Leadership Qualities in Lysistrata

            
             I chose topic statement number five to write about, which is who has the better leadership qualities between Lysistrata and Odysseus. In this essay I will discuss a few of the qualities and shortcomings of both characters, then state my personal opinion.
             To start, I will first discuss the leadership qualities of Lysistrata. Lysistrata's leadership qualities first emerge at the very beginning of the play. She is the one who has called all the women of Greece together in the first place, and the one who has thought of the plot of abstinence towards men. Although the women of Greece disagree with her at first, her persuasion causes them to see the good in her idea. With the correlation between her idea and one sexual reference, just a small amount of tension, she bought the women over. Just a little strain on a woman's sexual dependency was all she needed to move her plan along. This combination of quick-thinking and planning that Lysistrata made is one of her best qualities.
             Lysistrata's consistency in the play is also a major part of her leadership abilities. She never shows fear, nor backs down from any opposition, even from high government officials. She even has the Commissioner wearing women's clothes near the end of the play. This shows that she has courage, persistence, and also influence. The best example of this is the "fight" between Myrrhine, and her husband, Kinesias. Lysistrata is the one who "strongly urges" Myrrhine to seduce her husband. Not only that, but she also instructs Myrrhine exactly how to do it, and oversees the whole thing. This, more than anything, should show how much control Lysistrata had over her "revolutionists." And one cannot have control without first having leadership.