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Director's Notebook
Mock Director's Notebook, Lysistrata, Moved Historical Context, Monday, January 25, 2021
I have decided to move my Lysistrata production to the Mexican-American War, also called The War of American Aggression. Before the Mexican-American War, Mexico had control of Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. After Texas became the Lone Star Republic, its congress went to union with America in 1837. America did not want Texas to join the United States because it wanted to enter as a slave state, which would disrupt the balance of free states and slave states within America in the senate. For the time being, America ignored Texas's request as they thought it would start a war, but when James K. Polk won the presidency, this all changed. Texas was annexed and joined America a few days before Polk became president because he was a slaveholder and would have done it anyway. To keep the balance between slave states and free states, congress made an agreement with Britain to divide Oregon at the 49th parallel and made the new Oregon a free state, restoring the balance once again. Polk had a different goal as president, though, to acquire California from Mexico. However, Mexico was not interested, and despite Polk's attempts, he could not purchase California. Trying a different tactic, Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to take his forces across the Nueces River in Texas and stay on the Rio Grande. Fighting broke out between American and Mexican forces, and Polk, who was trying to start a war at this point, claimed that the Mexicans had "Shed American blood on American soil," and war was declared. The war officially started on April 25, 1846. Polk claimed that they were defensive reasons because Mexico attacked them first and refused to let Polk buy California. A majority of Americans supported the war, at least at first, but later an increasing number of Whigs opposed it, calling the war "Mr. Polk's War." Most of the war was fought on Mexican soil. Mexico faced initial defeats but refused to give up and was able to capture Mexico City. After a couple of years of war, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed, ending the war on February 2, 1848. Through this treaty, Mexico confirmed the annexation of Texas, California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. In return, The United States paid Mexico 15 million dollars.
Centering on the story of Lysistrata, I plan to make Sparta and Athens become America and Mexico, respectively. Since Lysistrata was Athenian, on the losing side of the war, she will become Mexican in my version, as Mexico technically lost the Mexican-American War. I want to use this play to add to Aristophanes's want for peace by showing how unfortunate the Mexican-American war was. I believe that it is wrong that Polk decided it was okay to waste so many soldiers' lives, 13 thousand on the US side and 25 thousand on the Mexican side, solely so that he could acquire California. While he said the war was started because Mexico had "shed American blood on American soil," he had been the one to invade. It is debated whether the land they fought on was part of America or not. I want to show that this war was unnecessary through this production. I would also like to show feminist values through this show, as it centers on how women rise up and stand up for their beliefs, even though they are often not treated with respect. Though this play was initially written as a comedy because it was absurd that women could rise up against the men as they did, I play on taking it more seriously, as in today's day and age, this is no longer a joke. I also would like to show a Mexican woman as the lead as I feel like women of color are not shown in leading roles, especially not in a remake of a previously typically predominantly white show. I want to show how, despite their differences, Mexico and America's women can work together to stop a pointless war started by a privileged, slaveholding man. I think that by transforming Lysistrata into the context of the Mexican American War, I can make an important statement on the atrocities of the war as well as the importance of feminism within our cultures.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/mexican-american-war
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-mexican-american-war-in-a-nutshell
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grant-mexican-american-war/
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/sectional-tension-1850s/v/the-mexican-american-war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkdF8pOFUfI
I have decided to move my Lysistrata production to the Mexican-American War, also called The War of American Aggression. Before the Mexican-American War, Mexico had control of Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. After Texas became the Lone Star Republic, its congress went to union with America in 1837. America did not want Texas to join the United States because it wanted to enter as a slave state, which would disrupt the balance of free states and slave states within America in the senate. For the time being, America ignored Texas's request as they thought it would start a war, but when James K. Polk won the presidency, this all changed. Texas was annexed and joined America a few days before Polk became president because he was a slaveholder and would have done it anyway. To keep the balance between slave states and free states, congress made an agreement with Britain to divide Oregon at the 49th parallel and made the new Oregon a free state, restoring the balance once again. Polk had a different goal as president, though, to acquire California from Mexico. However, Mexico was not interested, and despite Polk's attempts, he could not purchase California. Trying a different tactic, Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to take his forces across the Nueces River in Texas and stay on the Rio Grande. Fighting broke out between American and Mexican forces, and Polk, who was trying to start a war at this point, claimed that the Mexicans had "Shed American blood on American soil," and war was declared. The war officially started on April 25, 1846. Polk claimed that they were defensive reasons because Mexico attacked them first and refused to let Polk buy California. A majority of Americans supported the war, at least at first, but later an increasing number of Whigs opposed it, calling the war "Mr. Polk's War." Most of the war was fought on Mexican soil. Mexico faced initial defeats but refused to give up and was able to capture Mexico City. After a couple of years of war, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed, ending the war on February 2, 1848. Through this treaty, Mexico confirmed the annexation of Texas, California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. In return, The United States paid Mexico 15 million dollars.
