Lysistrata

I thoroughly enjoyed the play; however, I think the main contributor to my fascination was the reality of the world today. It is very eerie reading a play about women ending as there are evident threats of a third world war. I have been seeing posts on social media and talking to my friends about the possibility of war and our, as women, place in it. I do not think a sex strike would make a difference, at least here in the United States. However, I did look at the situation between Russia and Ukraine differently, using Lysistrata’s logic of war being for money and a male ego contest. Act 2, scene 5 has the Spartan Herold come, and the Athenian men feel emasculated in Herold’s presence. They all measure up to his standards, and with great difficulty, Socrates is the one holding the “key” (78). In some sense, Putin has felt emasculated by Ukraine and has broken the peace treaty to regain some of his power. Putin’s reasoning that Ukraine needed to be cleansed of Nazis is absurd, as President Zelensky is Jewish; therefore, there must be other reasons behind this violence. 

After the discussion on the first half of the play, I left contemplating Katie’s last question, about women in politics and women with sexual desires. I was trying to think of contemporary examples of women in politics and the many double standards surrounding female sexuality, especially in the political setting. I thought about Hillary Clinton and how she was criticized and blamed after Bill Clinton’s affair. I remember hearing people make comments about how she could not keep her husband happy, and therefore, could not keep the country happy. I feel like she was in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. If she was known for being very sexual or sexually active, she would have been criticized and not taken seriously. Monica Lewinsky’s life was shattered when the affair came out, but Bill Clinton’s life was only minorly impacted. It is interesting that women in politics and women having sexual desires are becoming less taboo in the modern world; however, when it comes to the two together, it is as taboo as it would have been in 411BCE.


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