Lysistrata

At the beginning of the third episode, the destiny character intervenes again, to explain that between "Jeanne’s exceptional call and Elisabeth’s melancholy, the legend provides a third answer", which he calls "amusing" - interestingly, the three narratives are equally called legends, even if the stern realistic style of the first two is in clear contrast with the farcical development of the last one. In spite of the exaggeration and the comic tone of the story, we may consider this portrayal of Lysistrata a "realistic adaptation", according to the classification by MacKinnon (in Greek Tragedy into Film, 1986: 19). From now on, I would like to examine the representation of this Greek "fighting woman" from three perspectives. First, I would like to examine the film as a relatively free adaptation of the comedy by Aristophanes and the alterations in some characters. Let’s see some images of the film, showing a battle waged in the main square (ágora) between the women - led by Lysistrata -, and the men - led by her husband, General Calias, a character that does not appear in Aristophanes play.