Play for study: Lysistrata

Lysistrata is a long-established set text for Edexcel at A Level. The anti-war comedy is set against the backdrop of the Peloponnesian wars which raged for nearly 30 years between the Ancient Greeks. Written by Aristophanes and believed to have been first performed in 411BC, it follows the women of opposing Athenian and Spartan sides attempting to bring an end to the fighting. As a way to incite reconciliation, the women withdraw all sexual privileges from the men, persuaded to do so by the eponymous character, Lysistrata. As the men become increasingly frustrated by their enforced abstinence they enter into negotiations, eventually bringing about resolution to the war and unity between the sexes. Yet, as scholars have argued, the ‘make love not war’ message which dominates many interpretations masks a more serious political point; the infighting renders Greece weak, which was useful for their foreign enemies. A message that perhaps has renewed relevance on the current world stage riddled by war and political squabbling.