Audra Dobson
ENG 2423-06B
Mrs. Mitchell
4/8/2023
Medea by Euripides and Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Medea and Lysistrata similarities and differences
The Greek plays Medea, and Lysistrata shows how women are inspired to gain authority to fight sexism. In the play The Medea, the title character is at odds with her hated husband, Jason. In contrast, Aristophanes' Lysistrata focuses on the main protagonist, Lysistrata, who plans to rally the ladies against the men's stubbornness. Lysistrata by Aristophanes features a character who stands in sharp opposition to Euripedes. While Lysistrata's actions were also spurred by a desire to challenge gender norms, they depicted a different, more powerful heroine than Medea. Lysistrata and Medea are insane, but their methods of acquiring and using power couldn't be more different. Medea derived her strength from her boys because she knew they were the powers that could weaken her husband (Euripides, P72). Lysistrata, however, was the driving force behind the women's dominance because she inspired and led the group to work together against the men. The
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Medea's husband Jason leaves her for another woman, and she is short to be cast out of her home (Euripides, P45). Women in authoritarian societies regularly face hostility and isolation. Like the world of ancient Greece, where Medea lived, most American families are headed by a man. Consequently, wives often find themselves subservient to their male partners rather than equals. Because sexism is embedded in the system in which we exist, it is extremely difficult for a woman to escape this world once she has entered it. Medea is a story set thousands of years ago, but its themes are as relevant today. Medea's behavior exemplifies how people with psychological scarring due to sexism and isolation may resort to harmful measures they believe are justified to atone for the suffering they have caused