1.

Lysistrata as a Leader

2. presentation of male and female

3. political theme

4. conflict between Chorus in the development of plot

Lysistrata - Lysistrata is an Athenian woman who is sick and tired

of war and the treatment of women in Athens. Lysistrata gathers the
women of Sparta and Athens together to solve these social ills and
finds success and power in her quest. Lysistrata is the least feminine
of the women from either Athens or Sparta, and her masculinity
helps her gain respect among the men..

Lysistrata is the ultimate MC (master of ceremonies) and director of

the action of Lysistrata. Continually giving direction from behind the
scenes of the action, Lysistrata not only instructs the women on how
to act, but carefully observes and coaches the women. A good
example of this "coaching" is Lysistrata's interaction with Myrrhine
when Kinesias comes to the Acropolis. Before Kinesias arrives at the
Acropolis, Lysistrata gives Myrrhine specific directions on how to
act with her husband and then watches to make sure that Myrrhine
doesn't give in to Kinesias. From her perch, Lysistrata is the
overseer of the action. Lysistrata is also separate from the action of
the play and the other women of the play because she does not
participate in either the sex strike or the seizure of the Acropolis.
While Lysistrata is the mastermind for both of these attacks, she
does not take part in them.

The separation Lysistrata achieves from the other women is

important to her rank and power with the male characters in the
play. Because Lysistrata does not exhibit any sexual desire, has no
obvious lovers or husbands, and does not purposely flirt with men,
the Commissioner and the delegates seems to give her more respect.
Lysistrata also uses different language than the other women; she is
smarter, has more wit and has a more serious tone than the others.
This too contributes to her ability as a leader of Greece. By the end
of the play, the men call upon Lysistrata to make the treaty between
Sparta and Athens. This scenario, a woman negotiating between
states, is completely fictional; in reality, women had no voting
privileges in Greece. Therefore, however put, the idea that women
could end a war was probably very silly and ridiculous to the Greek
audience members; nonetheless, Lysistrata's rejection of the
stereotypical domestic female allows her to take the stage and
achieve a real political voice in a male-dominated state.

It has also been suggested that Lysistrata was a representative of

traditional religion which also may have allowed her to be
somewhat separate or have a higher social ranking than the other
women. This theory, developed by Papadimitriou and Lewis goes as
follows. The priestess of Athena Polias was the most famous
priestess in Athens. There is significant evidence that in the late fifth
century BCE, a woman by the name of Lysimakhe held this post.

Lysimakhe was the priestess of Athena Loias for sixty-four years.

The name Lysimakhe means dissolving battles and is similar to
Lysistrata. Also, a woman by the name of Myrrhine was the priestess
of the temple of Athena Nike during the same period. It has been
suggested that the characters of Lysistrata and Myrrhine were based
on real-life priestesses. A priestess in Ancient Greece had the
privilege of performing rituals for a goddess. Evidence within the
play, such as Lysistrata's ability to call a meeting of all the women of
Greece and the fact that Lysistrata leads the women to the temple of
Athena, supports this theory.

Summary(SparkNotes)
Lysistrata has planned a meeting between all of the women of Greece to discuss
the plan to end the Peloponnesian War. As Lysistrata waits for the women of
Sparta, Thebes, and other areas to meet her she curses the weakness of women.
Lysistrata plans to ask the women to refuse sex with their husbands until a treaty
for peace has been signed. Lysistrata has also made plans with the older women of
Athens (the Chorus of Old Women) to seize the Akropolis later that day. The
women from the various regions finally assemble and Lysistrata convinces them to
swear an oath that they will withhold sex from their husbands until both sides sign
a treaty of peace. As the women sacrifice a bottle of wine to the Gods in
celebration of their oath, they hear the sounds of the older women taking the
Akropolis, the fortress that houses the treasury of Athens.

