The Ideal Roman Woman In Xenophon's Oeconomicus

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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

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