Lysistrata

Lysistrata and Other Plays by Aristophanes

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I have reviewed the Acharnians and the Clouds separately, so this review will be on this text and Lysistrata.

Lysistrata is fairly famous. It has repeatedly been made into movies, including a Spike Lee movie called “Chi-Raq.” The trope of war-weary women refusing to engage in sex with their husbands until the men call off a war, in this case, the Peloponnesian War, hits a few buttons including, ironically, both anti-war and the war between the sexes.

The play is funny. A modern reader could see this making a revival on the Catskill circuit. It has a vaudevillian quality. The jokes are in no way sophisticated. I would be censored by Amazon if I were to share some of them. Let's just say that “Spartan Walking Stick” is the punchline to one.

The translation in this text is excellent. The translator has done a lot to liven up the play by making it current and relatable. A cook is a cordon bleu and Spartans have a surprising Scottish accent.

I read this for the Online Great Book program. I am glad I did. I got a different view of Athenian society from these plays. Aristophanes was not afraid to slander other Athenians. He appears to have been a member of the “peace faction.” His plays also feature the technique of “breaking the fourth wall.” I wouldn't have expected any of these things, which goes to show how things really haven't change so much over the millenia.