Aristophanes’ Lysistrata is a popular work for contemporary production. Written in 411 BCE, the work explores what happens when the females of Athens participate in a sex strike in order to coerce the males to end the Peloponnesian War. By exploring cultural references to symbols in Lysistrata, mainly the phallus, this article seeks to convey the vehemence with which Aristophanes was advocating for an end of the Peloponnesian war and to demonstrate to theatre practitioners that Lysistrata is unique in its rhetoric about war and its destructive force on society. By understanding these significant cultural references, a modern director can help an audience better understand the specific themes of the work.
","abstract_html":"<p>Aristophanes’ <em>Lysistrata</em> is a popular work for contemporary production. Written in 411 BCE, the work explores what happens when the females of Athens participate in a sex strike in order to coerce the males to end the Peloponnesian War. By exploring cultural references to symbols in <em>Lysistrata</em>, mainly the phallus, this article seeks to convey the vehemence with which Aristophanes was advocating for an end of the Peloponnesian war and to demonstrate to theatre practitioners that <em>Lysistrata</em> is unique in its rhetoric about war and its destructive force on society. By understanding these significant cultural references, a modern director can help an audience better understand the specific themes of the work.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pettit, Gary Sean"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Communication, Media and Theatre Arts","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lee Stille, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-07-08T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-07-08T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:57Z","subjects":["Aristophanes","play","theater","Theatre and Performance Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/583","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lee Stille, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pettit, Gary Sean"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-08-19T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication, Media and Theatre Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Aristophanes","play","theater","Theatre and Performance Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/583"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Aristophanes’ Lysistrata is a popular work for contemporary production. Written in 411 BCE, the work explores what happens when the females of Athens participate in a sex strike in order to coerce the males to end the Peloponnesian War. By exploring cultural references to symbols in Lysistrata, mainly the phallus, this article seeks to convey the vehemence with which Aristophanes was advocating for an end of the Peloponnesian war and to demonstrate to theatre practitioners that Lysistrata is unique in its rhetoric about war and its destructive force on society. By understanding these significant cultural references, a modern director can help an audience better understand the specific themes of the work.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A phallic play: Examining 5th century cultural references to illuminate aristophanes' appeal for peace to a modern audience"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lee Stille, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Pettit, Gary Sean"],"dc:date.available":["2014-08-19T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Aristophanes’ Lysistrata is a popular work for contemporary production. Written in 411 BCE, the work explores what happens when the females of Athens participate in a sex strike in order to coerce the males to end the Peloponnesian War. By exploring cultural references to symbols in Lysistrata, mainly the phallus, this article seeks to convey the vehemence with which Aristophanes was advocating for an end of the Peloponnesian war and to demonstrate to theatre practitioners that Lysistrata is unique in its rhetoric about war and its destructive force on society. By understanding these significant cultural references, a modern director can help an audience better understand the specific themes of the work.
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