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What do you think would be a good alternative title for Lysistrata that reflects its theme? How does the theme relate to contemporary issues and...

The first thing you need to do in order to complete this assignment successfully is to think about the major ideas of Aristophanes's Lysistrata. Although some modern critics think about the play in terms of female empowerment, that is probably anachronistic. For Aristophanes, the idea of females acting in unison to affect affairs of state was inherently comic, rather like the idea of a man flying to Olympus on a dung beetle or birds and humans allying together against the gods. Much of Aristophanes's literary technique involves portraying the fantastic or absurd for comic effect while nevertheless making an important political or social point.


The central point of the play, as of many other plays by Aristophanes, was to oppose the Peloponnesian wars. An important aspect of this opposition, and again something consistent across several works by Aristophanes, was that war tended to harm ordinary citizens, especially farmers and people who were not members of the political elite. 


While you are the only person who can determine your own personal response to the play, the key issue you might look at is the effect of constant war on the citizens of countries in which the fighting is occurring. For example, you might look at news reports about daily life in Somalia, Libya, or Syria. You might also look at Lysistrata's actions and think about what sort of actions private citizens can take to oppose wars. 


While actually writing a title for you would be a form of academic dishonesty, I would suggest that you think about something related to this major theme of war and what ordinary women (or average citizens in general) can do to prevent or end wars.

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