Euphiletus's Speech

After reading the speeches in Women’s Life in Greece and Rome, one can see that each speech gives different details to how the attitude of women’s sexuality was revealed. The speeches also reveal that the women are put into the situation whether it be that they are feeling lonely, are shown to be unloved, or being overcome with love that their master that may not seem like love, but feels more like abuse. There is also a moment where some of the laws that are mentioned in the book have some inconsistencies with the law and how the way a incident was handled. All of these feelings and inconsistencies are shown in the speeches that we had to read. In the first speech A Husband’s Defence, Euphiletus was a husband whose wife was cheating on

“But then my mother died; and her death has proved to be the source of all my troubles, because it was when my wife went to the funeral that this man Eratosthenes saw her; and as time went on, he was able to seduce her.”(Euphiletus 7). This quotes shows that in his weakest moment his wife was snatched away and that she was seduced over time. His attitude towards this adulterous crime that was committed towards him was that he felt betrayed. He thought that his wife was “in the beginning she was the best of women… clever housewife, economical and exact in her best management of everything”(Euphiletus 7). He also thought she was a good wife because she also gave him a child that he could pass all of his possessions to. However, after he finds out that his wife was cheating on him his attitude turns to be a horrible attitude towards her because she committed this crime and she could have ignored Eratosthenes and denied his ways, but she did not do that.

The master 's wife “she used to address them as daughters, so that she might exact the largest fee from those who wished to have dealings with them”(Apollodorus 19). Knowing that the mistress will get more profit from the girls if they were her ‘daughters’ shows that even though they are not her actual daughters they still would have to go into prostitution in a few years. Neaera was the women, she was also a prostitute that was sold around to many men. Eucrates sent messages to Neaera’s past lovers about the situation. One of her past lovers Phrynion came to help her out. He gave Neaera the money to help her to become free. When Neaera “paid the 20 minas to Eucrates and Timanoridas as the price of her freedom and on the condition that she would not practice her profession in Corinth”(Apollodorus 32). Having looked at this quote Neaera was free and did not have to do what she was told. She was a free prostitute. This could be a great thing for anyone who wants to get out of that life. However, the money she had gotten to pay for her freedom was from a past lover who she lived with after she was freed. Phyrnion who helped her pay for her freedom took Neaera in and loved her. He bought her “clothes and jewellery which he had provided for her personal adornment”(Apollodorus 35). Phyrnion loved her and took care of her, but