The Status of Women in New Testament and Lysistrata
Since the beginning of time the treatment of women has improved
dramatically. In the earliest of times women were mere slaves to men. Today
women are near equals in almost all fields. In 411 B.C., when Lysistrata was
written, men had many stunning advantages to that of their female counterparts.
Although women's rights between 30 and 100 A.D., the time of the New Testament,
were still not what they are today, the treatment of women was far better.
Overall, the equality of women in the New Testament exceeds that of the women in
Lysistrata in three major ways: physical mobility, society's view of women's
nature, and women's public legal rights.
Albeit in Lysistrata the women were shown as revolutionaries rising up
against the men, women in classical Greece were never like that. Aristophanes
created the play as a comedy, showing how the world might be in the times of the
Peloponesian war if women tried to do something. It was the women's job to stay
home and tend to the house, and never leave, unlike they did in the play, the
women were shown as revolutionaries rising up against the men, women in
classical Greece were never like that.
The activities of women in Classical Athens were confined to "bearing
children, spinning and weaving, and maybe managing the domestic arrangements. No
wandering in the beautiful streets for them." The suppression of women went so
far as to divide the house into separate areas for males and females. While the
women stayed home, the men were usually out fighting, and when they weren't
fighting, they were entertaining their friends and having sexual favors
performed by courtesans.
The rights of women in early Christianity were a far cry from today,
although they were much better off than their Athenian counterparts. In the
Christian church, women were treated as equals. The first evidence of this is
when the woman with hemorrhages touches Jesus' clothing and he says that her
faith has made her well (Mark 5:34). This shows that both sexes are treated
equally in that eyes of god even though at this time the hemorrhages that the
The role of women in Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days is outstandingly subordinate. There are a number of times in Hesiod's text that despises women, being mortal, immortal, or flesh-eating monsters. The overall impression of women from Theogony and Works and Days, leads one to believe that Hesiod is a misogynist.
Women had very few rights, they lived as prisoners, serving men 24 hours a day. Women were sheltered from society, restricted to their husbands and their husbands houses, crying out for help and justice but there is no one to there to hear their screams. In the play Antigone when the title character had to sneak out of the house to meet up with Ismene. Ancient Greek men ruled a lot like over protective fathers with teenage daughters. Men were also scared of women gaining confidence and begin thinking on their own or worse taking action or speaking out against men, like in the play Antigone where Antigone confronts Creon by burying Polyneices after Creon strictly stated that no one bury him. If someone were to bury him, the whole Polis would stone them to death. When Creon found out that someone buried Polyneices, he did not even consider that it could have been a women that did it.
one of the most important reasons could be the use of humour in the play.
Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran caves, the lives of a now deceased society has been placed under the microscope. With the amount of work archaeologists and manuscript scholars have committed themselves to accomplish, more information on these Qumranites has been learned. Scholars have been able to determine that they were a Jewish sect, while also learning that they were a Jewish sect and obtaining their Biblical canon. The majority of scholars have associated the sect of Qumran with the Essenes due to their similarities. Though much was not found at the beginning of the excavations concerning women, it has become a matter in which many scholars are seeking more to know. Further archaeological findings have led to knowing more information about the Qumranite women.
Medea and Lysistrata are two Greek literatures that depict the power which women are driven to achieve in an aim to defy gender inequality. In The Medea, Medea is battling against her husband Jason whom she hates. On the other hand, in Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the protagonist Lysistrata plotted to convince and organize the female gender to protest against the stubbornness of men. In terms of defining the purpose of these two literatures, it is apparent that Euripedes and Aristophanes created characters that demonstrate resistance against the domination of men in the society.
In this essay I shall be writing about why I agree that with the play,
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
Shakespeare’s play was wrote during a time period where he was putting his shallow plots in the past that helped cause him to find his mature style. He based his play off the consideration of imagination versus reality with the concept that emotions
Aristophanes stereotypes women as bickering, self-centered, unintelligent people in the beginning. They are sex driven and selfish. Lysistrata is upset that the women are late for the very important meeting "Here I've called a meeting to discuss a very important matter, and they're all still fast asleep" (180). Calonice sums up what women are thought to do all day, and also what they represent to their households; "The women! What could they ever do that was any use? Sitting at home putting flowers in their hair, putting on cosmetics and saffron gowns and Cimberian see-through shifts, with slippers on our feet?" (181). It is in fact these very frivolous ideas that are used to bring peace to the two cities. Throughout the play Aristophanes begins to knock down ...
"Power and Women in Lysistrata: Character Analysis of Lysistrata." Article Myriad. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. .
“Amerlia Earhart once said, ‘Women, like men, should try to do the impossible, and when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others." What this quote mean is that women should try to change the world and if they don’t succeed then another women can try to succeed it. The definition of a modern American woman is someone who is determine, confident, fearless, and not afraid of failure.
A play serves as the author's tool for critiquing society. One rarely encounters the ability to transcend accepted social beliefs. These plays reflect controversial issues that the audience can relate to because they interact in the same situations every day. As late nineteenth century playwrights point out the flaws of mankind they also provide an answer to the controversy. Unknowingly the hero or heroine solves the problem at the end of the play and indirectly sends a message to the audience on how to solve their own problem.
In part four of Plato’s Republic, Socrates argues that both men and women will serve as guardians and auxiliaries. Plato appears to endorse feminist ideas. Plato presents Socrates, and himself, as an advocate for feminism. Plato cannot be a feminist due to his motivation for equality. Although Plato endorses some feminist ideas, his endorsement of these ideas does not come from the belief that women should be equal to men, but that everyone must play his or her appropriate role.
of interest to the play making it a great play to read and also act
with Shakespeare writing a comedy play for a man. But this play was soon to be changed