Patriarchy In Marriage By Stephanie Coontz Summary

In Stephanie Coontz’ book, the history of patriarchy in marriage is considerably more prominent compared to other marital systems. In one example, Coontz delves the reader into historical contexts dating back to past civilizations, such as the Roman Empire when Julius Caesar was emperor. One such example of patriarchy in past family life controlling both men and women could be seen in Coontz’ example in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Mari. According to Coontz, the king of Mari, Zimri-lim, married off his daughters to his loyal subjects because he then expected that because, “‘He is the husband of Zimri-lim’s daughter and he obeys Zimri-Lim”’ (55). Therefore, this controlled both men and women because men had to obey the king and the women

had to marry who the king selected. Additionally, another example comes from Coontz when she describes early Roman history where the “power lay with the oldest male of the household” (79) and “sons and daughters remained under their father’s power until the day that he died” (79). This controlled both males and females because there was no way for them to escape the power of their father until he passed away and the next in line was coronated.
However, there are some shortcomings with this system. For example, in the ancient Greek community, “early laws in Greece explicitly declared that male relatives, up to and including the ‘sons of cousins,’ were responsible for avenging an individual’s murder” (71). Therefore, patriarchal power has a limit when it comes to law because the men were expected to war against opposing factions to get their way or revenge. This often caused a lot of wars in ancient Greece. Lastly, patriarchal power is still alive today and its influence can also be seen in contemporary fiction in the US. In the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones, patriarchy is often seen in the form of inheritance and marriage. In the first season, after the King dies, the crown passes on to his eldest son, Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones). In addition to this, his only daughter is sent away to a foreign house for a marriage in order to strengthen relations between the two kins (Game of Thrones). Overall, one could say that this show is a great example of the everlasting impression of patriarchy has had on American culture.