Diction

The diction of the characters is an important aspect of the play. However, I find it difficult to fully assess the diction seeing as we are reading the play and unable to actually hear the voices. Despite this drawback though, we can assume certain dialects from the way the character's speech is written. Lampito's dialogue for example, is written as if it is spoken in a stereotypical Southern accent. Although it may seen unimportant, this dialect contributes greatly to Lampito's character. As representative of the Spartan women, Lampito's accent depicts these women as dim-witted and ignorant. On the other hand, Lysistrata has a diction which seems to demand respect. Her lexicon combined with her enunciation and perfect delivery place her in a position of authority and one which involves the careful consideration of the men, something seemingly incapable of women during this time. Overall the diction is fundamental to the development of characters and, although we cannot actually hear the language, we can work with what we know from what is presented in the text.