I am interested in this topic because Egyptian society is interesting to me and I think that they had a good system for gender roles. Suzette Hartwell, “The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt,” www.eed.com.au/files/role-women-ancient-egypt.pdf (accessed December 10th, 2012) This article defines women’s roles and how they were treated in ancient Egyptian society. It also discusses some careers women would have had such as a temple singer or a weaver. This article provides sufficient detail for how women would go about their days and what rights they had. What I found it to be lacking was how women influenced ancient Egypt as a whole.
In historical literature, the Greek gods and goddesses came into existence before the Roman gods and goddesses. Venus is identical to the Greek representations of Aphrodite as an attractive seductive woman. The literature on Venus was borrowed from Greek literature on Aphrodite. Both are known for their envy, splendor, and relationships with both gods and mortals. Venus took on the aspect of a polite mother goddess full of pure love.
Whenever we go through the records of roman women's status in society there is always a great consternation. Several sources or journals which mention the roles of women in ancient roman society, several works which mention them as wives and mothers. There are sources however limited they may be which delve deeper into the scope of these questions, which give a glimpse into the lives of roman women. Woman in artwork has been portrayed as the guarantor of bounty and fertility. Roman women throughout their life from childhood and education to marriage and further in the motherhood had played a great role in society of that time.
Homer depicts Helen as a woman beholding qualities such as loyalty and trust, although she left her husband Menelaus for Paris. Olesker, the literary critic, analyzes Helen as a Greek woman loyally retaining information from her once homeland, Troy. “ When Helen is speaking with Telemachus, Odysseus' son, she tries to illustrate her loyalty towards the Greeks by explaining that she did not give away Odysseus' identity when he was disguised”(Olesker 1). Although there are few instances of loyalty and righteousness in Helen’s character, Homer still gives the reader insight into these actions
Beatrice is the representation of a modern woman who breaks free from the social norms, which preferred quiet and subdued women, only to be seen and not to be heard, like her cousin Hero. Beatrice is a strong character, she is witty, sometimes scornful, bold, sarcastic and amidst all this- emotional. She professes a stubborn malignity towards the opposite sex but also posseses a lurking fascination for her ‘enemy – Benedick. When we are introduced to Beatrice, we see her as the great lady, bright, brilliant, beautiful, enforcing admiration as she moves among fine ladies and accomplished gallants of her circle. She has a quick eye to see what is weak or ridiculous in man or woman.
Do women prove stereotypes as incorrect? Although one might argue that women have made many advances in society, today in the media, women still often play lesser roles than those of men. They are usually represented as sexual objects or secondary characters that the male lead must either save or win over in the movie. In contrast, in the television series Alias, the female lead Sydney Bristow was depicted as being strong both physically and emotionally. She had to deal with the considerable emotional trauma she had experienced over the years and the changes involved in being a spy on a daily basis.
In contradiction to the good roles, there is the role of evildoer, Grendel’s mother. Many of these roles are set and put forth by women in the Old English times so that this tradition stays in continuance. Throughout the epic of Beowulf, Queen Wealhtheow, wife of Hrothgar, has most definitely filled all the roles of these women. Wealhtheow being queen is by far one of her greatest roles “adorned in her gold”(l. 614). Her appearance and the way the author boasts about her make her noticeably royal material “decked out in rings”(l. 621).
The role of women in homer’s Iliad One of the reasons scholars have found The Iliad so interesting for almost three thousand years is because much of the culture, religion and mythology of the ancient Greeks can be interpreted from it. Literature as it deals with every aspect of individual and society helps us to get a little insight of Homeric time and the treatment of women in that time mainly in homer’s epic poem Iliad. Women from the ancient time have held many roles in the society. In homer’s Iliad women play a modest but important role embodies their relative significance and the impact that they have on the affairs that takes place. Women are mentioned relatively few times in Iliad in comparison with the books devoted solely to the men.
The substandard status of women has been a staple in various cultures throughout the centuries. Certainly the literary world has been no exception; in fact, literature projects the creed of a civilization rather well. At first glance, women seem to take up very little space within the context of Beowulf, but a second look will reveal their societal roles in this era thanes and kings. Particularly, the portrayal of Queen Wealhtheow as a peacemaker and an audible voice reflects the contradictory expectations of women in a patriarchal society. As the queen, Wealhtheow is by default the ceremonial hostess as well; she is expected to bridge the gaps that exist between the guests and the rest of the king’s court.
Because women could give birth, their roles were valuable than men in some societies. On the basis of this assumption, it is possible that matriarchy existed and women ruled meaning men have not always been leaders. Based on evidence from archaeologist, the beginning of civilization was female-centered with females figures known as Earth Mother or the Mother Goddess. Great leaders such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra are rooted in many minds to be the first female leaders of great societies and examples of strong independent women. They conquered great societal barriers in order to achieve their goals.