"Everything is about sex. Except sex. Sex is about power"
The above quote by Francis Underwood, from the Netflix series House of Cards, is all I could think about while reading this play. Using sex as a power-play for control is displayed front and center in this work. On page 444 of our text, Lysistrata instructs Peace to bring the "inflamed" men over to negotiate and to "conduct them by the handle," if she must. Yep, doesn't get more controlling than that, does it?
"Ha ha, those dumb Greeks. They must be really stupid to be affected so easily by the women's plot." But wait, the passage of time is not clearly reflected during the play's actions. and to say that the Greek men were dumb or stupid would naturally imply that we are better than they are.
But are we really? Are we actually smarter, more sophisticated, or in more control of our most basic desires? I don't think so...
Let's look to a more modern form of entertainment: the sitcom. Most sitcoms feature an episode where its characters attempt to prove that they are "masters of their domain" or another character uses threats to turn best friends against each other. Comedies with sex as a display of power and control is just as relevant now as it was 2,400 years ago.
UPDATE: Hello, class. Totally ignore page 342 of our text
when reading my post. Especially the part that says, "[The Greeks] invested sex
with little transcendental significance..." because it completely
discredits my entire last paragraph. Nevertheless, I am leaving it here for you to read and comment on. What do you expect? I'm not an expert on
ancient Greek society!
But wait, just once more. Was Lysistrata's plan just to withhold sex, or to withhold love? I understand that you have the ability to love something or someone without trying to procreate (I hope), but we are talking about the one true way of expressing your love for someone physically. That is not something that can be taken lightly. There is a connection between these two love birds that is established. This is a connection that transcends mere words, and to have it ignored would surely be one of the most emotionally painful and soul-crushing ordeals.
I love that you used a Seinfeld reference, especially "The Contest," because it fits so well with Lysistrata's sexual power play. Sure, the Athenian and Spartan men were having a tough time of it, but so were the ladies. And so did Elaine (double guns back to your Seinfeld clip).
ReplyDeleteAs for the "little transcendental significance" bit, I'm of the opinion the author was talking more about morals, and less about impact. As in, we don't care how kinky you get so long as sex is happening SOMEWHERE. So your sex = power post seems just as valid to me.
Zach, your post brings up an excellent question (along with the insightful ones you pose): To what extent is sex portrayed as a physical, spiritual, religious, political, and/or emotional act in the text? We'll work on the answer in class with the help of some close readings, but think about it, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI also appreciated your connection with the sitcom. As a huge fan of the Big Bang Theory, I remember an episode where the Amy and Penny go head to head against Sheldon and Leonard in a battle of the sexes. Relating this to the Choruses makes the play even more comical to me.
ReplyDeleteI like the expounding on the question as to whether Lysistrata was trying to withhold love, or simply to withhold sex. While I think that withholding both would be a very good method by which to accomplish their task, I think the focus of the play is entirely physical. The girls get all gussied-up to lure the men into their plot, for example. I certainly think that logically, you would expect the most effective approach to be the withholding of all loves and affections, but I think that the highly-concentrated sexuality of the play suggests that the physical act of lovemaking was what was withheld, and exclusively. It should be noted, however, that the girls locked themselves into the Acropolis, and it would likely be difficult to show someone love through the gates. I don't think that the gates could perhaps prevent the wives from loving their husbands metaphysically, however; as a matter of fact, they wanted them to come home. My point is, though: even if they did, it would be hard to discern that from the perspective of the audience, and especially without the body-language of the actors.
ReplyDelete