Andrew Elizalde
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Updated: Jul 23, 2019

This play tells a story of competing desires. The men's desire for sexual satisfaction overcomes their desire for war. The women's desire for peace overcomes their desire for sexual satisfaction - their sexual boycott is successful. Both battles can be characterized as a battle between the political mind and the sensual flesh. These seem to be bizarre terms on which war comes to an end. Yet today are not these competing desires between the political mind and the sensual flesh still present in the conflicts of our own age?