Lysistrata

by Aristophanes

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Copyright Status: Manuscript of this book is available in public domain and copyright already expired.

Aristophanes (446 - 386 BC), also known as the "Father" or "Prince" of ancient comedy, was one of ancient Athens' most famous playwrights. Only eleven of his forty plays exist in their entirety, but with the fragments of the others they make up the only real surviving example of a genre known as Old Comedy. Aristophanes is thought to have embodied people and times of ancient Athens better than any of his contemporaries. His powers of ridicule were feared and admired by his peers.

Lysistrata is one of his surviving plays and it was performed in 411 BC in Athens. This comedy is the story of one woman's idea of a "sex strike" to end The Peloponnesian War. She convinces her fellow Athenian women to withhold the goods until the men make peace, a move which backfires and sets the men and woman against each other. This classic play is known for its subtle innuendoes and not-so-subtle obscenities. Hilarious war of the sexes!


Books by Aristophanes

Lysistrata
The Clouds

Related Genres

Drama   
Women's Studies   
Comedy   

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