Was it ethical of Lysistrata to use Peace (the girl) as a sacrifice to negotiate the treaty?
First of all, how old was this girl?? I hope she wasn't like 16. That's just wrong. But i have a feeling that she was unusually young.
Did she consent? you can't just offer other people as a "gift" for the men to ogle at. well, i guess she wasn't really a part of the treaty, she was more of a distraction. but at what price? it's kind of dehumanizing and humiliating. whoever this Peace girl was, she had a lot of influence. Probably partly because she was naked. but anyway, on page 101 Lysistrata asks Peace to lead the Spartans and the Athenians close together. Here comes the pun again. Peace was able to bring the two opposing forces together as well as peace, the concept. Since the two sides were at war, the only way to stop it was to have peace. Peace was calming and was able to effectively lead them close to Lysistrata.
She also never talks. That makes her seem as if she was just an object; something pretty to look at. How could Lysistrata do that to a fellow woman? wasn't that sort of demeaning sexism she was fighting against? She only supported it. I'm disappointed in you, Lysistrata.
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3 comments:
I really like this blog! I definitely agree that Lysistrata used Peace as an object, which I also disapprove of. Also, if you think about it, Lysistrata used many of the women as objects against the men. Besides the fact that Lysistrata never used herself in her own plan, she directed the women as if she were above them and in many cases she was above them (the scene with Myrihhne's seduction she directs from the platform).
I agree- I did not like the fact that Lysistrata used another woman like that and let the men treat her like an object. That's not going to get their respect.
lysistrata really did use peace (and other women) as objects. and i saw that even at the very beginning of the play, lysistrata said "we can force our husbands to negotiate peace" and i wonder if she was planning to use peace as a tool against the men in the first place.
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