Centering on the story of Lysistrata, I plan to make Sparta and Athens become America and Mexico, respectively. Since Lysistrata was Athenian, on the losing side of the war, she will become Mexican in my version, as Mexico technically lost the Mexican-American War. I want to use this play to add to Aristophanes's want for peace by showing how unfortunate the Mexican-American war was. I believe that it is wrong that Polk decided it was okay to waste so many soldiers' lives, 13 thousand on the US side and 25 thousand on the Mexican side, solely so that he could acquire California. While he said the war was started because Mexico had "shed American blood on American soil," he had been the one to invade. It is debated whether the land they fought on was part of America or not. I want to show that this war was unnecessary through this production. I would also like to show feminist values through this show, as it centers on how women rise up and stand up for their beliefs, even though they are often not treated with respect. Though this play was initially written as a comedy because it was absurd that women could rise up against the men as they did, I play on taking it more seriously, as in today's day and age, this is no longer a joke. I also would like to show a Mexican woman as the lead as I feel like women of color are not shown in leading roles, especially not in a remake of a previously typically predominantly white show. I want to show how, despite their differences, Mexico and America's women can work together to stop a pointless war started by a privileged, slaveholding man. I think that by transforming Lysistrata into the context of the Mexican American War, I can make an important statement on the atrocities of the war as well as the importance of feminism within our cultures.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/mexican-american-war
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-mexican-american-war-in-a-nutshell
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grant-mexican-american-war/
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/sectional-tension-1850s/v/the-mexican-american-war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkdF8pOFUfI
Mock Director's Notebook, Lysistrata, Historical Context, Sunday, January 24, 2021
The Peloponnesian War was a long war between Athens and Sparta, Greece's two most powerful city-states. The war was started due to tensions increasing between Athens and Sparta, as they were each trying to overpower the other. In 478 B.C.E., the Delian League, or Athenian League, was formed, joining several city-states under Athens to prevent war from the Persians. It also gave Athens higher standings amongst the city-states, which was beneficial to Athens. However, Sparta was already involved in the Peloponnesian League, founded in 550 B.C.E., and it soon became realized that it would only be a matter of time before these two groups clashed. In 460 B.C.E., the 15-year conflict between Sparta, Athens, and their allies called The First Peloponnesian War, or The Great Peloponnesian War, began. Peace was declared with the thirty-year treaty in 445 B.C.E., which was proficient until 437 B.C.E. when the Peloponnesian War began. This war began due to another conflict between Sparta and Athens. The first ten years of the Peloponnesian War are called the Archidamian War after Sparta's King, Archidamus. Sparta's goal for the Peloponnesian War was to free the states under Athenian rule. Spartan forces quickly surrounded Athens in a siege, destroying Athens countryside, but decided to lead a navel campaign as well. Archidamus returned to Athens in 430B.C.E. as a terrible plague killed two-thirds of Athens's population, including their ruler, Pericles. Despite all of Athens's shortcomings during the war, Sparta saw mixed wins within their campaign, as they had some significant losses in Western Greece and at sea. Eventually, the war ended with the Peace of Nicias, a peace treaty signed in 423 B.C.E. that was meant to last 50 years, though it only succeeded in lasting for 8. The second phase of the Peloponnesian War broke out in 415 B.C.E. and lasted until 404 B.C.E., ending the Peloponnesian War for good. Though Athens was not completely decimated as expected, they eventually fell when the Spartan general Lysander defeated an Athenian fleet in battle and held them under siege for a year. The Peloponnesian War ended Greece's "golden age" and led to Athens's fall, once the most powerful city-state within Greece. The power went to the Spartan Empire, where it stayed until both Athens and Sparta were conquered by the Kingdom of Macedon a bit less than a century later.
