Hera is the Greek goddess of marriage, childbirth and women. She is well known for the myths that include her getting revenge against the women who her husband, Zeus has been unfaithful to her with. Hera is well-known for this vengeful behavior and spiteful personality. There are several myths about Hera and her revenge against Zeus’ mistresses but not about Hera’s revenge against her husband. Hera was however, worshipped by the Greeks for being the “ideal woman.” It is true that Hera was not a fan of her husband for his acts but according to many Greek myths, her revenge was always toward the women over Zeus. Because Hera is the Goddess of womanly things, women are given a negative stereotype due to Hera and her reputation.
One example of
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Semele is the mother of Dionysus. Hera also found out about this affair because Semele became pregnant with the child of Zeus. Instead of cursing Semele and her unborn baby, Hera did not tell Semele or Zeus that she knew the father was Zeus. She waited until Semele gave birth to the child and disguised herself as the nurse. As the nurse, Hera persuaded a hormonal Semele to request Zeus to show his true form. When he did, Semele was killed by the mighty thunder of Zeus. Hera found this to be a joyous occasion that Semele could not raise her husband’s child and that she tricked her own husband without having that intent. Though the baby did survive, hera would not have cared if it died minutes after being born because when it came to the women her husband was involved with, she hsd no mercy. The Goddess of childbirth tricks the father of a newborn baby to kill the mother of the child. It is becoming more and more evident that Hera has such a strong hatred towards mistresses that it defines her reputation despite the fact that she has also done a lot to help Greek women during marriage and childbirth. It is becoming even more clear as to how Hera’s feelings towards women and her husband are reflected in society today and throughout history. Women tend to get the blame even when men are at