The Ideal Roman Woman In Xenophon's Oeconomicus

977 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women in greek myths

movement throughout this scene and Pseudolus; orders to stay in the room illustrates that male slaves held power over female slaves.
Finally, by examining various ancient primary sources such as Xenophon’s Oeconomicus, stories about Cornelia Gracchus, and the Laudatio Turiae, we can develop a model of the ideal Roman woman in antiquity. Xenophon’s Oeconomicus retells the conversation Socrates had with a man named Ischomachus. Socrates want to know how Ischomachus can have so much free time from managing his estate. Ischomachus attributes this feat by leaving the management of the estate to his wife. In this conversation with Socrates, he discloses on how he taught his wife while highlighting certain characteristics he thought was important for a wife to have. A woman’s place was inside the home caring for the children, tending to the slaves when they got sick, managing the food supply, making clothes from wool, and overseeing the running of the household. Ischomachus believed that men were more suitable for outdoor work because “the god made …show more content…

Daughter of Scipio Africanus, Cornelia married a man by named Tiberius Gracchus. From their union she had twelve children, but only three had survived. Cornelia was recognized as an ideal woman because of her dedication to the memory of her deceased husband. She refused multiple marriage proposals even one from Ptolemy VIII. Because of this, she gained the title univira or “with ine husband” (MacLachlan, 67). Cornelia was known as an intelligent woman and a perfect example of a Roman mother. Her love for her children was illustrated in a story by Valerius Maximus. A Campanian matron was showing off her jewelry to Cornelia, however Cornelia waited until her children returned home and said “These are my jewles” (MacLachlan, 67). The actions and virtues Cornelia exuded throughout her life is an example of what other Roman women should aspire to

Show More
Related

  • Eve Browning Cole's Women Slaves and Love of Toil

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cole's article is not to attack Aristotle on his views of where a woman should be placed within the social and political order, in accordance to the Classic Greek period. Her intrigue is within "surveying some central values of that particular social and political institution," (Sterba 79). At first she begins with Aristotle's view on gender and class in ethics. Making a definite point among the social/political class, ancient Greek women and slaves were only allowed their male citizens to think for them. Being dependent on men silences the women and slaves without a voice to speak out, for the women work while the men socialize with others, the men assume that the women do not need a voice. According to Aristotle, even a woman's virtue is to be subservient to all males. As a part of common life the woman is considered the pack horse and the mother to raise the children, for the men. With all the work that women put into their specific households, some education and training would mature from the experience. It was thought again by Aristotle within; Deliberation, Education, and Emancipation, that woman did not possess the aptitude for practical reasoning. For whomever possessed practical reasoning carried with them authority on their decisions and the action pending. From these three classic Greek examples of how women were considered mentally and treated physically, the author Cole provides a progressive outlook of how women could have gained social and political power in a society of male dominant figures.

    Read More

  • Important Role of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    1720 Words  | 4 Pages

    " While this view may have been extreme even for the Greeks, they were convinced of the physical and intellectual inferiority of women. Thus, they believed that it was better for all--the woman included--that a wife should stay in the home far removed from the complicated business of the "man's world."... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Goddesses, Whores, Wives, And Slaves: Women In Classical Antiquity

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    This paper will discuss the well published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomerory uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomerory uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses. She then talks about some common roles, the whores, wives, and slaves during this time. Pomerory enlightens the audience on the topic of women, who were seen as nothing at the time. Men were seen as the only crucial part in history; however, Pomerory’s focus on women portrays the era in a new light.

    Read More

  • Women In Ancient Greek Society

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Greek society women were treated very differently than they are today. Women in ancient Greece were not allowed to own property, participate in politics, and they were under control of the man in their lives. The goddess Aphrodite did not adhere to these social norms and thus the reason the earthly women must comply with the societal structure that was set before them. Aphrodite did not have a father figure according to Hesiod, and therefore did not have a man in her life to tell her what to do. She was a serial adulteress and has many children with many men other than her husband. She was not the only goddess from the ancient Greek myths to cause doubt in the minds of men. Gaia and the Titan Rhea rise up against their husbands in order to protect their children. Pandora, another woman in the Greek myths, shows that all evil comes from woman. Aphrodite, Gaia, Rhea, and Pandora cause the ancient Greek men to be suspicious of women because of her mischievous and wild behavior.

    Read More

  • The Role of Spartan Women

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lefkowitz, Mary R., and Maureen B. Fant. Women's Life in Greece and Rome. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2005.

    Read More

  • The role of Women in Greece

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Their limitations amongst society can also be noticed by the amount of education that they are entitled to. Plato’s Republic mentions how the role of women is determined by the status of their spouse. For instance, if a woman were to be the wife of a guard, then she would be expected to live at the level of that status, too. She is expected to be able to contribute to society a great deal more rather than stay at home and take care of her children and household.

    Read More

  • Ideal Roman Women: Lucretia and Dido

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    He would make the all the decisions in the family, and made the rules and standards, including the moral standards that women were expected to follow. Ideal Roman women were valued for their piety, modesty, performance of womanly duties, and faithfulness to their husbands. In both their stories, Lucretia and Dido do what is necessary to maintain their image of the ideal Roman woman. The story of Lucretia begins with men boasting about their wives, trying to determine who is the best of them all. It is clear to them that Lucretia is the winner when she is found “hard at work by the lamplight upon her spinning” (Livy, 100).