Lysistrata is an anti-war comedy written by Aristophanes during the Peloponnesian War. Aristophanes was a playwright who wrote plays from 427-387 B.C.E. While he wrote over 40 plays in his lifetime, only 11 have survived, painting him as a conservative Athenian who wrote about comedies about war, religion, pacifism, and dabbled into politics. Lysistrata was the third and final play of Aristophanes's peace plays, all written as a protest against the Peloponnesian war. It was first shown in 411 B.C.E, during the second phase of the Peloponnesian war but before Athens crumbled completely. During the time, many Greeks thought that there was no benefit to this war, and Lysistrata affirmed these beliefs. Lysistrata was written during the middle part of Aristophanes's career when he was starting to divert from the conventions of "old comedy," incorporating some new ideas into the play. For example, he included a double chorus, older men vs. older women, though they do unite in the end to show the positive effects of peace after the war. Additionally, the chorus does not speak directly to the audience throughout the whole production, which is another difference from old comedy. However, Lysistrata is still classified as an "old comedy" play. Within the play, Lysistrata is quite a remarkable character as she has such a strong will and determination throughout the whole play, while the other women falter, she remains a steady bringer of peace. This speaks to Aristophanes' end goal of writing Lysistrata as a play focused on peace, using the characters to voice his concerns as he hated war and the adverse effects on Athens. Though initially meant to be a comedy, as it was absurd at the time that women could ever stand up in the way Lysistrata did, this play became a fiercely feminist play. Lysistrata realized that because she was a woman, she did not have a voice but used her resourcefulness and cunning to work out a way to get her opinion heard. Historians argued that Aristophanes choose a woman to lead his play because women were seen as unintelligent and foolish. They argued that Aristophanes was showing that if women, of all people, had to stand up that it showed, even more, how foolish and unnecessary war was. While it is impossible to determine whether this belief is true, it is clear that Aristophanes condemns war and that by showing women stand up against it, he puts them in a position of power they did not get often. Aristophanes intended to comment on the Peloponnesian War through his play Lysistrata and, while this was achieved, also created a space for women within politics, even if it was only in theory.
Sources
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/peloponnesian-war
https://www.ancient-literature.com/greece_aristophanes_lysistrata.html
https://www.ancient.eu/Lysistrata/#:~:text=Shown%20in%20411%20BCE%20at,it%20susceptible%20to%20Persian%20attack.
