Lysistrata - The Significance of Myrrhine

Caroline Kunz

Dr. Ellis

EN 499

28 February 2024

The Significance of Myrrhine in Lysistrata 

    Throughout the second half of Lysistrata, I was struck most deeply by Myrrhine and her ability to tease her husband, Kinesias, in an attempt to make him give way to the women's scheme. Though the scene is filled with comedy, it contains a more serious, meaningful undertone, as Myrrhine represents the agency, power, and autonomy that the women are gaining in resisting the wishes of their husbands. 

    First, I noted the ways in which societal stereotypes are represented during this exchange between husband and wife, as Kinesias prompts their child to cry, calling out "come down, my darling...come down for the sake of your child" (64). She responds, "what a thing it is to be a mother!" clearly impacted by the gendered assumption that if she is not attentive, she is not an adequate mother (64). She innternalizes the notino that her husband doesn't "really need her" outside of her maternal duties (63). However, once she discovers that Kinesias used their baby to lure her into being intimate with him, she assumes agency and assertiveness, yelling out "don't you touch me mister!" (64). She continues on to demonstrate the autonomy that she has developed since striking with the other women, claiming that she does not care that her weaving has been destroyed by chickens - a symbol of her denunciation of a confining, household task for women. 

    Further, Myrrhine displays her smarts and cunningness as she tactically keeps her husband from getting the one thing he wants from her - sexual pleasure. She stalls, claiming that they need a mattress, pillow, and blanket before they can begin, slowly taking off her clothes and tempting her husband all the while. This demonstrates the notion that we discussed in class that Myrrhine is using her body, not to please her husband, but to gain power over him. Once she has brought Kinesias under her control, she asks, "will you vote for the peace treaty?" ultimately reminding him that he cannot get what he truly wants until he submits to the women's strike (70). Over the course of this entire scene, I admired Myrrhine's ability to stay true to the values of the women and their sex strike, refusing to give in to her husband and his desires. She represents the independence and confidence that each of the women are developing, trading submissiveness and household duties in for taking political action and finding strength in their sex.

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