Lysistrata turned the tables on the men of her time period, taking away their power in a comedic way in order to evoke social reform. Inside the Acropolis, the women held the treasury, as well as their own bodies, away from the men until peace was declared. As an extra measure of protection against the male suitors, Lysistrata even persuaded the women to seal themselves into the Acropolis, which is also where the State Treasury is kept. To accomplish this amazing accord, Lysistrata knew she first had to unionize all the women of Athens and then convince the women of Sparta to do the same. Essentially, Lysistrata gathered the women of the town together and had them make a pact to withhold sex from the men of their community until the men agreed to stop fighting and find another means to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata focuses on the story of a young woman of the same name who attempted to better her community by stopping a war. Clearly, Aristophanes understood this concept quite well when he penned his farcical-humored play Lysistrata. For this reason, comedy can be the perfect medium to effect social reform. Almost every joke contains a hint of truth.
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