Martyrdom Of Perpetua And Felicitas Summary

Perpetua and Felicitas The martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas serves as an excellent example of how women were judged on a much lower standard than men for their actions and improvements upon the church—in this case the two women’s martyrdom. The story of Perpetua and Felicitas has been told many times in history; they served as martyrs of the early Christian church and their influence still discussed today. The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas is introduced by an unknown narrator, whom many historians believe to be Tertullian, and tells the story of Perpetua and Felicitas’ deaths. The rest of the story is told by Perpetua through her writing in a diary while in jail. It tells the story of the two girls’ persecution. Perpetua, a young woman whom is still breastfeeding her newborn baby, and her slave friend Felicitas, whom is pregnant, along with Perpetua’s brothers and two other companions were arrested after converting to Christianity. …show more content…
The narrator speaks of Perpetua as a “saint” and goes on to say, “It was as though so great a woman, feared as she was by the unclean spirit, could not be dispatched unless she herself were willing.” Yet there is no description of the male martyrs and no mention of them as “saintly.” This shows that the narrator has a deep admiration for Perpetua specifically because she is a female facing martyrdom. While the adoration is meant to be a compliment, the fact that it is so unbelievable for the narrator that Perpetua and Felicitas could face persecution without fear shows that he believes that these women should be weak and cowardly, instead of strong and