Throughout western history males have usually been the dominant sex. Men have controlled and ruled since the beginning of time. Men were thought to be stronger, more honorable, and righteous. Looking at The Toy Cart this would be a reasonable perception, however, in Lysistrata this is quite on the contrary. Aristophanes endows the women in Lysistrata with unparalleled power - abstinence. They use sex as a method to get men to do what they want. They become more powerful than men. Giving women this power, he shows how men can become weak to sexual desire and in Lysistrata's situation uses sex to defuse the conflict of the Peloponnesian War. On the other hand in The Toy Cart, King Shudraka portrays women as weak and defenseless - needing men to save them and be with them. It portrays men and women in a more romantic and loving manner. The Toy Cart presents a stereotypical drama dealing with men and women. The issue of sex in this piece is more sheltered and shielded with fantasies of love and romance. Both of these pieces deal with the issue of sex and gender but in with very different approaches. .
Lysistrata is anything but helpless and weak. Her will and heart so strong and willing that she was able to unite all of Greece and try end the Peloponnesian war. She was probably the one of the first heroines in literature. Aristophanes portrays Lysistrata as a woman who despises all the stereotypes that women were given by men but she actually fits one of them perfectly - deviousness. She plots and schemes in order to resolve what she deems to be problematic, in this case the war. Lysistrata exploits women's sexuality and uses it was a tool to get what she wants through psychological torture. Lysistrata gives us a bleak look at human sexuality and gender and the ways it can be used - no sugar-coating. Aristophanes gives us an insight into human desire and sexuality. He shows us the truth and not a romance story.