Lysistrata And Sappho

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The poems by Sappho and Aristophanes’ Lysistrata do strongly suggest that men and women live in the same world, however they do not share the same values. In both the poems of Sappho and Lysistrata the men and women are at a crossroads with the Trojan war. The men are glory hungry, and go off often to fight and bring home the spoils of war. And the women are left at home, to continue their day to day lives without their husbands. This leads to feelings of frustration for both sexes. The men value war and glory, the women value love and peace. In Sappho’s poem Some there are who say that the fairest thing seen Sappho openly mocks the men’s warrior culture. In one stanza she states, “…I would rather see before my eyes than Lydia’s chariots in all the glory armed for battle.” [339]. The meaning of this stanza could be that she would rather look upon the face of her lover than see the chariots of battle. Unlike men, who according to Sappho, who would much rather go to war than be with their lovers. The evidence to support this statement is implied through other Greek poetry, such as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. In Aristophanes’ Lysistrata the tension between men and women is the main focus of the drama. The women are frustrated that their men are not being attentive to their needs, and the men are frustrated that the women are not meeting their sexual needs. This is a comical element to the drama, however it does prove once again that men and women did not have the same value. To best demonstrate this Lysistrata voices her frustration by saying, “And as for lovers, there’s not even a ghost of one left. Since the Milesians revolted from us…” [470]. She then says that she has a plan to end the war, withhold sex from the men, “…if we are to force our men to make peace, we must do without.” [470]. This idea seems far-fetched, however in the end it works out. Which kept
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