Lysistrata by Aristophanes and The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare

Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Summary
Works Cited

Introduction

The contest between men and women has always been one of the main struggles in the world. Both, men and women want to take dominant positions in the society. The times were changing and the influence was also different in different times. Matriarchy and patriarchy were present in the world history during different time periods. The question of dominance remains actual till now. Some years ago men occupied dominant positions: women stayed at home, cooked, cleaned and provided the other house work. Modern woman wants to be independent: she wants to work and to support financially herself. Women became more powerful and now they are eager to control mens actions and behavior, as well as some men still manage to remain the support and governors for women.

Discussion

Two literary works, Lysistrata by Aristophanes and The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, show opposite influences, male and female. These both works are aimed to show the power of dominance of one sex under the other without using power, just by variety of mind and vividness of imagination. To achieve something is faster and better by using your intellectual possibilities than trying to provide power.

Lysistrata by Aristophanes tells us the story about Lysistrata and her coward plan of how to put to end Peloponnesian War. Her main accomplices were all women of Greece who had to refuse their men in sexual relations till the peace between Athens and Sparta would not have been signed. Men are suffering without their wives, they try to persuade them to return, but wives decision is firm. Men had to yield to womens demands and to sign peace. (Aristophanes 2007) The play shows the womens power, which they did not notice before and which can make men to behave as women want.

The other play, The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, is the presentation of the versa situation, when husband makes his new wife to obey him without extra words by fraud. The situation was the following, Lucentino wants to marry beautiful Bianca, but her father will agree on this marriage only when he marries his elder daughter, Katherine. The problem is Katherines ill-temper: no one wants to take her as a wife. One brave man, Petruccio, wants to marry any woman with big portion. Lucentino persuades Petruccio to marry Katherine and he agrees. His plan was rather risky, but he gain success and made his wife obey him.

Petruccio is late for his own wedding. He does not allow Katherine to eat and sleep for several days, giving his arguments, that his love is too big, to allow her to eat that cheap food and to sleep on that uncomfortable bed. The final scene is the culmination of the play. On the banquet, devoted to Hortensios wedding, three husbands decide to show their power under their wives. After having called then to come, two wives refused and only Petruccios Katherine has come obediently. (Shakespeare 2004)

These plays have the same theme: how to make opposite sex to obey the decisions which have already been taken. The influential sexes are different. The methods which are used have both common and different natures. Petruccio and Lysistrata use the strategies which remove life-necessary issues. Petruccio does not allow his wife to sleep and eat and al last she has to obey, as the natural need in food and good sleep is the main peoples necessities. Lysistrata and other women refuse their husbands in sex, saying that they want to return their husbands back for ever. The strategy also appears to be winning. The man suffer from erection and they are ready to explode any time (Aristophanes 2007).

The both plays finish with the win of convincing side. Both men and women have the power to convince. The desire and a high level of intellectual abilities are the main factors which cam make person do what you need.

There are a lot of ways to make people obey. Different people choose different methods. There is one methodology to do this. People should pay attention to persons character and the level of his/her independence. Independence plays one of the main roles in the situation. Considering the plays, the conclusion may be maid that Katherine and men who went for war were dependent. Dependence may be different: emotional or physical. Katherine suffered physical dependence more, while men in Lysistrata suffered both emotional and physical dependence.

Summary

In sum, the both plays, Lysistrata by Aristophanes and The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, have similar and different features. They are similar in the theme the convincing of person of opposite sex to obey. The difference is in the ways of this conviction and the sex influential parts. The theme of dependence and independence is touched. To the point, there are no absolutely independent people, we are all dependant. People often do not notice this dependence or they may want to hide it by persuading in verse, but it is a lie, which is easy to check.