The Role Of Women As Portrayed In Classical Mythology

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The Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal society. This is reflected throughout the myths in classical mythology. By looking at the classic mythology we will see that the roles women portrayed are very different than women’s roles in today’s society. Although there are a few similarities to women’s roles in today’s society, their roles are more like those women in the past. We can see this by looking at the attributes of Greco-Roman female gods and looking at the roles women play in the myths. By comparing the roles of women in the myths with women’s roles today we will see that the roles have many differences and few similarities.

The first things we will look at to show women’s roles reflected in Classical mythology are the attributes of the female gods. Of the fourteen main Olympian Deities, only six of them are women. This includes Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite. Of these six I believe Hera, Demeter, and Aphrodite best portray the role of women in Greco Roman society, as reflected in Classical mythology

The Olympian Deity who best shows the role of women is portrayed by Greek Mythology is Hera. Hera is the goddess of marriage, childbirth, and consort of Zeus. She stays at home and presides over the family all day while her husband goes around making love with every other beautiful girl in Greece. This indicates that in Greco-Roman society the women would stay at home to watch over their children, clean the house, weave, and make the meals. This could be looked at as being very similar to the roles of women in the early to mid 20th century, but is different than the roles of women in today’s society. Woman in today’s society are no longer expected to stay at home and watch over the house and home. Most women today have jobs and share the housework and cooking with their husbands. In addition, if a woman finds out today that her husband has been sleeping around on her and having children with many other women she can take him for every thing he’s got. Lets just say Zeus wouldn’t have that that crown or thunderbolt thrower anymore in today’s society.

Another Olympian Deity who helps show the role of women in Greco-Roman society was Demeter. Demeter is the goddess of grain and fertility. Demeter controls the crops and the making of children. I think that Demeter showed women’s roles as gardeners and the tho...

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...rarely choose whom the daughter will marry.

The Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal society. This is reflected throughout the myths in classical mythology. By looking at the classic mythology we see that women’s roles portrayed in myths are very different than their roles in today’s society. In classic mythology women are thought of as housewives who stay at home and preside over the families. They are expected to do what men say even to the extent of marrying whomever their father chooses. They are always at fault for the world’s problems and are never thought to be equal to men.

Women’s roles in today’s society are far different from this. They are no longer looked upon only to preside over home and family, they are not forced into marriages, and they are not blamed for all the worlds problems. Today’s society is not a patriarchal one. In today’s society women are looked upon as equal to men making it more equalitarian compared to the Greco-Roman society.

Sources Cited

Powell, Jennifer. The Women in Myth and in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009.

http://hsa.brown.edu/maicar/Biographies.html

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