Withholding sex to end the Peloponnesian war; Lysistrata, Aristophanes

 Why you might read Lysistrata?

Lysistrata is a satirical look at the end of the Peloponnesian war. It uses a slightly absurd premise to show the absurdity of the war. As such it is early anti-war propaganda and gives us insight into the war-weariness of the Athenians.

In my Self Education project, it is a great contrast to the history of the Peloponnesian war. It gives a more human view of the war.

Story of Lysistrata

Lysistrata is a play in two acts with one scene in the first and two in the second act. Lysistrata gets together women of Athens, Sparta, and some of the other states involved in the war. With them, she hatches a plan to end the war. She gets them to all swear to withhold sex from their husbands until the war is ended. They then lock themselves in Athena's temple and wait. Some old men immediately try and smoke them out but the women of the city come to their aid and dump water on the men.

Five days later they are still there and the men are getting desperate. One of the women's husbands comes to the temple and tries to get her to sleep with him. She leads him on and then runs back into the temple. The men eventually settle the peace and wives and husbands join in joyous singing then head home.

Reflections on Lysistrata

It is interesting how much power the women have in this play. There are often male characters that try and tell them they have nothing to do with the war. They tell them it is their business and proceed to bring the peace. Aristophanes writes them as powerful in an age where their power was around the homestead. The men he writes are uncomfortable with the change but the women succeed anyway.

Aristophanes writes the female characters as just as interested and needing sex as their male counterparts. This reminds us that the ancient Greeks saw women as the more sexually driven gender. This is contrary to modern societal thought.

What others have to say about Lysistrata

"The name Lysistrata can be translated as “releaser of war” or “army disbander”" From Classical literature

"Further, by occupying the Acropolis, home of the Athenian treasury, the women controlled access to the money necessary to finance the war." From World History Encyclopedia

Comparisons with other texts

Like The Acharnians this is an anti-war piece. They both poke fun at the war and in the war-weariness of the people of Athens. In The Acharnians this is done through an old man suing for his own peace. In Lysistrata, it is the women who take charge of bringing the war to an end.

Unlike The History of the Peloponnesian War, this play does suggest an end to the war. Where Thucydides' work cuts off abruptly in the later war and does not show us the resolution. That being said Lysistrata is clearly satire and while the war truly ended there is no way this was the reason.

Conclusion

Lysistrata is a slightly crude romp through war-weariness. It gives the women the power to end the war through unconventional means. Again it is satire and more a commentary on how over the war the average Athenian was with the war by the time it ended. 

Have you read Lysistrata? If so what did you think of it? 
 
Want to read Lysistrata but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of Lysistrata. 

The ridiculousness of the new Socratic ideas; The Clouds, Aristophanes

 Why you might read The Clouds?

The Clouds is a fun look at the idea of the Old and the New way. The uncertainty that it brings and focuses on the worries of the traditionalist. It takes a look at how Socrates' school was seen at least by some as a threat to their way of life.

In my Self Education project, it is a nice change from the super-serious greek plays we have encountered so far. It also gives insight into how dissent was portrayed in the ancient Greek world.

The story of The Clouds

The Clouds is a play in two acts. The first act is in three scenes while the second is a single scene. It is broadly about the folly of the, at the time new, Socratic thought.

The first act starts with Strepsiades failing to sleep because of the debts his son is racking up. These are coming due for interest that very day. Strepsiades wakes his son and tries to convince him to go to the school of Philosophy next door. His son won't and goes to race his horses instead. Strepsiades decides to go to the school himself. Here he meets the new gods the clouds. After a fairly brief time there leaves as Socrates cannot get him to remember anything. He returns having convinced his son to go to the school. He then asks Socrates to teach his son the arguments right and wrong. If he can only remember one let it be wrong so he can win the argument with those who hold his debt and get out of paying.

The second act starts with Strepsiades' son returning from school. Between him and his father, they argue their way out of the debts that were due. Strepsiades is then hit by his son who uses the wrong argumentation to justify his actions. He then goes on to justify that he should also hit his mother. Strepsiades takes a servant with tools and a torch and gets him to pull up the roof which he then sets on fire. He does this as vengeance for the corruption of his son.

Reflections on The Clouds

This is another satire. This time as a political narrative of the times in Athens. The Socratic way of thinking was new and untested. Many, including Aristophanes, wondered if it would corrupt the youth and threaten their way of life.

The fourth wall breaks with Socrates appealing to the audience is quite interesting. Aristophanes is the earliest in my list that we have seen characters break with the play and acknowledge the audience. It is a device we still see today in the tradition of pantomime. It is also occasionally seen in TV shows.

It is also of interest that Strepsiades is keen for his son to learn the way of wrong when it suits him. Showing that breaking a moral compass may have immediate returns but it always comes back to bite us. His son is neither moral nor immoral as a character before his education. It is his father's choice of education that sets him on this immoral path.

