Lysistrata Context

Aristophanes's plays range from 427 to 387 BCE.

Plays in the time of Aristophanes were put on at two festivals, in the City Dionysia and the Lenaea. The plays for the town of Dionysia were played at the theatre of Dionysus next to the Akropolis. The plays at the festival were always performed as a sort of competition and there was great rivalry between playwrights to take first prize. There is record of Aristophanes winning several contests. Ten comedies were typically produced a year, but during the Peloponnesian War this number was reduced to six. All plays were performed in the open air, during the day. The stage was a circular dance floor and the audience occupied half of the stage. The actors wore masks that completely obscured their facial features and emotions were only shown by words and…