The Historical Background of the Play Lysistrata by Aristophanes - Literature review Example

Introduction In this paper, I am discussing the play “ Lysistrata by Aristophanes” which is a ic Greek comedy play that is humorous, sexually explicit and bawdy. This play was a subject matter in the ancient times as it was the most sexually focused comedy of its time. The play is centred on Athenian women who were tired of Peloponnesian war. The play can be absurd for many as it has many situations where there is much sexual explanation which can be bold and sultry. I would look at the play from many angles like historical, contemporary and production basis. The play Lysistrata by Aristophanes is a combination of intense sexual depiction and creative spirit. The play contains nudity, sexual interaction and secuction. The play has significant historic value and needs more thinking and analysis to understand its true meaning. The play was orchestrated in Athens in the front of Acropolis gate and has many characters aligned in it. As a part of research, the historical background of the play would be looked in to. Then how the play influenced the contemporary world to stage it in a different dimension will be looked in to. This would help to understand how the play has relevance to history then and now. A play is written always with an intricate message and with an interest to raise ideas and thought in human. With the exploration of this play, I would correlated its historical, cotemporary and production implications. Lysistrata – A historical Glimpse This play by Aristophanes happened during the 427 to 387 BCE which is in the times of Socrates and Thucydides. It was a generation behind Euripides and Sophocles. Aristophanes was a person who lived before Plato and he had put on at least forty plays of which eleven survived to modern times. To understand the play Lysistrata , one must look in to the history of Peloponnesian war during the time of Aristophanes. The Peloponnesian war is name given to the contest between the Peloponnesian confederacy and the Athens led by Spartans. The war was driven by jealousy on either side for reigning in Greece. In 445 BCE, two of these declared war but the Corcyreans requested Athens to assist them and a fleet was sent to them. But it was too late as the Athens started atrocities towards Corcyreans and they had to resort of Peloponnesian confederacy at Sparta. Since Athenians started the war, Spartan determined to wage a war against them. Aristophanes wanted to cease the war as he was a propagator of peace and for this cause he wanted to use women to invade Acropolis as they were considered as a lowest of creatures during Greek period. Aristophanes was commenting that the war was foolishness and a foolish creature like women can suggest the men what to do at war. Such an indication can be seen in the play ,however Aristophanes was condemning war through his drama. While it is true that women were considered low in Greek society, Aristophanes regarded them as somewhat intelligent. In the play, the women’s extraordinary effort to end the war is the theme. In the play, a woman called Lysistrata persuades other Greek women to stay away from their husband and lovers and object their sexual advances. Which means they wanted to provoke the men to cease was obviously an intimidation. So we can see that, the play has a direct connection with history. Greece being the centre of Western philosophy and ideology, the play has lot of significance to modern literary world. Also, the antiquity of the play makes it more appealing. This play occurred many centuries back and has many ideal and beliefs to impart to the literary world. The war between the Athens and the Spartans marks history and the play depicts the attitude of people in Greek in those times. We get to understand how the Ancient Greeks viewed women and how they perceived sex and social values from the play. From the historical point of view, Lysistarta has played an important role in controlling men from retrieving from war as she influenced other women to act upon men to withdraw from battle. Thus, the historical background of the play has a prominent value in ancient Greek period. As per (Allsop)“Sexual urges of Athenian women are comic portrayals and not representative of reality. Aristophanes intermingles the common place and the absurd to weave the humor of his play and in analyzing the text you can identify fragments of reality”. Contemporary Adaptation A literary adventure which occurred recently is the play laid down by Chance Theatre in their Broadway show at Palme aver. This is a musical theatre called “ Lysistrata Jones” in which Douglas Carter and Lewis Flinn take an ancient Greek comic play by Aristophane transformed in to a modern college scenario. I feel it is an amazing atmosphere where one can understand a lot about the sexual behaviour and exploitation of the youth. It is a college atmosphere of the modern America. In this musical theatre show, one can see various shades of the source play throughout which is breathtaking. As per ( Marchese) “ In the update, Lysistrata Jones (Devon Hadsell), a cheerleader at Athens University, urges her peers to do the same until their boyfriends, the starting five of the college basketball team, win a game – something the school’s team has failed to do for 33 years”. This play has a theme which gives importance to the self image of people and choices they make in their teenage life. The college love affairs, sports team, and gender war are all the part of the play. And I basically feel that in a college atmosphere girls do manipulate boys in different ways which is the idea of this musical play. The satirical and emotional play does depict women as powerful and beautiful and has brought about the real essence of the original play by Aristophanes. Also when the play is analysed from the contemporary standpoint there can be many platforms where it might gained potential. Lysistrata is a famous play which has female embodiment and for this very reason many women in