Double Standards In Mythology

Double standards are seen in mythology, but also in today's society. What is a double standard and is it fair that Clytemnestra was not allowed to do something that Agamemnon could? The definition of a double standard according to Webster dictionary is a situation in which two people, groups, etc., are treated very differently from each other in a way that is inequitable to one of them. This situation could be like the mythology story where a woman couldn’t do the same thing as a man because she is a woman. Other situations could be driving and court cases.
In mythology, many of the gods and heroes have more than one wife or girlfriend, although women are generally not allowed to have multiple husbands in classical mythology. This double standard is seen in the The Odyssey: Book 3. Clytemnestra was chastised for taking a lover after her husband, Agamemnon,went to war. But Agamemnon thought that he had a right to have Achilles’ lover for himself. Although Clytemnestra was doing the same deed as Agamemnon she was punished because she is a girl. This is unfair, if it's a …show more content…
Often her being pissed off is considered to come with plausible cause. However, when a guy gets physical with a girl, it’s considered inexcusable comportment, and he’s instantly loathed. The point is that physical abuse isn’t acceptable from either side, and it shouldn’t be treated differently predicated on the gender of the aggressor. Treating it as a double standard is inequitable to men and causes quandaries in society.
Double standards seem to be a much more important idea that most give credit for, it isn’t just a problem in mythology stories. Next time you see or think of double standards, think about what you just read and realize what is really going on. It is likely you under valued double standards before, but will now start to give the credited needed and