"The Lysistrata" by Aristophanes is probably one of the earliest pieces of litereature demonstrating the free will and power that women inherently posess, but have historically seldom used. In this comedy, the women of Athens, and then throughout Greece, bond together under the common goal of ending the war between the Athenians and Spartans, so that their husbands will return home. Knowing their physical limitations, the women decide on a plan of attack recomended by their leader Lysistrata. She convinces the women that, in order to get their husbands back, they must abstain from the joys of love. Lysistrata insists that everything the women do must be executed with the purpose of arousing their husbands, however, once they have their man's interest they are to act coy.
"The Lysistrata" was written during a time when the Greek city-states where in a constant state of quarrelling. Aristophanes' use of comedy mocks the pointless wars of the time, while trying to focus attention back to the things that should matter most in a man's life. Like Shakespeare, Aristophanes is trying to deliver a political message to as many people as possible; so, to keep the interest of the common man, he has masked his political agenda with a delightful comedy.