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Women's role in greek mythology
Women in greek epics
Women's role in greek mythology
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Greek tragedy incorporates female characters that symbolize women in Ancient Greece. Through the portrayal of Antigone in the playwright, Antigone in Antigone by Sophocles and Penelope in the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, these two women play opposing roles depicting how they appear to society through their actions. In both of these stories, they embody the ideals of passionate women who are very loyal and brave. Through other female characters in each story such as Penelope and Ismene, we can construct a better view of traits illustrated by Antigone and Penelope. In Antigone, Antigone is the heroine who demonstrates the qualities of loyalty and bravery. Creon, the leader of Thebes, has declared that Polyneices cannot be given the proper …show more content…
These two examples alone give us the impression, which degrades women and the power they had. On the contrary, Antigone goes against society view and a norm to do what she considers is morally proper. Ismene, Antigone’s sister and foil of the story, is compared with her throughout the story since Ismene believes that adhering to the law is more important over family loyalty. Ismene says: “I shall obey those who are in authority, for deeds that are excessive make no sense at all” (Antigone, Page 22, Line 67-68). In the end, Antigone is punished because of her wrongdoing within her gender norms, since she independently made herself the role of hero and stepped over the gender ideal boundaries in doing what was right, instead of expecting Haemon to do so, which advances the view of how brave and loyal she …show more content…
In the epic poem, it gives images of Penelope and Clytemnestra that helps to interpret what an ideal woman Penelope was in Ancient Greece. Penelope is represented as the ideal woman because she remains trustworthy to Odysseus, even though he has been gone for several years. Penelope also embodies the ideal Greek woman because she is a faithful wife to Odysseus, a great hostess, and rejects all moves upon her from the suitors in her house. One quote at the end of the book that shows she’s been loyal for this long time period is when the book states, “ The more she spoke, the more deep desire for tears welled up inside his breast—he wept as he held the wife he loved, the soul of loyalty, in his arms at last” (Homer, Odyssey, Book 23, Line 259-261). On top of that she shows a sense of intelligence being able to scheme and deal with the suitors around her all the time. Another great quote that represents her loyalty is when Penelope says “they court me against my law, they lay waste in my house (Homer, Odyssey, Book 19, Line 148)”, which is when she [Penelope] herself is basically explaining how she remains loyal even though there are several men making advances towards her in her own
... do, for all your crown and your trappings, and your guards—all that you can do is to have me killed”( Sophocles190 ).This kind of bravery ultimately proves that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to man and do so openly in pride. This kind of courageousness was rare for women of that time. Antigone dies bravely and in loyalty of her brother and because of this she is a model of a strong female protagonist as she clearly did not abide do gender expectations.
a man, because he has to choose a wife for his mother, but for Penelope, she. must feel degraded and low. On the other hand, if you look at a goddess like Athena, "the gray eyed" goddess," (many pages) who is actually running the show, she has much more. more power than many men do. For instance, she is able to convince Zeus, ruler of the world. all gods, that Odysseus has suffered enough to set him free.
Judged by modern Western standards, the treatment of women by men in Homer's Odyssey can be characterized as sexist. Women in Homer's Odyssey are judged mainly by their looks. If important men and gods consider a woman beautiful, or if her son or husband is a hero or has an important position such as king, the woman is successful. The way women in The Odyssey are treated is based on appearance, the things men want from them, and whether the woman has any power over men. During Odysseus' journey to the underworld he sees many different types of women. We hear about their beauty, their important sons, or their affairs with gods. We hear nothing about these women's accomplishments in their lifetime. Odysseus tells how Antiope could "boast a god for a lover,"(193) as could Tyro and many other women. Epikaste was called "that prize"(195) her own son unwittingly married.
Penelope is the most important female character in the epic because Odysseus ' homecoming is centered on reconnecting with her. Ten years has past and Odysseus has still not returned from the war and is seemingly dead. Many suitors desire to replace him, by taking Penelope 's hand in marriage and Odysseus ' property. While unsure of Penelope 's attitude towards these suitors, readers are constantly reminded of her faithfulness to Odysseus. Although Odysseus does not know whether Penelope remains faithful to him, he still yearns to come home. “The expectations and limitations of the male and female roles in the Odyssey are accepted and never questioned”. (Whittaker 40) Society expects women in Penelope’s position to remain devoted to their significant other even after all these years and not knowing whether or not he is alive but are more forgiving to men who commit adultery like Odysseus. This situation once again brings up the question of a double standard modeled in The
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.
...ow Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a hero.
