Desire and Sexuality as main themes in Aristophanes Lysistra
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines desire as the verb "to desire" which in the Scriptures usually means "to long for," "to ask for," "to demand," while the Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines desire as “to long or hope for : exhibit or feel desire for” . Desire, translated into human behavior and action, is described by the great philosopher Plato (427-347 BC) as mans lowest attribute. The appetitive soul (emotion or desire) is the portion of each of us that wants and feels many things. In Aristophanes’ (450 BC - 388 BC) Lysistrata , the theme of desire is given a new meaning, namely: the desire for sex. In this paper I intend to show how desires new meaning is exaggerated by the playwright to produce a comedy. According to Aristotle (384-322 BCE) “comedy is an imitation of inferior people – not, however, with respect to every kind of defect: the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful.” In Lysistrata the “inferior” people are the women. Aristophanes takes women, who at the time were considered to be a lower class of society, and gives them a leader (Lysistrata) who will end a war by withholding sex. The idea of women ending the war is a disgraceful concept related
Plato, in the Republic, speaks of desires as a sin because when one desires or craves a certain pleasure, especially sex, he or she become enslaved
Some topics in this essay:
Plato Republic,
Ladies Comforters,
Bed Bed”,
According Aristotle,
Challenges Lysistrata,
English Dictionary,
BC Lysistrata,
Athens Sparta,
Bible Encyclopedia,
theme desire,
desire driven,
play aristophanes,
desire sex,
defines desire,
five women,
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Approximate Word count = 997
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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