Western Civilization I / Unit 4 WC1 0310 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Comedy, Aristophanes, and Lysistrata
Captions available
The idea
Comedy evoked mockery where tragedy evoked pity. Aristophanes' Lysistrata has the women of Greece refuse sex until the men end the war; it is ribald, sympathetic to women, and evidence that Athenian women were neither secluded nor silent.
In practice
The anchor's claim that every modern film descends from Greek drama, attributed.
Where people slip
Use Lysistrata as evidence about women with care. It is a comedy.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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