Antigone is almost hailed to a god like status, as Oedipus was before her. She is extremely strong and unbelievably willing to sacrifice everything in the name of honor and pride. She so easily makes her decisions and chooses to die willingly without a second thought. The minute Creon questions her on breaking the law, she states: “Die I must, -I knew that well (how should I not?)-even without thy edicts.” What is even more is that Antigone was a woman, a woman in a time of extreme male domination. This makes her even stronger of a person in the play and shows the growing strength of the gender that we know of today.
Antigone believes that a woman should be intrepid and strong, even at the risk of challenging men’s authority. When she proposes to bury Polynices, Ismene answers, “we’re not born to contend with men”. (75) Antigone’s response, “that death will be a glory” (86), does not directly address gender issues, but it expresses her fury at Ismene’s passivity. After the burial of Polynices, Antigone defiantly states, “I did it. I don’t deny a thing,” while being interrogated by Creon (492) and later comments that she was “not ashamed for a moment, not to honor my brother”. (572-3) Antigone’s gallant speech and defiance toward traditional gender identities audaciously shows her revolutionary desire for gender equality.
Antigone was a selfless person with pride as a strong characteristic of her personality. She possibly had feelings of loneliness and anger from the way society has looked upon her family from their past. It took a strong willed person who has no fear of the repercussions to stand up to a king as she did. To make everything all the worst she stood up to a king who was her Uncle and she being a female back in those time, standing up and speaking out for herself was not heard of.
“A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view” (Ibsen). This saying also applied to the times of the Odyssey, an epic constructed by the blind, eight century B.C.E. poet, Homer. As one of the few representatives of ancient Greek social order, the blind, Homer witnessed women as substandard to men, regardless of their actions; many of them existed as seductresses, prostitutes, or slaves. He engraved into his poem women’s roles; the roles of women, as mothers, wives, seductresses, and goddesses are exemplified in this epic, when shown in comparison to the men of that era.
Antigone, the protagonist of the play, has what is seemingly the most powerful female role. From the very beginning of the plot she foreshadows her demise but expresses it through her stubbornness and inability to realize the great power of man. It is possible that she was aware of Creon’s capabilities as a leader, but nonetheless, she fights back by going t...
Antigone is relentless when it comes to loyalty, and this is what leads to the downfall of everyone around her. This is best shown through the words of
"Driven by the familial duty and the wish to fulfill divine laws requiring burial of the dead, Antigone violates Creon 's decree and buries her brother Polynices." (92) It is evident that her actions display characteristics of Arete and Heroism because she does not choose to obey the desires of Creon despite the authority he has over her. Even when her sister Ismene refused to help her in fear she 'd be punished, Antigone stood her grounds and honors the laws of heaven (Divine Law). And in spite of being caught, she is content with herself, knowing she is living to the best of her potential. The characteristics of Arete, defined as one who values their actions for the greater good and that is what Antigone distinguishes through the entire play. "I shall bury him. And if I have to die for this pure crime. I am content........ I have to please the dead far longer than I have to please the living...." (93) Overall Antigone 's courageous acts make her a hero of her time for having the bravery to do what she believes is right in the eyes of religion and divine law. Most importantly, because women in her time had little impact on what was regulated or defined as justly amongst their
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon’s strong sense of patriotism clashes with Antigone’s ethical responsibility, creating a battle between gender roles. Creon, the newly crowned King of Thebes, demonstrates his devotion to Thebes, a mainly patriarchal society, through the importance and priority he places on his duties. Creon’s regard for the law induces his abandonment of morality, when he refuses to honor both of Thebes’ martyrs, Polyneices and Eteocles, in an equal manner. The characterization of women in Sophocles’ Antigone portray women in a subordinate sense to men, while the actual events of the play demonstrate the strength and bravery of a woman, Antigone, indicating the presence of traditional feminist ideals throughout the play.
Antigone is a very stubborn character who stands up for what she believes in. she has a strong personality and will not take nonsense from anyone. Her insistence on her desire beyond the limits of reason make her appear ugly and abject. She is particularly arrogant towards her sister (Ismene) who possesses feminine qualities, and is the object of all men’s desires. Antigone is very envious towards her sister, however she will never show nor admit it. This is because Antigone has a “masculine” physique and curses her womanhood. Ismene well realizes that she does in fact possess pure inner qualities. She understands she is not beautiful like the rest, but in fact realizes she is beautiful in her own way which might frighten and awe others. She will express herself in a forward manner and tell you exactly what the problem is. If there does appear to be a problem she is not the one to hide it but instead react to it instantly. Antigone shows a rude side to her as she points out others’ flaws. She loves her boyfriend Haemon for the attention that he provides her with.