How Aristophanes Satirizes the Peloponnesian War

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How Aristophanes Satirizes the Peloponnesian War
Satire is an artistic form which involves the use of literary devices such as irony, ridicule, humor, and other styles to expose human weaknesses. Authors employ this tool to bring out human frailties vividly. Though the primary aim of satire is not to bring out humor; humor captures the feelings and imaginations of the reader making them understand the subject matter more clearly.
One example of an author who has efficiently used satire is Aristophanes. In his book, Lysistrata, he uses satire to advance themes and express ideas coherently. The primary theme of the book is war. Lysistrata, the central character in the book, is contemplating on how to end the Peloponnesian War. Aristophanes skillfully satirizes the Peloponnesian War throughout the play. The aim is to show the adverse effects and futility of the war.
Most of the satire in the book revolves around women and sexuality. To understand the satire in the book better, it is essential to examine the environment and circumstances in which the book was authored. The setting was in ancient Greece when cities were competing for superiority. At the time, Sparta and Athens were perennial rivals. Cities ruled Greece. One thing that was rife during that age was male dominance. Men had all the economic and political power and the women were subjects. It was, therefore, a very uncommon thing to meet a woman standing up against men.

The background check brings us to the first instance of satire in the book.
When Lysistrata, a young Athenian wife summoned other women from the town to discuss how to end the war, she made comments which are ridiculous. They were aimed at demeaning men who according to her, were responsible for the war. She says, “You speaking in the streets, asking openly, ‘Are there any men still left here in our land?’ and someone said, ‘By God, there’s no one.’ Well then, after that it seemed to us we had to rescue Greece (Ruden 35). She suggests that there are no men left in the town. The literal meaning is not true because there were men in the city who in charge of the treasury. The other men were on the battlefield fighting and defending Athens. The comments were therefore aimed at ridiculing the men for their failure to end the war. This is why she goes ahead to suggest the idea that women should take control and end the war.
Her frustration was justified, the Peloponnesian war had brought immense suffering to the women of Athens. First of all, most men had gone out to the battlefield. This placed the responsibilities of providing for the families on women’s shoulders. The economic situation of the town had also deteriorated. Trade between Athens and other cities was impossible. The state was worsened by the fact that men, who were in charge of the treasury, had emptied the bank to finance the war. The town was, therefore, suffering economically.
The conflict that ensued can be viewed as a gender conflict as well as a conflict of class. It is clear that the men were giving their best by risking their lives on the battlefield and sacrificing the town’s fortune to win the war. The women then came up with an absurd suggestion that it is the access to the treasury that was turning the men’s heads thus their inability to end the conflict. “That’s the reason they’re always stirring up disturbances. Well, let the ones who wish to do this do what they want, but from this moment on they’ll get no more money” (Ruden 32). This accusation is derogatory and comical. It attributed the whole war to men and politician’s love for money. Even more ridiculous, are the actions that followed. The women seal off the treasury from the access of the magistrate. “Look at me, a magistrate in charge of finding and thus in need of money now—these women have shut the treasury doors to keep me out.” (Johnstone 28). This was an act of boldness and defiance. However, the idea itself and the manner in which it was executed is laughable considering that this was a time in history that men dominated. Moreover, at this time, the men were on the battlefield defending the city.
Lysistrata is the protagonist in the play. It is, hence, not a surprise that all the satire in this paper rewards around her. All her ridicule is however not aimed at men. She also ridicules her fellow women. This can be seen at the beginning of the play when she is summoning the women of the town to a meeting. Calonice and Lysistrata are discussing the ability of women to save Greece. Calonice suggests that the women of the city cannot rescue Greece because their work is to stay in the house clad in gowns of clear gold and dirty slippers. (Ruden 2) This is a sarcastic suggestion. It is meant to show that the women were not proactive enough to start a revolution.
Still, in that instance, Lysistrata makes another comment that scorns the women’s mentality. When Calonice asks why women have taken long to attend the meeting, Lysistrata gives a satirical answer. She says that the only reason why women had not arrived is that there were no men there. This is meant to attack the women’s mentality. She suggests that women of the time followed men blindly. The reason could be a biological attraction or a proof that women had conceded to male dominance. In the passage that follows, Calonice calls women “wretched creatures.” What could have been more satirical.?
The epitome of satire comes later in the play when the women have realized that taking control of the Acropolis alone could not end the war. At this time, the women of Sparta and Athens have come together, and they are determined to bring the war to an end. They devise a plan that is both funny and arrogant. “Breathe sexual longing on our breasts and thighs and fill our men with tortuous desire and make their pricks erect. If so, I think we’ll win ourselves a name among the Greeks as those who brought an end to warfare.” (Johnston 37).
Here, women were planning to deny men sex to force them to drop their arms. This idea is not only odd but also funny. This is one of the many references to sex or sexuality in the play which are a source of humor. The humor and satire are not limited to the direct words by the characters in the play. It is also found in the stage descriptions. For example, the author describes a Spartan herald who is trying in vain to hide his giant erection (Johnstone 63). Looking at the erection, Cinesias mockingly asks him whether he is a human being or some phallic monster. Myrrnine’s tantalizations are also a source of satire in the play.
The primary goal of satire is to bring out human weaknesses. Moreover, satire helps in building themes and characters in a literary work. In Lysistrata, Aristophanes employs satire efficiently. He brings out human flaws in a coherent way which would otherwise have been hard to achieve with everyday words.
In the early days, women had taken the back seat in most matters affecting the society. They were passive. Men were expected to provide solutions to all the problems that came along. Male dominance and chauvinism were rife. Aristophanes is able to bring it out undoubtedly by employing satire in Lysistrata’s speech. The author is, therefore, able to encourage women to take active roles in the society.
Men also have weaknesses. One such flaw is the desire for sex or yielding to sexual desires. One might argue that this is a natural trait. However, how many scandals, whose motivation is sex do the media report every year? Many. There are some cases where leaders of high officers have been forced to resign after exchanging public interests with sexual favors. It used to happen even in biblical times. Greece, as depicted in the play, was not any different. Aristophanes brings out this weakness by using sex boycott as the tool that finally forces men to end the war.
The success of the sex boycott also shows the power of love. Furthermore, it shows that people can achieve incredible goals through unity. Women were undermined in that society. Despite that, they reached a high goal through integration. Satire has been used efficiently to advance the themes of war, love, and the role of women in the society. Through clever use of satire, the author is able to show the futility of war. The war, in the end, brought nothing but losses. The author illustrates that war was meaningless and harmony brought benefit to both cities.
Satire is a literary genre form used by writers to draw attention to ills in the society. Aristophanes uses it Lysistrata to expose the futility of things such as war and male domination. These themes come out openly and conspicuously. It is, therefore, right to conclude that he has used satire efficiently.
Works Cited
Johnstone, Ian, ed. Aristophanes Lysistrata. Vancouver Island University, 2008.
Ruden, Sarah, ed. Lysistrata. Hackett Publishing, 2003.