Essay On The Role Of Women In Greek Mythology

784 Words2 Pages

Why were women treated as minorities compared to men even when they had played major roles in Greek Mythology? Women have always played a very important role in Greek Society, either they were portrayed as a victim, heroine, or villain. Some women that were portrayed as these roles were Antitope, Leda, Athena, Antigone, Clytemnestra, and Medea. Antitope and Leda were portrayed as victims. Athena and Antigone were portrayed as a heroine. Clytemnestra and Medea were portrayed as villains.
Antitope and Leda were portrayed as victims of rape. They were both raped by the most powerful god Zeus. Zeus was attracted to Antitope’s beauty so he raped her. In Leda’s case, he turned into a swan and raped her.
“Zeus raped or seduced several humans, including …show more content…

“Clytemnestra hated Agamemnon, for he had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to Artemis, and to the wind god, Aeolus, in order to get fair winds for the Greek fleet to sail to Troy and many years of war” (Daly). In result, Clytemnestra had murdered her own husband Agamemnon for revenge because he had sacrificed their daughter. Medea commits many disgraceful acts. “Her first deed was to destroy Pelias, the king who had taken over the throne of Iolcus from Jason 's father. Medea suggested to the daughters of Pelias that, if they killed him, cut him up into small pieces, and cooked him in a stew, he would then be rejuvenated. She demonstrated her idea by cutting and cooking a ram and, by the use of magic, making a lamb spring forth from the pot. The daughters did as she suggested but, of course, Pelias did not survive. The people were so horrified at this deed that Jason and Medea had to flee the country” (Daly). When Medea and her husband settled in Corinth, Jason left her for the daughter of the Corinthian king Creon, Glauca. To get revenge from her husband, Medea murders her own two children and poisons the Corinthian princess, that Jason, her husband left for, and King

Show More
Related

  • Comparing the Characters of Lysitrata, Penelope, and Medea

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medea unlike the other two females was a murderer. She murdered her own brother, Jason's wife, Kreon, and her own children. She was also a sorcerer who used her power mostly for evil.

    Read More

  • Greek Women in The Odyssey

    425 Words  | 1 Pages

    The women in The Odyssey are a fair representation of women in ancient Greek culture. In his work, Homer brings forth women of different prestige. First there are the goddesses, then Penelope, and lastly the servant girls. Each of the three factions forms an important part of The Odyssey and helps us look into what women were like in ancient Greece.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Essay on Medea and Antigone

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    While both women do wrong by the law of man, and Medea against the law of the gods, they do it for different reasons.  In the beginning Medea kills many people and monsters with little or no concern of the consequence. When the story deals with modern times Medea kills out of pure revenge and spite for Jason.  She plots for weeks to kill Jason’s new bride and poisons her, and then before she leaves the country she murders her two sons, she had with Jason, before she rides off in her bright white chariot.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Greek Mythology

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women have given birth to new generations for centuries and have the common stereotype of being caring and gentle. But in the creation myth, women were given to man as a punishment. In the book of collected Greek tales, " Mythology Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes", by Edith Hamilton, women take up important roles that shape each story. Although women are usually characterized as being helpful and motherly, Greek mythology, on the other hand, portrays them to cause distress, fear, and anxiety to numerous men. Women’s actions are shown to be influenced with jealousy and vengeance which gives them an evil nature.

    Read More

  • The Roles of Women in Ancient Greece and the Reasons for their Subordination

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women in Greece were treated very differently from the men, they were thought of as less and weak men. The men controlled the lives of the women and made sure the women felt this way and knew their place. “Married women in Greece had three main jobs raise their children for the sake of Athens, show no weakness than was natural to their sex and avoid gossip.”(J. Coffin & R. Stacey 125).This was thought by all men in Greece but even more so in Athens. As time went on women became more inferior to men the problem did not get any better as Greece went into the dark ages. During the dark ages it is not exactly sure how many resources they Greek people lost, many major settlements were abandoned there are no written facts from this time and it was assumed that the people were illiterate. Philosophers believed that woman had very poor minds and each woman needed to have their own guardian which was a male figure closest to her or if she was married her husband. Women were expected to stay inside their homes and when there was a woman seen on the streets they were usually prostitutes, slaves or poor. Women through time were always thought of as unequal to men; men believed this because they made sure it was true by not allowed women to own anything go to school or participate in many activities. Although women were just as capable as men, the men made sure they felt inferior in many aspects of their social position such as race, culture and sexuality. “If Athenian society could portray women as incapable of endurance and fortitude in the face of misfortune they could mark them as inferior to men. They could leave free and not have to worried about guarding ther...

    Read More

  • Medea and Lysistrata

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    As with Medea and Jason, the battle between the two lead to former's madness, leading to the death of the enemies she considered, and, unfortunately, leading as well to the death of her own children. Medea felt betrayed and left behind by her husband Jason, as well as continuously aggravated by Creon despite the fact that it was she who was in a disadvantaged position.

