Lysistrata (Illustrated and Annotated)

Lysistrata is a comedy by Aristophanes. First performed in classical Athens in , it is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace â?? a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual relations in a male-dominated society. The dramatic structure represents a shift away from the conventions of Old Comedy, a trend typical of the author's career. It was produced in the same year as Thesmophoriazusae, another play with a focus on gender-based issues, just two years after Athens' catastrophic defeat in the Sicilian Expedition.

This edition has formatted for your reader, with an active table of contents. It has also been extensively illustrated and annotated, with additional information about the play and its author, including an overview, plot, background, discussion, relation to old comedy, influence, legacy, biographical and bibliographical information.