the modern times have been inspired by it. Recently, a comedy adaptation play called “Lysistrata : A Women’s Translation” had made waves in artistic world. The classic comedy by Drue Robinson is hilarious which talks about the ancient Greek women who strike with sex to gain peace. This is a clever well crafted play which intent to impart a message to the world that women have a power which is not attainable to the male. This play staged at New York is a kind of remembrance of the Greek culture and today people take pride in the way Greek utilized their tactics and sexual potency in averting a harmful event in history. The play gives a new dimension to the play where the world can see the way ancient people perceived sex and how they manipulated women and sex to attain their objective. The biggest motive to direct this play was to showcase the female power and strength. The play has been a inspiration to women as it shows how important was a woman’s role in creating history. Her beauty, grace and passion can transform men to gentle creatures. The play has shown the weaker and stronger side of women which is truly inspirational . Productionn This play was produced and staged centuries back and I think it would have been influenced by their culture, thinking, politics and costume. Now, when I look at the production, there are some interesting things to be explored. This play was produced at the end of two decade battle between Athens and Spartans and their allies. It is amazing to know that it was produced in 411 B.C, and was written in an age where war was seen as an idiocy. It was a first comedy in which women played central characters and Aristophanes wrote boldly to strike a balance between sex and war. The frankness about the play in matter of sexual context has given this play a different dimension according to my thinking. It is a brilliant production with lyric poetry and unbelievable comedy element. Like many plays of the times, a chorus – three choruses, the play gives much to action and dialogue. The average citizen of those times were staged as older men and women and all of them has a prominent role in the play which I think speaks a lot about the directorial ability of Aristophanes. The third chorus in the finale which has Spartans and there are 12 members in each main chorus but the members in the finale are unknown. The chorus could not be detailed upon as it has not survived to be explored but could have assisted the actors in speaking, singing and dancing. According to (Lindsay 4) “Featuring women who manipulate their husbands to take political action, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata might at first glance appear also to be founded on an inverted premise, unexpected to fifth-century Athenian audiences” The main female characters of the play are Lysistrata, Myrrhina Kalonike and Lampito. Lysistrata the leader of women is forceful, confident and creative and is effective because she realizes the human nature well. She is not restricted by tradition, gender or cultural aspects. I think, Kalonika and Myrrhina are both healthy and interested in sex and joins Lysistrata scheme. Lampitio on the other hand is the leader of Spartan women with a southern accent probably is blunt, honest and energetic. Another interesting character is Harmony who displays naked body to portray a statue like idea to the audience. The male characters are Cinesias, commissioner and Spartan Herald. Cinesias is the younger man who comes to Acropolis desperate for having a time with his wife whereas the commissioner is a conservative person who likes to keep women in their place. And Spartan herald is also young man who comes to Athens understanding that war is a suffrage. The Play was staged on the streets of Athens and Acropolis gate in the background as the play starts. As per ( Facciponti, 5) “The play’s action occurs on a street in Athens in front of a gate to the Acropolis, which looms in the background. As theplay begins, Lysistrata, an Athenian woman, is pacing back and forth, waiting for the women of various Greek states together to form an alliance for peace. The audience however could have been depicting a mixed feeling like shock, humor, absurdity and sexual motivations. So it is a creative production with mixture of elements like greed, violence, sex and passion. Conclusion The play Lysistrata is an age old play which has left an historical imprint on the art and literary world. When I look at the play I can see the enriched artistic and creative sprits of Greek men in the age of birth of Greek literature. It is great to understand the power of women and sex in the play and how artistically Aristophanes has blended art with history. This play is an inspiration for any artist and can replicate many plays and drama in future. The play had a setting of antiquity and has characters which showcases richness and eroticism and definitely is a grace for women. I think the unique theme of the play has brought the plays like “Lysistarta – A women’s revelation” and “ Lysistrata Jones” in contemporary world. Amazingly the character of the play has given different shaded to play with the venue and direction skill of Aristophane. This play by Aristophanes had been a literary contribution to the world with its historical and creative importance. The play has influenced many artists throughout history and had persuaded them to stage many shows which had stirred the minds of people around the world. I believe, this play “ Lysistarta” has the potentiality to bring the best out of artist in the coming decades. Work Cited Allsop, David. "Aristophanes – Lysistrata." http://davidallsopclassics.wordpress.com/. Davidallsop Classics, 2013. Web. 21 June 2014. . Facciponti, Laura. ARISTOPHANES’S LYSISTRATA. South Carolina: Penguin Books, 2002. 5. Print. Lindsay, John. "Aisthesis." Undergraduate Journal of Classical Studies 1 (2012): 1-93. Print. Marchese, Eric. "Lysistrata Jones puts modern spin on an ancient comic premise." http://www.ocregister.com. Ocregister, 2014. Web. 21 June 2014. . Read More