While Iago manipulates Desdemona’s reputation to cause the downfall of almost every primary character in Shakespeare’s Othello, Desdemona still exhibits power that defies her role as a female in a patriarchal society. Her reputation is subject both to Iago’s shrewd attacks and to her society’s structure; which unknowingly puts the men at risk while they think they are securing their own safety by confining these women. Desdemona is treated as a product exchanged by men and is smothered by Othello in his efforts to protect other men and keep her sexuality contained. Iago objectifies Desdemona as he manipulates Othello’s perspective of her until Othello literally deconstructs his wife, despite her innocence. Though she seems the stereotypical female, Desdemona breaks free of gender constraints as she defies her father and exhibits complete control over Othello at the beginning of the play.
The essay sheds light on the impacts of Medea on the image of women in Ancient Greece. Euripides’ use of language and structure helps Medea, the main character, create a strong and meaningful initial impact on the audience as they are led to sympathize with her. After Jason leaves Medea heartbroken and shattered, her situation depreciates, as King Creon orders Medea “take your sons and go, into exile” (page 17). This event will cause some of the men in the audience to sympathise with Medea, because she was sent into exile after her husband left her and their children, to marry a princess. Euripides structures the play in order for sympathy towards Medea to build up slowly.
Calpurnia contrasts to Caesar because she shows great care for her husband and listens to him intently. Caesar, on the other hand, is much more skeptical about what she tells him and believes more what his male counterparts say. Portia differs from her husband, Brutus, because when she attempts to communicate with him, he prefers to keep his feelings inside. There is yet a further concept Shakespeare is alluding to by inserting Calpurnia and Portia into the play: he is insinuating that men cannot thrive without the presence women, and, when they go unnoticed and are ignored, tragedy is the only possible conclusion. Firstly, the role of Calpurnia as Caesar’s virtuous wife is so greatly important in her belief in superstitions that she actually forewarns him about his death.
As one of the few gods to be married of the Greek Pantheon she is frequently unfaithful to her husband. Hephaestus is one of the most even-tempered and humorless of the Hellenic Deities. Of her many lovers Aphrodite preferred Ares, the volatile god of war as she was attracted to his violent nature according to the narrative embedded in the Odyssey. She is one of a few characters who played a major part in the original cause of the Trojan War itself: not only did she offer Helen of Troy to Paris, but the abduction was accomplished when Paris, seeing Helen for the first time, was inflamed with desire to have her—which is Aphrodite's realm. In the novel The Golden Ass, Lucius Apuleius written in the second century A.D , Aphrodite poses as a secondary character in the Tale of Eros and Psyche.
Euripides can arguably be a proto-feminist, as he intends Medea to be seen as a barbarian troubled by Greek culture, due to her outsider nature, she cannot survive in not only this Greek environment, but an environment ran by men. She is ultimately a product of her surroundings, proving that women were used by Greek men for their own amusement. Euripides’ intent to prove that Medea’s story was one of a betrayed mother, rather than a monstrous one, occurs in Medea’s interactions with other people. One of the first instances of this occurring comes from Nurse’s interpretations of Medea’s character, when she demands, “What did I say, dear Children? Your mother frets her heart and frets it to anger.
That is, what must be taken into consideration is that literature in ancient Greece was an indulgence of the aristocratic male and thus a history of the role of women in Ancient Greece depicted in Hellenistic literature is largely subjective. The overwhelmingly chauvinistic tone of The Eumenides reveals that the women of Ancient Greece were victims of the dominant patriarchal perception imbedded in classical Greek tragedy. Apollo’s claim that the mother “is just a nurse to the seed” (Aeschylus 260) completely demeans the position of women in ancient Greek society. This colossal suppression of women is a rather common element of Hellenistic literature as is illustrated in the Classical Greek tragedy Hyppolytus by Euripides where the protagonist Hyppolytus rhetorical question “Oh Zeus, whatever possessed you to put an ambiguous misfortune among men by bringing women to the light of day?” (Euripides 616). In this tragedy Euripides also explores the misogynistic ideal of not needing women to conceive sons, suggesting that women in Ancient Greece were regarded as inferior and insignificant.
Through the character of Ismene, Sophocles shows the stereotypical weak woman, and through the character of Antigone, he shows the strong personality that woman have. Throughout the play, Sophocles shows the reader that Antigone’s character is filled with passion, determination, and bravery. Antigone’s character is strong enough to do what she feels is right, which is to have a proper burial ceremony for her brother, despite the fact that it is against the law set by Creon. Creon is determined to carry out the consequences which he set if anybody were to go against him. When he finds out that somebody has disobeyed, he reacts with fury: “What?
Shakespeare presents the stranglehold that men have over women and furthers the notion that men view women as items to be controlled in Messina culture. The characterisation of Hero can be seen as offensive to many female critics as Hero’s willingness to be ruled by male figures ’I will do any modest office, my lord, to help my cousin to a good husband’(2/1/346) presents how the Elizabethan society expects obedience from women and Hero helps promote this ideology. However, Leonato’s treatment of Hero addresses how gender relationships, even between family members are highly suggestive of harm. When Claudio slanders Hero, Leonato exclaims ‘vanquish’d the resistance of her youth and made defeat of her’ (4/1/45-46). This is pitifully sad,
Whether men do it to feel more powerful than women or to just purely increase the interests of others, using women and making them look like “toys” is not ethical but rather embarrassing. Furthermore, River argues on how there sort of lyrics against women do not create any sort of issue for the music industry; men and women as well. She compares that if such lyrics or graphics contained discrimination towards things other than women, such as Nazis and African Americans, the response from the public would be different. Rivers mentions, “I always find myself annoyed when “intellectual” men dismiss violence against women with a yawn as if it were beneath the dignity to notice,” wanting for this sort of disrespect to be terminated and for more people to do something about it so that it will no longer be tolerated. In addition, this sort of disrespect and violence towards women is unfortunately seen on TV, making it accessible for children and teenagers of today to be exposed to this sort of violence.
Do not think it so unwholesome. Ha, ha, ha!“ (Act 4 lines 108-109). She is not someone he values or respects. Bianca used her charm to seduce a man who has no genuine interest in her, and is fooled into believing otherwise. She also becomes a pawn in Iago’s efforts when Othello is tricked into believing it is Desdemona Cassio was speaking ill of.