Lysistrata And The Greek Culture English Literature Essay
The word civilization is defined as fundamentally the different beliefs, behaviour forms, values, etc of a peculiar group of people in the same country. There are many many different sorts of civilizations and each civilization has its ain cultural traits. The civilization I became interested in after reading about Antiquity was the Grecian civilization. They do things in a certain manner that I found reasonably flooring and besides could slightly associate to because these certain behaviours are still apparent today in our civilization. The Grecian narrative I liked the best in this subdivision was “ Lysistrata ” . After reading this narrative I wanted to cognize precisely what the Grecian civilization was like back in this clip.
Greece in the 5th century was profoundly involved in faith. They believed in many Gods and thought that they were in human signifier but contained great powers. They looked to the Gods for everything. One in specific was called Zeus who was a divinity at Olympia. Another cultural trait of the ancient Greeks was looks. The adult females took pride in how they looked as did the work forces. Whenever adult females could they would get things such as jewellery, hairpins, chapeaus, and all kinds of accoutrements. I read that adult females and work forces both enjoyed looking at themselves in mirrors and loved hairbrushes. Womans fixed their hair in all kinds of different ways by curving it and traping it up. So it is obvious the Greeks were interested in physical visual aspect. Finally the cultural trait that I found the most interesting was the difference in work forces and adult females ‘s social functions. Grecian work forces wholly ran the authorities and were gone from place rather a spot. Actually the work forces seemed to run everything except for the housekeeping and kids of class. I read that when the work forces entertained their male friends adult females were non allowed to go to. It ‘s non that they did n’t desire to go to because I ‘m certain they truly did n’t it ‘s merely that they did n’t even hold the option of attention because the work forces would n’t “ let ” it. In ancient Greece the work forces ran the show. Outside of the place the adult females had really small freedom. The adult females ‘s occupation was purely to run the house and to hold and take attention of the kids and that was it. They had no say so in any other affairs and they were expected to esteem their hubbies and do as they say. And when the work forces wanted sex the adult females were expected to give it to them when they wanted and they adult female truly was non supposed to object. I was able to happen cases of all of these cultural traits while I was reading the narrative of “ Lysistrata. ”
In the narrative of “ Lysistrata ” you can clearly see grounds that the ancient Greeks were really profoundly into faith and their physical visual aspects. And the grounds of the different social functions between males and females is the most obvious. That ‘s fundamentally what the whole narrative is about. All throughout the narrative you see mentions to the Gods that the Grecian people worship so greatly. On the first page of the narrative Lysistrata herself makes the comment, “ And that we are, by Zeus! ” And so once more a small ways down she makes another mention to Zeus and another even farther down. Zeus is mentioned already three times merely on the first page. Zeus is known as the King of Gods so no admiration they say his name so much. All throughout the narrative they refer to Gods and goddesses. Some others mentioned are the goddess Kypris, who is known as the great female parent goddess, and Aphrodite, who was the God of love and beauty. These are merely a twosome but there are so many more Gods mentioned throughout this narrative. Next we want to concentrate on their involvement in beauty and physical visual aspect. On the first page of the narrative Lysistrata makes a remark to one of the misss stating her non to glower because knitted foreheads are n’t good for her expressions. On the following page Lysistrata is speaking about how they are traveling to halt the war and she says what she things is traveling to halt the war is their fancy frocks, slippers and enticing aromas. This shows us that they have all these accoutrements to do them beautiful and it besides shows us that evidently their physical visual aspects are adequate to carry their work forces. From this we conclude that both parties are infatuated with the physical visual aspect. And eventually we want to look at the difference in the work forces ‘s social functions versus the adult females ‘s social functions. In this narrative we can see that work forces rule the nest while adult females do what they are told by the work forces. The work forces are portrayed as the smarter 1s and the 1s who can really do a difference while all the adult females do is take attention of the house and the childs. Well in this narrative the adult females outwit the work forces and do a immense difference by stoping a whole war. In the beginning of the narrative the adult females all take a piece demoing up to the meeting because they have to do certain everything in their places are in order because that is their occupation and will non acquire done by the work forces under any circumstance. Another case is when Myrrhine is speaking to her hubby and we find out that since she has been gone nil has been done. Their ain babe has non been fed because work forces will non crouch down to a “ adult female ‘s degree ” and make such things like that alternatively he tries to do his married woman experience guilty that she has non been making “ her occupation. ” The work forces in this narrative are in such daze when the adult females revolt against them because the norm is that the adult females obey the work forces and do as they are told but when they adult females take control everything is thrown out of and the work forces are at a loss. Besides the work forces are devastated because they are cut off from holding sex with their married womans and these pathetic work forces act like it ‘s the terminal of the universe merely because they ca n’t hold any sex. The adult females were expected to merely lie down and give their work forces what they wanted when they wanted it and for one time these work forces were being told no. So now the inquiry is have things changed at all? Are any of these cultural traits still apparent in today ‘s civilization?
