«LYSISTRATA’S PHENOMENON»: NEW SENSES OF THE ANCIENT PLOT IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIO–POLITICAL CRISES OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

The Peloponnesian war and the crisis of the police system of the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th century BC became the historical context and stage chronotope for Aristophanes’ comedies. The article explores the peculiarities of the formation of modern «Lysistrata» receptions, in particular in cinematography and journalism. The premises of the «Lysistrata’s phenomenon» emergence and their interconnections with the reinterpretation of the ancient heritage are examined. In the 21st century «Lysistrata» serves as the source for the formation of the new mythologems. In the first years of New Millennium the plot of the Aristophanes’ comedy was considered as purely comic, fantastic, or even absurd. We consider the year 2003rd and the global culture initiative «Lysistrata project» to be the starting point for the «Lysistrata’s phenomenon». After «Lysistrata project» and, especially, events in Liberia global media cultivated neo-mythological concept of Lysistrata as the embodiment of political sex-strikes. Such simplification led to changes in artistic reception of the play, which could be traced in the theatre adaptation of the first decade of the 21st century. Spike Lee’s «Chi-raq» brought back complexity and multiple dimensions of Aristophanes’ play – juxtaposition of modern Chicago and ancient Athens opened plenty of senses and allows new optics for modern classic’s reception and for classical text itself. The Old Greek comedy «Lysistrata» became the optimal artistic focal point for the comprehension of the problems of war, peace, political order, race, and gender conflicts. The «Lysistrata’s phenomenon» demands further discussion based on multidisciplinary approach.