Aristophanes Lysistrata 1085

Lysistrata. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Λυσιστράτη Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 2. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.) — 1072 focus
Translations (2)
Lysistrata (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Jack Lindsay). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1072 focus
English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 1072 focus

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

1085. mvp-tlg0019-tlg007-sanjaya-com-eng1-58

Line 1085

ἀσκητικὸν τὸ χρῆμα τοῦ νοσήματος.
The adjective ἀσκητικὸν is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and is here used in a specific comedic sense, deriving from the verb ἀσκέω (to exercise, train, or practice). In the context of the 'disease' (the sexual frustration of the women), it does not mean 'ascetic' in the later religious sense, nor merely 'habitual,' but rather 'something that requires practice' or 'a matter of training.' This creates a deliberate pun: the 'training' (ἀσκησις) of the body for athletics is contrasted with the 'training' required to endure or manage the sexual abstinence imposed by the peace treaty, while also hinting at the 'exercise' (physical exertion) the women must now undergo to suppress their desires. The term is rare in comedy and represents a sophisticated lexical play on the dual meanings of physical exertion and disciplined restraint.