“Lysistrata” is a tale that centers on an Athenian woman named Lysistrata and her companions who have taken control of the Acropolis of Athens. Lysistrata explains to the old men how the women took the Acropolis to prevent men from using the money to wage war and to prevent dishonest officials from stealing the money. The opening scene of “Lysistrata” dramatizes the stereotypical, traditional characterization of women in Greece and also distances Lysistrata from this overused expression, homely character. The audience meets a woman, Lysistrata, who is furious with the other women in her town because they have not come to discuss war with her. The basic premise of the play is that Lysistrata devises a plan to end the Peloponnesian War that is currently being fought by men. After rallying the women, she encourages them to withhold sex until the men agree to stop fighting. The women are difficult to convince, even if they eventually agree to the plan. Lysistrata also tells the women that if they are beaten, they may give in, as sex resulting from violence will not please men. Ultimately, all the women join Lysistrata in vowing to deny sex to their partners. Since women refrain from pleasing their husbands until they stop fighting the war, the show revolves around a battle of the sexes. The battle between women and men is the literal conflict of the play. The war fought between men is a symbol used to draw the reader to the real conflict of the work which is the battle between men and women. With Lampitus returning to Sparta to secure the agreement of the Spartan women, Lysistrata and the other women remain with her to make plans to join the w......middle of paper......eb. March 25, 2011. .Gill, NS "Aristophanes' Lysistrata - Make Love, Not War." Ancient/Classical History - Research Guide to Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Classics. Network. March 24, 2011. "Lysistrata Study Guide." Cummings Study Guides. Network. March 23, 2011. "Lysistrata Plot Summary." Super summary. Network. 23 March 2011. "Power and women in Lysistrata: analysis of Lysistrata's characters". Article Myriad. Network. March 25, 2011. “SparkNotes: Lysistrata Summary.” SparkNotes: Today's most popular study guides. Network. March 23. 2011. .