How Plutarch Represents Isis as the Model of an Ideal Woman
Introduction
Isis is an Egyptian goddess who is portrayed in the form of a woman who wears a throne that is headdress shaped and holds in her hand an Ankh. On the other hand, Osiris is the husband to Isis who is also a god in the ancient Egypt. Plutarch through her representation of Isis as the ideal woman believes in a woman’s education that she considers a recognizable goal. She directly tells Clea out rightly not to believe in the myths of Isiac since they do not represent the truth. According to Plutarch, Isis represents the female principle as a whole that receives all of the procreation thus, her name Isis named by Plato as the all-receiving and the nurse. Also, Plutarch expresses
…show more content…
A wife needs to take care of the husband’s properties and guard the family’s honor in the absence of the husband to ensure there is peace in among the family members as demonstrated by Isis who thanks to her vigilance, alertness and control, Typhon was unable to carry out any revolutionary action when the husband, Osiris, was away. Also, a woman needs to be on alert and have a personal emotional sense in the case of a tragedy. An ideal wife needs to know how to react in certain situations to avoid expressing too much emotion or ignorance in the situation of a tragedy, for example, when Isis learned of Osiris’ death she immediately cut one of her tress and wore a mourning garment (Richter …show more content…
Marriage is an institution and every institution has an organizational structure that clearly brings out the chain of command. In a marriage institution, it is not different as the man is the head the woman submits to. From the text, it is clear to see Isis dedication and respect for her husband even after the death of her husband to the extent that she agrees to consort with her husband who is dead and buried and even to bear him a son. Finally, an ideal wife should struggle to ensure that her families, including her children or the children of her husband, are well taken care of and mentored even in the absence of their