What Is Adulterous Women And Adultery?

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Adulterous women, on the other hand, had undeniably smaller punishments for adultery because of the way in which the Athenians view sex and sexuality. Women were always seen as weak, while the men were strong and penetrative. Therefore, adultery was seen as an act that was done against them, despite the fact that it was done with their approval and involvement. However, the women still faced certain sanctions. Their husband was legally required to divorce his wife if it was discovered that she had an affair (Carey, n.p). It was believed that women that participated in an adulterous affair once were more likely to betray their husband again, so they had to end the marriage. In addition, adulterous women were banned from public temples and from wearing jewelry. If found violating this ban, they could be beaten (Robson, 98). Since moicheia included any affair between a woman …show more content…

The punishments involved with rape were much less severe than those associated with adultery. According to Euphiletos, the rapist was required to pay double the damages. However, torture, imprisonment, and death were not considered appropriate sanctions for this crime. Women that had been raped suffered no punishments, and it was not necessary for their husband to divorce them (Carey, n.p). Euphiletos describes the Athenians’ reasoning for deeming adultery as a more heinous crime by saying, “The assumption is that those who achieve their aims by force are hated by those they have violated, while seducers so corrupt the souls of their victims that they make other men 's wives more intimate with them than they are with their husbands,” (Lysias, 33). While rape affects mainly the victim, adultery disturbs both the victim and her husband because it damages the bond between the husband and wife. Therefore, adultery was seen as more ruthless and destructive because of its effects on the

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