    Read More

  • The Evil Character Medea in Euripides' Medea

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Medea, a woman betrays her homeland because of her love for a man. Jason is the husband that she ferociously loves and makes sacrifices for. They have two children together: Antigone and Ismeme. In Jason's quest for the golden fleece, Medea assists him in multiple ways. One of the things she does to help their cause is bring about the death of her own brother. Certainly this is a woman who would sacrifice anything for her husband. Weigel records the fierceness of Medea's passion in his critique: "As a woman of passion, Medea is wholly committed to Jason as the object of her emotional life, whether in love or hate. When she loved Jason she did not hesitate to kill her brothe...

    Read More

  • womenant Portrayal of Women in Sophocles' Antigone

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although ancient Greece was a male-dominate society, Sophocles' work Antigone, portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. In this famous tragedy, Sophocles uses the characters Ismene and Antigone to show the different characteristics and roles that woman are typical of interpreting. Traditionally women are characterized as weak and subordinate and Ismene is portrayed in this way. Through the character of Antigone, women finally get to present realistic viewpoints about their character.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Greek Mythology

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Role of Women in Greek Mythology In learning about the feminist movement, we studied the three articles, discussed and reviewed the different authors perspectives on the topic, and learned how important the role of woman in Greek mythology is. In presenting the feminist theory to the class, we analyzed the three articles, Women in Ancient Greece; Women in Antiquity: New Assessments; and Women in Greek Myth, and discussed how although the three articles provided different views on Feminism in mythology, they all essentially are aiming to teach the same basic concept. In order to understand the feminist theory, we have to understand the notion that although myths are invented and that they involve fantasy, the concept of mythology does not necessarily imply that there is no truth of history in them. Some of the humans may have lived while some of the events may have taken place. Most importantly, the social customs and the way of life depicted in the myths are a valuable representation of Greek society.

    Read More

  • Jason Brings His Own Downfall in Medea, a play by Euripides

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Medea, a play by Euripides, Jason possesses many traits that lead to his downfall. After Medea assists Jason in his quest to get the Golden Fleece, killing her brother and disgracing her father and her native land in the process, Jason finds a new bride despite swearing an oath of fidelity to Medea. Medea is devastated when she finds out that Jason left her for another woman after two children and now wants to banish her. Medea plots revenge on Jason after he gives her one day to leave. Medea later acts peculiarly as a subservient woman to Jason who is oblivious to the evil that will be unleashed and lets the children remain in Corinth. The children later deliver a poisoned gown to Jason’s new bride that also kills the King of Corinth. Medea then kills the children. Later, she refuses to let Jason bury the bodies or say goodbye to the dead children he now loves so dearly. Jason is cursed with many catastrophic flaws that lead to his downfall and that of others around him.

    Read More

  • medea

    455 Words  | 1 Pages

    The problem set at the beginning of the play is that Jason has decided to marry another wife, Glauce. Medea is angered and will not let Jason off without punishment. The loss of Jason is not only a matter of passion; Medea has been completely humiliated by Jason's decision to take a new bride. Her pride shows again when she refuses Jason's aid. Though her situation is difficult, she would rather destroy all than accept help from one who has wronged her so horribly. Living as a barbarian among Greeks has made her more defensive, more full of hurt pride. To punish Jason, Medea had her children deliver poisoned gifts to the new bride, to kill her children, Glauce, and Creon. . Medea is not without feeling, nor is she a sociopath. She comprehends the difference between right and wrong, but chooses to follow the dictates of rage.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Ancient Greek Society

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ancient Greek civilization was one of the most complex eras in all history. They revolutionized how we think in modern day about philosophy, art, politics, and law. “Women have not been omitted through forgetfulness or mere prejudice. The structural sexism of most academic disciplines contributes actively to the production and perpetuation of a gender hierarchy.” Griselda Pollock said Even like the modern world we live in today, the subject of gender roles is still in question. Today women are still fighting for equal rights, it has taken century’s for men not to treat women as objects or property, and its going to take even longer for women in modern day to be fully equal to a male. Woman in ancient Greece did not have equal rights as modern

    Read More

  • Justice in Euripides' Medea

    434 Words  | 1 Pages

    Later in the story, our sympathy transfers from Medea to Jason. Her revenge turns immoral, leaving readers with a sense of uneasiness. It is not so much the fact that she kills Creon and his daughter, but the fact that she slays her children in cold-blood.

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Women in the Iliad

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    "So please go home and tend to your own tasks, / the distaff and the loom, and keep the women / working hard as well" (6.585-587). From this we see Hector's view of women, which is a theme that is echoed throughout the rest of the Iliad. Women are mentioned relatively few times in the Iliad in comparison with the books devoted solely to the men. Nevertheless, there is clear evidence that the role of women in this society was that of a servile follower.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Justice In Medea

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    Justice is not always easy to obtain, sometimes it is even harder to deal with the consequences. Medea was wronged in more ways than one. She was forced to leave her home and kill her brother so that she could help Jason on the ship, Argo. Afterwards, Jason and Medea got married and had two children. Years later, Jason left her for a princess. She was heartbroken and cried for days. During her suffering, King Creon of Corinth exiled her and her children out of the kingdom. Jason only wished for peace whilst Medea longed for something different. She made a plan that would fulfil her thirst for vengeance. In the play Medea by Euripides, the success of Medea’s vengeful scheme she undertakes highlights that things do not always go as expected.

    Read More

More about Essay On The Role Of Women In Greek Mythology

Open Document