The Role Of Women In The Book 'Trying Neaira'

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Women were not always treated the same way they are treated today. Decades ago life was completely different for women. Women did not have any rights to vote, to drive, and most importantly to be independent. In the book, “Trying Neaira”, a greek woman named Neaira who was a courtesan was on trial because it was alleged that she illegally married an Athenian citizen and misrepresented her daughter as an Athenian citizen. During the trial, there were back and forth debates in whether she was guilty or not. Neaira is not guilty due to the fact that she was a victim for revenge, and there were lack of evidence with no proof. Neaira was a collateral damage for the ongoing feud. If Neaira was convicted, she should had been found not guilty because she was being used for the revenge of another man. She was not the intended target, but she was the only path to get revenge. In the book “Trying Neaira”, it states “Revenging themselves against Stephanos, according to Theomnestos, was precisely what he and Apollodorus were after in bringing suit against Neaira” (Hamel, 126). Female litigants were not allowed to defend themselves, but they were to be represented by a male …show more content…

Apollodorus accused Neaira of having two sons and a daughter with Stephanos, but he could not prove it. In the book’ “Trying Neaira”, it indicates that Apollodoros was pulling a fast one and that his slippery argumentation had no proof because evidence was scarce (Hamel,52). He argues how Stephanos treat the children, but his treatment of the children could not reflect his relationship with Neaira (Hamel,50). During his arguments, Apollodorus could come up with evidence that people can not surely tell if it is true, and the arguments that he makes for them had many faults. The evidence Apollodorus presented is intended to portray Neaira in a negative way and as such is heavily

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