    Read More

  • Depiction of Etruscan and Roman Women in History

    1572 Words  | 4 Pages

    This emphasis is notably unique from the portrayal of couples among contemporary societies such as the Greeks and Romans. This depiction of couples reflects the essential role woman clearly held in Etruscan society. “Women in Etruria participated more fully in the public life of than Greek and Roman women. They had their own names, and passed rank on to their children (Bonfante xx-xx).” Etruscan women enjoyed the same equalities as men such as hereditary possession and having their own identity not solely confined to traditional roles of women in surrounding areas. Etruscan women could afford to provide financially for any children born to them, due to the Etruscan cultural setup. The independence that Etruscan women relished did not take away their nurturing nature as many other societies including the Romans believed.

    Read More

  • Women In Roman Society

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout ancient civilizations, women were lower than men. In some civilizations like Mesopotamia society, women were below slaves. It is not shocking that they would still not be equal to men. In Roman society, women had more independence and people were more encouraging of women being educated in philosophy. In the Hans society, women did not have any freedom. They were required to follow what the men told them. By examining Gaius Musonius Rufus’ essay and Ban Zhao’s essay, the views of women were different. Woman in Roman society had more freedom and women in the Han’s society were required to fulfill her responsibilities.

    Read More

  • Ancient Roman Women Essay

    1673 Words  | 4 Pages

    People got divorced because of adultery, politics, or simply because they didn’t work well together. Punishment for adultery varied at different times in Rome’s history. Most times adultery was considered a family matter and most times didn’t need the attention of a court. “If the woman was the one who committed adultery, the husband could keep some of her dowry if she got divorced,” quote by “Women’s Rights in Ancient Rome”. That woman would also have to wear a toga instead of a dress. If there were children in the marriage then the husband would have full custody of them. The wife would go back to her family. Julius Caesar's second wife was divorced when she was caught in a compromising situation with another man. The man was thrown in jail. Politics had a bigger impact on a marriage than love did. Men wanted to have wives that were from influential and important families. All of Julius Caesar's wives were daughters or granddaughters of important government men. Many elite Romans got remarried if they got divorced or their spouse died. It was customary for a woman to mourn for 10 months before remarrying. Even women who were pregnant got remarried. Livia Drusilla got married to the first emperor of Rome, Augustus (Octavian), when she was pregnant with her previous husband's child. Her ex-husband was even at the wedding between her and

    Read More

  • The Roles of Greek and Roman Women

    1663 Words  | 4 Pages

    Greek and Roman women lived in a world where strict gender roles were given; where each person was judged in terms of compliance with gender-specific standards of conduct. Generally, men were placed above women in terms of independence, control and overall freedom. Whereas men lived in the world at large, active in public life and free to come and go as they willed, women's lives were sheltered. Most women were assigned the role of a homemaker, where they were anticipated to be good wives and mothers, but not much of anything else. The roles of women are thoroughly discussed in readings such as The Aeneid, Iliad, Sappho poetry, and Semonides' essay.

    Read More

  • Differences and Similarities of The Women of Athens and Sparta

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women in antiquity did not have an easy lot in life. They had few, if any, rights. Surviving early records of the civilizations of antiquity from ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and Rome suggest the diversity of women’s roles differed little from region to region. There were a few exceptions, mostly concerning women of nobility and the city-state of Sparta. Excluding the rare instances mentioned most antique women were generally limited on education, mobility, and almost all possibilities interfering with domestic or childbearing responsibilities. The limited social roles of women in antiquity suggest the perceived c...

    Read More

  • Role of Women in Ancient Roman Society

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    I was surprised at some of the facts I discovered while researching this paper topic. It is not a “black and white” simple answer topic; explaining the role of women is more complicated than that. During the early years of Rome, the role of the woman was minimal; however as Rome evolved so too did the place of women in Roman society. Rome, and its men, eventually grew to understand that women could be helpful, indeed, more than that, they could be a working partner in a su...

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Oedipus Rex

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    For centuries women have fought to obtain basic civil rights and today, they are still fighting to obtain equal rights. From the right to vote to their right to birth control, women have always been trying to assert their own independence in order to expand their freedom. While much progress has been made, there is still room for improvement. However, the evolution of women’s rights and the role of women is mirrored in literature and can be used to illustrate the progression throughout history. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is no different. Through the character Jocasta, Sophocles creates a counterpart to Oedipus and uses her to reveal the oppression of women by contrasting her and Oedipus’ relationships and reactions to the prophecy. Throughout the play Oedipus Rex, Sophocles illustrates Jocasta’s vulnerability and supportive nature in order to women as fragile, doting, and obedient wives and mothers to facilitate the necessity of self-assertion.

    Read More

  • How the Roles of Women in Ancient Greece Affect Their Status

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... did not have tyrannous men overlooking them as men did to women in Athens. Although these two ancient societies were in the same country, the value of women and their freedom were very different. By comparing and contrasting we are able to better understand the concept of gender, how gender inequalities have changed from the past, and what we have learned about the history of women and gender. In analysis, the value of women in these two societies was greatly influenced by their role and contribution to society. Women in Sparta were valued more because they gave birth to potential warriors and since Sparta was a militarized state more warriors were needed. Spartan women hired lower class women for the chores. In Athens, women were less valued because household role such as taking care of the house, chores, and cooking were not equally important to society as men.

    Read More

More about The Ideal Roman Woman In Xenophon's Oeconomicus

Open Document