Men Vs. Women

            In the past few weeks, we have read stories and poems from many different regions in various times in history, and many of them describe one or a series of dramatic battles, such as the ancient Mesopotamian poem Gilgamesh and the Indian poem Bhagavad-Gita. However, the battle described in the Greek drama Lysistrat is not between man and God nor man and his kin, but between men and women. More precisely, the story is about how (Lysistrata leads) women in Athens and Sparta overcome the men’s obstacles and social norms (rules) to pursue their rights and needs, and finally, bring peace between the two cities.

            For this drama, I did a little research on what a traditional Spartan and Athenian woman was like.  Sparta was considered to be a warrior civilization, and the class of women had a relatively high standard compared to many other ancient civilizations.  Women in Sparta were allowed to have education; they could learn fighting skills to protect themselves, and they had more freedom in their society.  However, the norms were quite different in the ancient Athenian civilization.  Women were powerless minors that barely prior to the slaves: They could not own properties; they were not educated, and their obligation was to bear children, serve their husband, and do some sewing jobs.  This recalls the status of ancient Chinese women: They were as powerless as the Athenian women, and they were treated more like personal property that belonged to their husband rather than as a wife by modern standards.   However, Chinese women never took a stand before their men to declare or pursue their rights or needs like the Athenian and Spartan women, whose men of course, were outraged about women’s “rebellion.”

            In the play, the men think that women are weak and tiny, and only men are the representatives of strength and power. They are acting quite tough, well, at least before the Koryphaios of men has failed his demonstration of snaring the Koryphaios of women’s neck.  Even though all the men are saying things like “no fancy grappling with these grannies,” the woman still wins the tussle when the Koryphaios of men tries to snare her.  Then, the role changes after that: It is the women’s turn to show that they are as powerful as the men can be.  Sarcastically, on women’s side, they also have some issues.  The First, Second and Third Woman all have different kinds of excuses to avoid the battle with the men, and I think it illustrates that many women are naturally afraid of trouble (battle) and lacking confidence because they have never experienced things like that nor have been taught to do so.  I can tell that it is a harsh battle for both sides.

            After I read the conflicts in the story, I think the men versus women issue is similar to a question we might have asked when we were young: Does the egg appear first or the chicken?  Obviously, whether it is chicken or egg, they cannot be separated from each other because there is a strong bond of existence in between.  This also applies to whether men should reign over women, or women reign over men.  In my opinion, there is no win or lose because they cannot live without each other, and they need each other as their essence of life.  In the end of the story, the war between two cities has stopped, and wives and husbands’ reunions have drawn a happy ending to the story. Therefore, to the question about who should rule over the other is: They should work together equally, and in harmony.