Lysistrata

A very interesting text with an anti-war message but also with unusual gender roles.  On the one hand, women perform gender by donning feminine clothing,  depilating themselves but on the other hand, women are also showed to be sexual beings with needs, a trait more often associated with men.

Lysistrata's role is very much like that of an army sergeant leading a war - keeping the men's or in this case, the women's strength and morale up, plotting a winning strategy and leading the women to the "war" of abstinence.  In this case however, the ends is ceasefire, peace and the safe return of their male loved ones - sons, husbands, brothers and fathers.

Women are portrayed as passionate when they 'war' against their husbands yet when men war against another, no such proclamation is made.  Men are portrayed as 'reason'.  Yet at the same time, Lysistrata is portrayed as 'reason' - she is the one who very strategically and effectively stopped the war and to resume the local economy and bring male loved ones home.  Men in this sense can thus be viewed as 'passionate' and blinded by war efforts.

Women's role reversal = not portrayed as completely passive characters, not completely passionate - able to hold desire of sex from men.

Lysistrata critiques the financial and non-financial losses of war and thus points to the futility of war.

Afterclass thoughts: I hadn't given much thought that this text lacks interfering gods and that humans are taking control of their own affairs.  Or that this text may be a commentary of the power of sexual desire have over humans.