Ancient Greek Rebels In Lysistrata

Subaltern, as described in Spivak’s essay, is the marginalized, subordinated, and oppressed people who are subjected to be silent. The reason for the existence of the subalterns is the social strata between the citizens of a country where authority belongs to a limited number of people. The social hierarchy worsens the conditions for those who come at the lowest part of the social strata’s division. Hence, subaltern includes working-class, slaves and definitely women who have no voice. In contrary to Spivak’s definition of subaltern, Lysistrata is a comic play by Aristophanes in 411, where women are the main characters who demand peace and end of the ongoing war between the two Greek cities, Sparta and Athens. While Spartans and Athenians conflict with each other to gain more power, women of both states are concerned about their fathers, husbands, sons, and domestic lives and feel responsible to end the war. Women in Lysistrata challenge men; unlike subalterns who keep silent. Additionally, Aristophanes in Lysistrata portrays women as rebels who challenge the social strata and stand against powerful and authoritative men and their demands. Lysistrata is the heroine of the play who calls on other women to assist her in her rebellious plan to bring peace to the cities. She ultimately attains her goal with the help of women’s solidarity and resistance. The goal of this paper is to analyze whether women in Lysistrata are subalterns as Spivak defines or not. They are not subalterns because the definition of subaltern does not fit them. They challenge the social order by their persistent insurgency, civil disobedience, and revolutionary behavior and harsh language.

They are not subalterns because they are mostly from the upper or middle-class families who are obstinate and insurgent. Like Spivak, Aristophanes also mentions the social hierarchy between the genders and as well as between females. In Ancient Greek, women certainly did not have any special position; however, women who belonged to the upper and middle-class families were wealthier. Women portrayed by Aristophanes in Lysistrata belong to a higher social position. Lysistrata is the one who plans to fight against men and persuades other women too to stand against men and challenge them. They are no more submissive to their husbands, fathers, and brothers. In fact, they now have made men be submissive to them by not performing their domestic duties and specifically denial of sex with their husbands unless they act upon their demand. Women take an oath not to perform sex with their husbands until they agree to leave war and come home. As stated in the play when they take the oath, ‘But never willingly should I surrender to my husband’, ‘If he should use force to force me against my will’, ‘I will submit coldly and not move my hips'(Aristophanes 53). These are the lines uttered by women not to be submissive to their husbands and lovers and not to have sex with them. Besides, a more specific example of insurgency is the discussion of Kinesis and Myrrhine, typical wife and husband, where Myrrhine does not agree with her husband to have sexual intercourse, but in return demands for peace in a deceitful way (Aristophanes 75). The characters who are portrayed by Aristophanes in the play are women who belong to upper and middle-class families who challenge the social order by their insurgency. Hence, the idea of subalterns does not match women in Lysistrata because they belong to higher social strata who stand against men and their demands by obstinateness and insurgency.

From another perspective, women are still submissive to men because their insurgency is conditional to the time of war and conflict. Considering the problems of his time, Aristophanes finds the role of women as the only effective and available option for ending the conflict between the two states (Aristophanes 39). Women in prewar time were convinced with their roles and domestic duties. Therefore, they definitely cannot speak because they do not have the right to speak and are subjugated to silence and obedience. They are satisfied with how they are treated and behaved, as mentioned in the introduction ‘Though Lysistrata protests women’s exclusion from policy-making that affects women’s lives, women do not question their ordinary roles or seek in any way to change them.’ (Aristophanes 40). This quote demonstrates women’s submissiveness to men which is a common tradition and belief in 400s. The reason they protest against men is to have the ordinary prewar conditions of their lives. Moreover, there are women slaves, who do not speak but just obey what they are commanded, who fit the definition of the subalterns. They are the ones who are oppressed and have no voice. Nevertheless, women do take action when they have no other options to bring peace, save men, and save the country; however, after reconciliation of the cities and achieving their ultimate goal their lives will be similar to prewar time. Thus, they are submissive and obedient to men, because they do not question their duties and roles in the family and accept them.

They cannot participate in the social and political spheres of society because they do not have the right. Aristophanes portrays the reality of social and political spheres in his comic play. The fact that women were not citizens and were not allowed to participate in the social and political spheres is one of the realties which is reflected in Lysistrata. Women are not allowed to express their ideas or even ask questions regarding the government and politics from men. In the play, it is mentioned when Lysistrata replies Magistrate,

Works cited

1. Aristophanes. Three plays by Aristophanes: Staging Women. Translated by Jeffery Henderson. Abingdon, Oxon [England]: Routledge, 2010.

2. Spivak, Gayatri. ‘Can the Subaltern Speak’. In Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, edited by Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg, 24-28. London: Macmillan, 1988.