The Mistreatment Of Women In Ancient Greek Society
For thousands of years men and women have been seen differently, both biological and socially. Men in society are seen as strong and brave. While women are seen as weak and fragile. It’s these biological differences that allowed society; such has ancient Greece to created social double standards. Women in Greek society were not treated like people, more so as objects. Society has placed judgments on women, believing that there are only two types of women, evil or pure. Society also has had the ability to create the ideal women in their society. In an ancient, influential text expresses the idea of women stereotypes in Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. All women in the Odyssey are foisted upon …show more content…
Your envy punished rose-fingered Dawn when she embraced Orion: you gods, at ease, your least desire appeased, sent down chaste Artemis of the gold throne, and she, in Delos, killed him with her shafts. (98) This is the first evidence in the Odyssey of double standards being openly communicated by a woman. Calypso points out that men are allowed to bed any woman they want. Because of double standards in ancient Greek society, men are allowed to wed and sleep with whoever they please and women are supposed to wed and to never to express their sexuality. Helen is another great example of double standards. During the Trojan War Helen was being fought over my two different men. Helen had no say in the matter, on which man she loved or if she even wanted to marry either of them. Helen was treated like a shiny trophy that the men would get if they won the war. She was then forced to marry the man who won, Menelaus. Throughout the Trojan war Helen was consider an object subjected to serve the man she married, Helen says: Zeus- nurtured Menelaus, do you …show more content…
But let us, just as soon as we draw near the city,separate. To either side of that tall wall [...] I fear that some rude fellow, meeting us, Might say: This stranger whom Nausicaa’s brought, who is his? where did she find him? He will surely be her husband!(121)
Nausicaa is worried about being seen with a man because, she is yet to wed. In society, any woman seen with a man they assume that they are going to get married. Because the ideal women should be married. The perfect women also must be loyal to her husband, just like Penelope. Penelope waited for her husband for years, and she held off hundreds of mad suitors. By now her father and her brothers urge Penelope to wed Eurymachus; [...] Take care, for she may try- against your will- to carry off some treasures from your halls.(295)
Penelope is a excellent example of a loyal wife waiting for her husband to return from war. Even though it has been over 20 years she waits and fights off suitors for her husband that could be dead. The last characteristic the ideal woman needs is beauty. When Helen first appears, she is only described by her beauty, when from her fragrant, high- roofed room came Helen- like Artemis,whose bow and shafts are
For thousands of years men and women have been seen differently, both biological and socially. Men in society are seen as strong and brave. While women are seen as weak and fragile. It’s these biological differences that allowed society; such has ancient Greece to created social double standards. Women in Greek society were not treated like people, more so as objects. Society has placed judgments on women, believing that there are only two types of women, evil or pure. Society also has had the ability to create the ideal women in their society. In an ancient, influential text expresses the idea of women stereotypes in Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. All women in the Odyssey are foisted upon …show more content…
Your envy punished rose-fingered Dawn when she embraced Orion: you gods, at ease, your least desire appeased, sent down chaste Artemis of the gold throne, and she, in Delos, killed him with her shafts. (98) This is the first evidence in the Odyssey of double standards being openly communicated by a woman. Calypso points out that men are allowed to bed any woman they want. Because of double standards in ancient Greek society, men are allowed to wed and sleep with whoever they please and women are supposed to wed and to never to express their sexuality. Helen is another great example of double standards. During the Trojan War Helen was being fought over my two different men. Helen had no say in the matter, on which man she loved or if she even wanted to marry either of them. Helen was treated like a shiny trophy that the men would get if they won the war. She was then forced to marry the man who won, Menelaus. Throughout the Trojan war Helen was consider an object subjected to serve the man she married, Helen says: Zeus- nurtured Menelaus, do you …show more content…
But let us, just as soon as we draw near the city,separate. To either side of that tall wall [...] I fear that some rude fellow, meeting us, Might say: This stranger whom Nausicaa’s brought, who is his? where did she find him? He will surely be her husband!(121)
Nausicaa is worried about being seen with a man because, she is yet to wed. In society, any woman seen with a man they assume that they are going to get married. Because the ideal women should be married. The perfect women also must be loyal to her husband, just like Penelope. Penelope waited for her husband for years, and she held off hundreds of mad suitors. By now her father and her brothers urge Penelope to wed Eurymachus; [...] Take care, for she may try- against your will- to carry off some treasures from your halls.(295)
Penelope is a excellent example of a loyal wife waiting for her husband to return from war. Even though it has been over 20 years she waits and fights off suitors for her husband that could be dead. The last characteristic the ideal woman needs is beauty. When Helen first appears, she is only described by her beauty, when from her fragrant, high- roofed room came Helen- like Artemis,whose bow and shafts are