Traditional Gender Roles In Greek Literature

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In Greek literature, women are commonly assigned traditional gender roles. They are forced, confined, and demoted under the relentless and debilitating categorization of submissive, melodramatic, and obedient. When their position in society is juxtaposed with the role of men, the overwhelming discrepancy in the ability to pursue happiness and rights between men and women are especially apparent. While women are often overlooked and considered weak by societal terms, men are regarded upon in the highest esteem and provided with power and authority correlated with their gender, which automatically qualifies them with the role of the dominant figure in society. For the longest of time, society has constructed the role of women in a restrictive way to …show more content…

She was the daughter of King Aeetes and the former wife of Jason, until he decided to abandon his family and duties as the head of the household by marrying Glauce, the Princess of Corinth. In the beginning, when Medea and Jason ran away to Corinth, she tried to play the part of the good wife and conform to the ancient Greek societal values regarding gender roles. As a woman, her purpose in society was to get married, have children, and raise them. Medea tried to comply and obey those norms that had been long engrained in society. However, due to Jason’s betrayal and the renouncement of her and their children, the catalyst for full-fledged murder arose and unraveled the stagnant and deeply inbred issue of gender inequality, especially in terms of marriage. Medea even said, “For separations bring disgrace on the woman and it is not possible to renounce one 's husband” (42). While getting divorced was an easy procedure for men, it was extremely difficult for women to accomplish separation successfully from their husband. Men were not only able to freely and easily divorce their wife without any issues, but also did not experience any reparations for their actions. Whereas,

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