I decidedly think that some of the ancient Greek ‘s cultural traits are still apparent in our civilization today. In all three of the illustrations I used you can still see these things traveling on. We will get down with faith. The faith may non be as strong for everyone like it was back so but it is decidedly still here. Religion is everyplace and everyone believes otherwise. When I was reading the narrative and the characters made mentions to Zeus like they did, it reminded me of something we do to this twenty-four hours. For illustration when one of the adult females say, “ But I am with kid, by Zeus! “ , this is like person in this twenty-four hours and clip stating “ But I am pregnant, by God! ” They mention their God Zeus merely like we mention our God when we talk. They merely seem to make it more frequently than we do. Just like the Greeks did in antediluvian clip most spiritual people still look to God when they are fighting with something or merely necessitate a small counsel. Religion has been around for all clip and that is one thing that will ever be passed down through clip and civilizations. The following illustration I used was the infatuation with physical visual aspect and beauty. I showed with illustrations how the ancient Greeks put great value in their visual aspects. Our civilization today puts tremendous value on visual aspect. The desire to be beautiful and expression good has non ceased but has gotten greater and greater. Everything in today ‘s clip has an influence on this. Almost all the commercials we see on T.V. have beautiful adult females on them. The film stars inspire us to desire to be as gorgeous or handsome as they are. There is fictile surgery that gives people the opportunity to “ heighten ” their visual aspects. Peoples seem to be more disquieted about their physical visual aspects now than they of all time were. And eventually my last illustration of the civilizations remaining the same is the social functions of males and females. It does non look to be as drastic and in every bit many places as it was back in ancient Greece but is decidedly still about. There are still males out there who believe that their married womans are to take attention of the house and kids and that is it. They think that adult females are non truly capable of making anything else. Of class this is non true because adult females have changed a batch over clip merely as Lysistrata was seeking to make in the narrative. Womans are coming out and are get downing to make more and more things that were ever believed that merely work forces could make. But like I said there are still work forces that think this is incorrect. I even personally know a twosome like this. The married woman is non truly allowed to travel out without her hubby and if she does he must cognize precisely where she is and what she is making and who she is with and every bit shortly as he calls her to come place she is on her manner. Where is the freedom? Its like being in high school all over once more. Womans are non their hubby ‘s slaves but some work forces expect them to be. And job with the sex is the same excessively. There are still some twosomes out at that place that when the hubby wants it the adult female lies down and lets him hold it whether she wants to or non. These work forces have complete control of their married womans and wo n’t allow them make as they want. The solution here is precisely what Lysistrata did and is to take a base. These adult females need to set their pess down and non take it any longer.
The ancient Grecian civilization was really interesting to me. They were really spiritual people and looked to their Gods for everything. They were besides really occupied with their physical visual aspects. The adult females wore beautiful frocks and ever fixed their hair and the work forces even enjoyed things like mirrors and hairbrushes and how their adult females ever looked nice. And eventually the thing about their civilization that bothered me the most was the manner the work forces ruled the family and the adult females ne’er had a say so in anything. These cultural traits were all really evidently shown in the narrative of Lysistrata in how they mentioned their Gods so often and how the adult females ever worried about how they looked. Finally the whole point of this narrative was about the adult females taking a base against their work forces who were so commanding. The adult females were seeking to demo they can do a difference excessively. These cultural traits are besides still apparent in our civilization today. Religion is still and will ever be about and the infatuation with physical visual aspect has merely gotten more intense and there are still work forces out there who think their adult females can non make anything but take attention of the house and kids. As you can see some things ne’er change.