https://www.sparknotes.com/drama/lysistrata/context/
https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lysistrata/context/
The Peloponnesian War was a long war between Athens and Sparta, Greece's two most powerful city-states. The war was started due to tensions increasing between Athens and Sparta, as they were each trying to overpower the other. In 478 B.C.E., the Delian League, or Athenian League, was formed, joining several city-states under Athens to prevent war from the Persians. It also gave Athens higher standings amongst the city-states, which was beneficial to Athens. However, Sparta was already involved in the Peloponnesian League, founded in 550 B.C.E., and it soon became realized that it would only be a matter of time before these two groups clashed. In 460 B.C.E., the 15-year conflict between Sparta, Athens, and their allies called The First Peloponnesian War, or The Great Peloponnesian War, began. Peace was declared with the thirty-year treaty in 445 B.C.E., which was proficient until 437 B.C.E. when the Peloponnesian War began. This war began due to another conflict between Sparta and Athens. The first ten years of the Peloponnesian War are called the Archidamian War after Sparta's King, Archidamus. Sparta's goal for the Peloponnesian War was to free the states under Athenian rule. Spartan forces quickly surrounded Athens in a siege, destroying Athens countryside, but decided to lead a navel campaign as well. Archidamus returned to Athens in 430B.C.E. as a terrible plague killed two-thirds of Athens's population, including their ruler, Pericles. Despite all of Athens's shortcomings during the war, Sparta saw mixed wins within their campaign, as they had some significant losses in Western Greece and at sea. Eventually, the war ended with the Peace of Nicias, a peace treaty signed in 423 B.C.E. that was meant to last 50 years, though it only succeeded in lasting for 8. The second phase of the Peloponnesian War broke out in 415 B.C.E. and lasted until 404 B.C.E., ending the Peloponnesian War for good. Though Athens was not completely decimated as expected, they eventually fell when the Spartan general Lysander defeated an Athenian fleet in battle and held them under siege for a year. The Peloponnesian War ended Greece's "golden age" and led to Athens's fall, once the most powerful city-state within Greece. The power went to the Spartan Empire, where it stayed until both Athens and Sparta were conquered by the Kingdom of Macedon a bit less than a century later.
Lysistrata is an anti-war comedy written by Aristophanes during the Peloponnesian War. Aristophanes was a playwright who wrote plays from 427-387 B.C.E. While he wrote over 40 plays in his lifetime, only 11 have survived, painting him as a conservative Athenian who wrote about comedies about war, religion, pacifism, and dabbled into politics. Lysistrata was the third and final play of Aristophanes's peace plays, all written as a protest against the Peloponnesian war. It was first shown in 411 B.C.E, during the second phase of the Peloponnesian war but before Athens crumbled completely. During the time, many Greeks thought that there was no benefit to this war, and Lysistrata affirmed these beliefs. Lysistrata was written during the middle part of Aristophanes's career when he was starting to divert from the conventions of "old comedy," incorporating some new ideas into the play. For example, he included a double chorus, older men vs. older women, though they do unite in the end to show the positive effects of peace after the war. Additionally, the chorus does not speak directly to the audience throughout the whole production, which is another difference from old comedy. However, Lysistrata is still classified as an "old comedy" play. Within the play, Lysistrata is quite a remarkable character as she has such a strong will and determination throughout the whole play, while the other women falter, she remains a steady bringer of peace. This speaks to Aristophanes' end goal of writing Lysistrata as a play focused on peace, using the characters to voice his concerns as he hated war and the adverse effects on Athens. Though initially meant to be a comedy, as it was absurd at the time that women could ever stand up in the way Lysistrata did, this play became a fiercely feminist play. Lysistrata realized that because she was a woman, she did not have a voice but used her resourcefulness and cunning to work out a way to get her opinion heard. Historians argued that Aristophanes choose a woman to lead his play because women were seen as unintelligent and foolish. They argued that Aristophanes was showing that if women, of all people, had to stand up that it showed, even more, how foolish and unnecessary war was. While it is impossible to determine whether this belief is true, it is clear that Aristophanes condemns war and that by showing women stand up against it, he puts them in a position of power they did not get often. Aristophanes intended to comment on the Peloponnesian War through his play Lysistrata and, while this was achieved, also created a space for women within politics, even if it was only in theory.
Sources
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/peloponnesian-war
https://www.ancient-literature.com/greece_aristophanes_lysistrata.html
https://www.ancient.eu/Lysistrata/#:~:text=Shown%20in%20411%20BCE%20at,it%20susceptible%20to%20Persian%20attack.
https://www.sparknotes.com/drama/lysistrata/context/
https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Lysistrata/context/