What others have to say about The Clouds

"The 'new education' that the sophists at the 'Thinkery' pioneer represents the first stirrings of scientific theories that were circulating in Athens at the time of the play's production in the fifth century BCE." From Spark Notes

"Aristophanes' comedies were seen as a masterful blend of wit and invention. Often criticized for their crude humor and suggestive tone, his plays were popular among the Athenian audiences. However, to his many critics, he brought Greek tragedy down from the high levels of such tragedians as Aeschylus with his use of parody, satire, and vulgarity. " From World History Encyclopedia

Comparisons with other texts

Like The Acharnians, The Clouds is mainly Satire. Here though the focus is on the fight between the old and the new. By contrast, The Acharnians is dissent against the war with Sparta.

By contrast one of Euripides' plays, for example, Orestes is a lot more serious and tragic. While both end with death the tone of The Clouds is a lot more jovial. It feels as if Aristophanes is having a lot more fun with his audience by not being so lofty with his storytelling.

Conclusion

The Clouds is a satirical play that explores the idea of the new way against the old way. It centers around a father and son. The son eventually goes to the Socratic thinkery. He comes out corrupted and argumentative. This is what the father wanted to escape his creditors. It is not long however until the son turns this against his father. 

Have you read The Clouds? If so what did you think of it? 
 
Want to read The Clouds but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of The Clouds. 

Poking fun at the Peloponnesian war in Athens; The Acharnians, Aristophanes

Why you might read The Achanians?

The Achanians is the first political Satire on the list. As such it is both an interesting read and a step in the development of the play. As well as being the start of satire as a way to criticize the ruling powers.

For my Self Education project, it is a great stepping stone toward modern plays and modern satire.

Story of The Achanians

The Achanians is a two Act play with two distinct scenes. The first is in the Pynx where the Assembly meets in Athens. The second is in front of our main character Dikaiopolis' house. 

The first act starts with Dikaiopolis sitting in the Pynx waiting for everyone to show up. He waits even though he arrived on time. He laments how no-one seems to take it seriously.  The others, including the council, arrive and the session is started. There are delegates from Persia who Dikaiopolis speaks against. Then delegates from Thrace are seen and again Dikaiopolis speaks against them.

The scene shifts to in front of Dikaiopolis' house. Here Dikaiopolis gets a friend to go to Sparta and sue for a personal peace. The friend returns with three different wineskins representing three different durations of peace. He chooses the longest one. He is then accosted by the chorus as a traitor but talks his way out of being stoned to death.

The second act starts with  Dikaiopolis setting up a market outside his house. In his market, there is only one exemption that the hero Lamachus cannot buy. He allows Boethians and Megarians to trade though they are banned in the rest of Athens. He sells first to a Magarian who sells him, two girls. He then sells an Informer to a Boethian. Both times Informers try and disrupt the sale and confiscate the goods. Both times Dikaiopolis sends them on their way. The play ends with Lamachus being called to war and Dikaiopolis being called to a feast. Lamachus returns injured and dismayed. While Dikaiopolis returns full of wine having triumphed in the drinking contest.

Reflections on The Achanians

It is interesting to read the first real piece of satire and dissonance. Here we have one old man going against the mainstay of Athens during the Peloponnesian war. He even sues for his own peace and argues for the Spartan side of the war as valid. He just wants to live the simple life and the war to go away.  The whole thing seems to be, especially the end part, a stick in the eye for anyone thinking this time was about glory in Athens.

Our main character is a nobody, he is just a farmer stuck in Athens. All of Attica was in Athens as the Spartans were raiding around the countryside for years on end. Aristophanes puts this nobody up against the assembly. And then against other Athenian citizens who were for the war. Yet he and his personal peace with Sparta come through intact. Everything comes out rosey for our nobody.

From a little digging, it looks like this was actually written at the time of the war. It was also performed at the time. As such it really is a political Satire of the war.

What others have to say about The Achanians

"Produced at the Lenaea in 425 BC, The Acharnians is the third play composed by Aristophanes, his earliest extant work, and the earliest Ancient Greek comedy that has survived entirely intact to this day." From Greek Mythology

"The play is notable for its absurd humour and its imaginative appeal for an end to the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans, which was already into its sixth year when the play was produced." From Ancient Literature

Comparisons with other texts

Unlike the History of the Peloponnesian War, this text is a commentary aimed at putting an end to the war. The history of the Peloponnesian war covers the entire war. By contrast, this text captures a snapshot after 6 years. They clearly cover the same event but in various styles. Thucydides is trying to report true history. Aristophanes on the other hand is conveying dissent to the war as it is going on. 

We can also look at The Suppliant Women by Euripides. This was a far more serious play and a tragedy. By comparison, The Acharnians is a comedy in both the traditional and modern sense. Its absurdist humor shines through every stage of the play. And as such, it was an interesting read.

Conclusion

The Acharnians is a play in two acts. It is a piece of satire and political dissent. As such it is a much easier read than some of the plays covered so far. It pokes fun at the first six years of the Peloponnesian war. It even takes shots at the leaders and generals of the war. 

Have you read The Acharnians? If so what did you think of it? 
 
Want to read The Acharnians but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of The Acharnians.