In Lysistrata there are two choruses—the Chorus of Old Men and the Chorus of
Old Women. A Koryphaios leads both choruses. The Chorus of Men is first to
appear on stage carrying wood and fire to the gates of the Akropolis. The Chorus
of Men is an old and bedraggled bunch of men who have great difficulty with the
wood and the great earthen pots of fire they carry. The men plan to smoke the
women out of the Akropolis. The Chorus of Old Women also approaches the
Akropolis, carrying jugs of water to put out the men's fires. The Chorus of Old
Women is victorious in the contest between the choruses and triumphantly pours
the jugs of water over the heads of the men. The Commissioner, an appointed
magistrate, comes to the Akropolis seeking funds for the naval ships. The
Commissioner is surprised to find the women at the Akropolis and orders his
policemen to arrest Lysistrata and the other women. In a humorous battle, that
involves little physical contact, the policemen are scared off. The Commissioner
takes the opportunity to tell the men of Athens that they have been too generous
and allowed too much freedom with the women of the city. As the policemen run
off, the Commissioner and Lysistrata are left to argue about the Peloponnesian
War. Lysistrata argues that the War is a concern for women especially and she
adds her two cents as to how the city should be run, drawing an elaborate analogy
to show that Athens should be structured as a woman would spin wool. Lysistrata
tells the Commissioner that war is a concern of women because women have
sacrificed greatly for it—women have given their husbands and their sons to the
effort. Lysistrata adds that it is now difficult for a woman to find a husband. The
women mockingly dress the Commissioner as a woman.

The next day, or perhaps some considerable time afterwards, the sex-strike devised
at the beginning of the text, begins to take effect on the men. Lysistrata spots
Kinesias, husband of Myrrhine, approaching the Akropolis. Kinesias has a full
erection and is desperate for his wife. Myrrhine refuses to have intercourse with
Kinesias until peace exists between Athens and Sparta. Kinesias tells Myrrhine that
her child needs her, he needs her and he loves her and Myrrhine pretends to listen
to his frustrated pleas. Myrrhine hints that she might make love to Kinesias, but
delays by going repeatedly into the Akropolis to fetch things to make the couple
comfortable. As Kinesias promises to only think about a treaty of peace for Athens
and Sparta, Myrrhine disappears into the Akropolis and leaves her husband in great
pain.

A Spartan Herald approaches the Akropolis and he, like Kinesias, suffers an
erection. The Spartan describes the desperate situation of his countrymen and
pleads for a treaty. Delegations from both states then meet at the Akropolis to
discuss peace. At this point, all of the men have full erections. Lysistrata comes out
of the Akropolis with her naked handmaid, Peace. While the men are fully
distracted by Peace, Lysistrata lectures them on the need for reconciliation between
the states of Greece. Lysistrata reasons that because both Athens and Sparta are of
a common heritage and because they have previously helped one another and owe
a debt to one another, the two sides should not be fighting. Using Peace as a map
of Greece, the Spartan and Athenian leaders decide land rights that will end the
war. After both sides agree, Lysistrata gives the women back to the men and a
great celebration ensues. The play ends with a song sung in unison by the Chorus
of Old Men and the Chorus of Old Women while everyone dances.

Summary(Shmoop)
It's 411BCE and Athens is locked in the grip of a terrible war with Sparta.
Although the war has been going on for years, things have recently taken a bad
turn for Athens: they suffered a serious defeat in Sicily just two years before.

Peace is starting to look real good.

That, at least, is the opinion of Lysistrata, a middle-class housewife from Athens.

The play begins on the day of a meeting organized by Lysistrata. In attendance at
the meeting are women from Athens and other cities, including Sparta. At the
meeting, Lysistrata announces her plan: the women should all refuse to have sex
with their husbands until their husbands end the war. To make sure the sex-strike is
effective, they will doll themselves up with makeup and put on their skimpiest
clothes, to drive their husbands wild with desire.

