Sarah B. Pomeroy introduces the chapter, “Women and the City of Athens”, by examining the true intentions of the Athenian lawmaker, Solon. Solon created multiple laws that regulated the lives of Athenian women. Pomeroy believes that Solon intended to protect not only the women of Athens, but the city itself. Many views on the status and treatment of Athenian women were analyzed. Some scholars contend that women were hated and kept in seclusion, while others claimed the opposite stating that the Athenian women were respected and not secluded.
The Homeric Hymns portray Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis and Hestia as strong females who uphold their own beliefs; challenging the “typical” gender stereotypes of the time period. Women in antiquity were expected to follow and uphold certain societal rules, most of these rules emphasized the gender stereotypes that women were perceived as being. The use of the goddesses powers challenge these societal rules and ideas about women. Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, and Hestia are portrayed in the Homeric Hymns in contrast to ancient stereotypical roles of women being confined to the household; as a result this contrast emphasizes that women can showcase strength, intelligence, and power within society. A women’s life in antiquity was constricted by
Aristophanes Lysistrata and Homer’s Odyssey both show how women can thrive in their society and fight for what they believe in, even if that goes against the gender roles portrayed in Greek Civilization. In Aristophanes Lysistrata, the author portrays how one woman can fight for what she believes in and make a difference in society. Lysistrata ultimately wanted to end the Peloponnesian War, she knew the only way to do so was to take advantage of the Men. Men were dying day after day because of this war and Lysistrata had enough, she wanted to end it. Lysistrata decided to take a stand; she voiced her plan to
In Greek epics, tragedies, and mythology women are portrayed in various ways. Women are mainly considered to be weak and less important than men, but there are some women who are shown to be strong and heroic, despite the reputation that was placed onto them in Ancient Greek civilizations. There were two particular women that were strong and took the roles of their husbands while the men left to fight in the Trojan War. These two women were Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon. These two women were different in how they chose to rule while their husbands were at war and how they acted once they got back.
There are many ways mythology can be interpreted beyond the simple storytelling it represents. It is a culture’s way of explaining the world, yes, but it can also be used to gain a deeper understanding of said culture. Myths reflect attitudes, fears, beliefs and can lead to a fuller knowledge of the people who nurtured and created them. At least that’s what P. Walcot argues in his article Greek Attitudes towards Women: The Mythological Evidence. By using mythological characters and stories as proof, Walcot claims that there is a relationship between female sexuality, female empowerment and the ancient Greeks’ intense mistrust of the female gender.
The war shifted the cultural and theatrical scenes of Athens greatly. The war especially affected the women of Athens. With their husbands and brothers dying at war, many had to search for low paying jobs in the city. Women gained more involvement with the Athenian workforce but they gained no political power. The population became poorer and many cultural traditions, like their famous festivals and parades, lost their funding to support the soldiers and military expenses.
Women throughout history have shared in a common societal inferiority in comparison to their male counterparts, and the women living in Ancient Greece were no exception to this longstanding trend. According to Haland, “A woman’s ritual obligations were threefold: pre-marital, as a new bride, and as the expectant or new mother.” Though given their seemingly secondary place within society, the lives of Ancient Grecian women had their own complex workings creating an almost concealed system of pride and social structure within their communities. This process began early in their lives with a rite of passage, which included a celebration of the approaching prospect of marriage and womanhood. Aside from the expected processes and formalities, Grecian
In the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds, there was a strong emphasis on ‘natural’ roles during sex wherein men would take on an active role whereas women would take on a passive role. With this, any actions that deviated from these natural roles were perceived as being against nature and were considered to be wrong, including male-male sexual intercourse as a man would be engaging in a passive role. Despite this, pederasty, in which an older man would engage in sexual intercourse with a younger man, was common during the time. These relations were not seen in the same way as sexual intimacy and would not have brought the same shame onto the men engaged in pederastic relationships as the shame brought on to men engaged in male-male sexual relationships.
In ancient times, there is a general sense that women were simply items and slaves to their husbands. Ancient Greece specifically has a renowned reputation of favoring men. Men possessed the dominant role in public affairs and events while most women were pressured to stay at home. Very few records extensively discuss women; the records focus mostly on men. Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
When the Romans had become rulers of the world they learned that returning to simple life wasn't going to happen. They had to change their institutions, social patterns, and way of thinking to shape to shape a new era. In the Roman society there was what they call new fashion traditions and the old age. the head of the family was always the oldest dominant male. As long as he lived he had all of the power of his children and wife.
The Odyssey embodies the proverb in the intro about women and men, which states that men are only successful when women support them. Without Penelope, Circe, Athena, and Calypso, Odysseus’ journey would have continued in agony and ended ultimately in his death. Many powerful women today, like Michelle Obama and Malala, inspire men and women alike to stand up for what they believe in and support others. Without their influence and that of other strong women, many celebrities, who people look up to, would not be who they are
Though the female characters played pivotal parts in The Odyssey, they also displayed the limited roles of women during Homer’s time. Women were often seen as seductresses and temptations
Over generations, the role of women in society has shifted and changed immensely, improving upon many aspects of rights and values that women have. The changes occurred gave women opportunities to provide ideas, to have the same rights as men, giving women freedom, leading to many contributions of many significant and valuable events. But from current roles of women being equal to those of men, how women stood in ancient society significantly differs and contrast with ours today. Throughout history, the role and significance of women were always outweighed by the dominance and influence of men. The role of women in ancient times varied throughout, depending on the place and area in the world, in which women had different roles and impacts on their own society.
The men of Athens feel threatened when women show agency because their whole patriarchal system depends on female complacency. Although Athenian society
