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Chapter 10 Discussion: Lysistrata-Similar Treatment to A Modern Event

Lysistrata is one of the Old Comedy in Greece which consists of old comedies written by Aristophanes in between c. 448 B.C.E-380 B.C.E (Wilson and Goldfarb 248).  Notably, the Old Comedy was meant to make fun at the existing political, social, and cultural conditions at the time. A majority of the characters who took place in the Old Comedy were recognizable personalities with Socrates being the only prominent figure satirized in the old comedies. Aristophanes used Lysistrata as a tool for the condemnation of the Peloponnesian War, which was being fought by Greece. In specific, according to Wilson and Goldfarb, Lysistrata is a play which involved women being encouraged to go on a sex strike and refuse to sleep with their men until the war was stopped (248).

If I were to give a similar treatment to a current event, the event would be leading an abstinence charge to end the losing streak of my local football stream. The reason as to why I would use such an event is based on the inspiration that I find in Aristophanes’ classical work. As such, I would inspire fellow friends and peers to turn frigid to demand that our football team play better. Additionally, using such an event would be similar to that of Lysistrata and thus, would adapt some of the aspects from the Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. Additionally, the event would ensure that the football team that I support would not continue its losing streak as the results would be improved.

I would satirize the event via the use of masks representing the faces of the players of the football team. In specific, there would be a mask for the coach and for the different players who are not performing well in the team. Additionally, the characters would wear a football kit, including shorts and jerseys. The satire would aim to shame the poor performing individuals in the team and ridiculing them to challenge them to improve their performances and ensure that their results become impressive. Additionally, the event would entail the characters acting a football match where my team would lose and one character being the fan would cry to help make the football team understand how much improvement will mean to the fans.

The audience would respond to the production with shock and tension in equal measure. The shock would be based on why I chose such an event to use a similar treatment such as that which was used in Lysistrata. Additionally, there would be a lot of tension as the audience anticipates what would happen after the same technique, which was applied in Lysistrata is applied in the current event. However, generally, the audience would be happy not only because of the use of comedy and satire but also because of the creativity of the event in the quest to ensure social changes. Those who would watch the event would be happy as their memories about Lysistrata would be evoked. The audience would be receptive to the idea because it would enable them to recall history and understand one of the approaches which were used to agitate for social change in the old times.