Lysistrata also explains that she's sent a contingent of women to occupy the
Acropolis (the government center) of Athens. Once they've seized control of the
treasury, the women will be able to cut off the money supply for the war. After
some debate, the women swear an oath that they will follow Lysistrata's plan.
Lysistrata and the Athenian women go to join the other women on the Acropolis.
The foreign women go back to their home cities.
The Chorus of Men shows up; basically this is a bunch of old Athenian geezers.
They have come with fire to smoke the women out of the Acropolis. In no time,
however, the Chorus of Women shows up carrying buckets of water. After the
Women's Leader drenches the Men's Leader, the city's Magistrate shows up to
investigate. Lysistrata comes out of the Acropolis and explains what she's doing.
After a testy exchange, the humiliated Magistrate runs off to complain to the other
magistrates.

Lysistrata and the women go back into the Acropolis, leaving the Men's Chorus
and Women's Chorus to annoy and insult each other through song and dance. Then
Lysistrata reemerges from the Acropolis to complain that the women are all trying
to run off and have sex with their husbands; we see her catch three women in the
act. Goodness! We're clutching our pearls over here.

After another bout of conflict between the Men's Chorus and the Women's Chorus,
the women see a man approaching the Acropolis, visibly aroused. It's Cinesias, the
husband of Myrrhine, one of the women on the sex-strike. After some coaxing,
Myrrhine agrees to go down and see her husband.

Cinesias complains that the house is a wreck and he doesn't know how to take care
of the baby (which he is carrying). But what Cinesias really wants is sex. Myrrhine
pretends to give in, and Cinesias sends the baby home. But every time it looks like
they are about to have sex, Myrrhine pretends that something is missing: a bed, a
mattress, a pillow, some perfume. At the very last minute, she runs back into the
Acropolis, leaving Cinesias bewildered, and still painfully aroused.

Cinesias and the Men's Chorus swap horror stories about their sexual frustration.
Then, a Herald shows up from Sparta. He, too, is sporting a visible erection.
Realizing that the women's sex-strike is an international conspiracy, Cinesias sends
the Herald back to Sparta with a message of peace. Cinesias runs off to bear the
same message to the Athenian officials. Hearing this, the Women's Leader makes
friends with the Men's Leader, and the two Choruses merge into one.

The Spartan and Athenian Delegates show up. Lysistrata arrives to help broker the
peace, and calls on a friend for help: the goddess of Reconciliation, who takes the
form of a naked girl. Lysistrata lectures the two sides on the foolishness of warring
against each other; they agree with her—mainly because they both lust after
Reconciliation.
Eventually, a deal is reached, and the two sides go off to have a party. The play
ends with demonstrations of dancing from both sides, in a gesture of unity, trust,
and friendship.

Chorus of Old Men & Chorus of Old Women

The Chorus of Lysistrata is split into two, the Chorus of Men and the Chorus of
Women. The two choruses, both old and fragile, are incredibly comic elements of
the text. As the members of the choruses have all reached and passed their prime,
there is little sexual tension between the rival groups. It is obvious that Lysistrata
sends the Old women of Athens to take the Akropolis because they will be of no
use in the sex strike. Ironically, the Chorus of Women proves more useful than the
younger groups of sex striking ladies. The Chorus of Women not only takes the
Akropolis, but also is able to defend it against the Chorus of Men. The Chorus of
Men, in the style of Kinesias, is rather dumb and is completely overwhelmed by
the women who beat them physically and mentally. The action and relationship
between the two choruses parallels the action of the story; as tensions between men
and women increase, so does the fighting between the choruses. When peace is
declared, the choruses join together as one. This dynamic between the male and
female choruses also reveals the dependency between the domestic and political
lives of the Athenian people. Like Sparta and Athens, like Myrrhine and Kinesias,
like the Koryphaios of Men and the Koryphaios of Women, the choruses find
reconciliation when the state declares peace. The Choruses also serve to place the
events of the story within the Greek religious and historical tradition. The songs of
the men and women constantly refer to other mythological and historical events
that are like those that happen on stage.