Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Imagine you are Lysistrata before the beginning of this play. Aside from a sex strike, what are your other options for bringing about change in the city? If you still choose the sex strike, why do you think this will be the most effective option?
- Do you think Aristophanes realistically expected that a women's sex strike could take place in Athens?
- Even if Aristophanes thought a women's sex strike was possible, do you think he would have thought it was a good idea?
- Can you think of any other protest campaigns like the Lysistrata sex strike from other points in history (including the present day)? How are they different or similar?
- Imagine you are a member of the Athenian audience at the play's first performance in 411 BCE; the next day, in the agora (city center), you run into a friend of yours who couldn't make it to the performance. Your friend wants to know how it was. What would you say?
- In Lysistrata, are women portrayed as equal to men? Why or why not?
- In the world of Lysistrata, what would the male equivalent of a sex strike be, in your opinion?
- Is Lysistrata a pro-pacifism play? Or does it suggest that war is beneficial?
- Do you think Lysistrata succeeds in delivering a political message, or is it too bawdy to be taken seriously? Why?
- What does Aristophanes suggest is the single greatest problem with war, in your opinion?