over one another's power of Greece Made all the states in Greece divide Though at one point the two made up a truce Sparta heard that Athens broke their truce and once again a fight broke out between the two Aristophanes actually wrote this play to try and bring peace to all of Greece, and bring a much needed laughs along the way