By Bob Tedder • While recently rummaging around in a Norton Edition of Classical Literature I came across excerpts from many old and ancient friends. The Greeks, in particular, were quite familiar, evoking many enjoyable memories spent with Homer and the guys. OK, OK, gals too. Sappho was present and we jointly lamented the ravages time has played on her works – the pitiful few that remain. But as I browsed through the playwrights it occured to me that a Greek male author created one of the most recognizable women in the history of literature. So I dusted off my Signet Classic (2001) copy of Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” and revisited this remarkable play.
Plays, of course, are meant to be seen not read, but if you’re going to read one you should choose one which is both amenable to the scanning eye and refreshing to the mind. “Lysistrata” meets both of these criteria and serves as the perfect gateway to neophytes entering the world of ancient Greek stagecraft. Douglass Parker’s modern translation does Aristophanes’ work justice. Without losing any flavor of the original settings and characterization, Parker conveys the play’s message in a comforting colloquial English. His expertise makes it easy to forget this particular play premiered in Athens in 416 BC. Plays of this age require some background information. Parker unobtrusively provides all this data in a succinct introduction and equally cogent endnotes. What is left, at least in this particular edition, is 99 pages of must-read theatrical genius.
I could close with that recommendation, but doing so without a word concerning the plot would be somewhat disingenuous. Lysistrata, the main character, is a woman fed up with the ongoing 20-year-old war between Athens and Sparta. In an exploration of the relationships between men and women, power and authority, and war and peace, Lysistrata devises a plan to end the war. Colluding with the women of Sparta she bans sexual contact with all men until peace is declared. What follows is comedic genius that stands the test of time. So, as previously indicated, please examine this classic gem immediately.