Lysistrata: The Temptation
The recap, key beats, and evidence for The Temptation, without reopening the whole book.
Section recap · 2 min read
What happens in The Temptation.
Kinesias, a young Athenian husband, arrives desperate to see his wife Myrrhine. Lysistrata lets Myrrhine come out to negotiate, but instructs her to tease him without giving in. Myrrhine leads Kinesias on through an extended, farcical scene: she fetches a bed, then a pillow, then perfume, then more perfume, and finally walks away leaving him in agony. A Spartan herald then arrives in the same condition, admitting Sparta is ready to talk.
The beats worth remembering.
Myrrhine's slow tease
Myrrhine keeps finding new items to fetch, each one delaying the moment of contact. The scene is the play's longest comic set piece and its most explicit. It works because the audience knows she is following orders, not being cruel.
Myrrhine walks away
After all the preparation, she simply leaves. Kinesias is left alone, furious and helpless. The moment is the sex strike's clearest demonstration of female power over male behavior.
The Spartan herald confesses
A herald from Sparta arrives visibly suffering the same way Kinesias does. He tries to pretend he is carrying a lance, but no one believes him. Sparta is ready to negotiate, which means the strike is working on both sides of the war.
The moments you can actually use later.
Kinesias negotiates from weakness
He arrives claiming he loves his wife and misses his child, but his real motive is obvious to everyone onstage. His vulnerability is the point: desire has made him politically pliable.
The herald's embarrassing arrival
A Spartan diplomat cannot hide his condition from the Athenians he is supposed to be negotiating with. It strips away any pretense of Spartan toughness and puts both cities on equal footing.
What to carry forward.
The Myrrhine scene is the strike's proof of concept
Everything the women promised in Act 1 is demonstrated here. A man who came to demand sex leaves having gotten nothing, and the power dynamic has fully reversed.
The Spartan herald signals the turning point
His arrival confirms the strike is not just an Athenian domestic problem. Both sides are suffering equally, which makes peace possible. Students should mark this as the moment the plot shifts toward resolution.
Ask about this act
Keep the question locked to The Temptation instead of the whole book.
How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.