Questia states, “Despite their vital role in Ancient Greek and Roman society, women were not considered full citizens and in most instances required a guardian – their fathers, and later husbands – to represent them” (“Women in Ancient Greece and Rome”). As his poem progresses, Homer presents female characters in different aspects, demonstrating that women should not be confined to the standard they were held in that society. At the beginning of the book, women are first introduced as being loyal, faithful, and under complete servitude to men. This presentation of women demonstrates the view of women at that time. This is evident in the treatment and actions of Penelope and Calypso.
After she demonstrates great loyalty and devotion towards Jason, he selfishly dismissed her in pursuit of social prestige. Even the conservative’s Chorus representing civilised Greek values agrees Jason has wronged Medea. To seek her own sense of justice Medea embarks upon a course of barbaric revenge. Euripides presents a character consumed with retribution leading to devastating violence. The initial crime of betrayal appears relatively minor compared to the horrific offenses committed by Medea.
Although women occupied an entirely different position in society compared to men, they too held a certain sphere of influence and power; they simply exerted it in ways that were distinct from men’s strategies. By examining the character of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, one can see just how women exerted their power and influence in The Odyssey and to what ends. Penelope uses clever cunning and sexual charm to toy with men’s emotions and to meet her own needs while she is waiting for her husband to return from battle. The types of strategies and her relative success in using them will be examined in this essay. Athena is the daughter of Zeus who helped Odysseus throughout his quests.
There has just been a war between Antigone's two brothers about who is to rule Thebes. Both of Antigone’s brothers died, but Creon left the brother who attacked Thebes, Polyneices, unburied as a form of punishment. Antigone went against Creon’s orders and buried him anyway. As punishment, Creon then sentenced her to death. Haimon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiancé pleaded for Antigone to be pardoned, but Creon did not abide to his son’s request.
She tells Odysseus, “Of course I will stand by you; I will not forget you when we are about this business.” This profound dedication severely contrasts Odysseus’s countless betrayals. In fact, Athena is so loyal she even aids Odysseus’s son, Telemachus. In the beginning of the poem she supplies him with a ship and crew so he can search for news of his legendary father. With Homer’s depiction of traitorous men and trustworthy women, it is clear that the realistic women of The Odyssey were unlike the common, sexist beliefs of the typical Greek men. Even though The Odyssey’s main focus is on Odysseus, women play a large part in this epic poem.
Euripides has been accused of being a misogynist as well as the world's first feminist. In your view, do the portrayals of Medea and Jason allow such contradictory interpretations? Euripides' Greek tragic play, 'Medea', depicts a wife's desire to right the wrongs done to her by her husband and in the pursuit of satisfaction, she commits the heinous of crimes, infanticide. The play is set in a patriarchal society, where women are treated as mere tools to satisfy their male partners. Euripides' portrays Medea as both a weak and strong woman, being able to stand up to some of the male characters and simultaneously succumb to their presence.
When asked if she knows the law, her exclamation is, "It was public. Could I help hearing it” (Scene 1, 55). This line clearly shows that Antigone knows that she broke the command and also is not shamed to admit it to the creator of the ruling himself. This shows that Antigone’s flaws are being stubborn, having an over bearing personality, and behaving in a headstrong manner. Throughout the play, “from Antigone”, Sophocles uses Antigone as the tragic hero.
Since the dawn of man, societal roles and behavior have differed between the sexes. Even in today's modern and progressive society, women continue to be judged more harshly than men for their behavior, particularly when it comes to sexual impropriety. Not only are a woman's actions judged more critically, but within the American society, we often see other women acting as a woman's harshest critics. This societal characteristic is all too pronounced in two literary works: "Daisy Miller: A Study", and "Roman Fever". In both stories, women are painted as the ultimate judge of morality; but the women, not men, seem to be the only ones judged and held accountable to society for their actions.
Lady Macbeth commits suicide from the guilt of persuading her husband to murder the king, and Macbeth himself eventually perishes at the hands of Macduff, a man whose family had fallen victim to murderers after he had fled to England. In this play, Macbeth’s descent into madness is set into motion by the ambitions of his wife. It is Lady Macbeth who first persuades
Offences included forgetting a sacrifice, violating the sanctity of a temple area, or breaking an oath or sworn agreement made to another person. A famous man, by the name of Oedipus, believed in these prophesies. It was prophesied Oedipus would marry his mom and kill his father. Ironically, all of this became true. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother.