In Rejecting and Embracing the Monstrous in Ancient Greece and Rome, D. Felton explores how Greek monsters embody a variety of fears: “the potential victory of nature against the encroaching civilizations of mankind; the little-understood nature of the female in contrast to the male” (Felton 103). This idea of civilizing or bringing order to nature is very prevalent in Greek works like Theogony and the Odyssey, creating the dynamic between the civilized versus the barbaric and the hero versus the monster. And because the Greeks “regularly identified women with the wilderness of nature”, it is not surprising to find that a very large proportion of monsters in Greek mythology are female (Felton 105). The contrast between the humans and monsters
…show more content…
In this essay, I argue that when women threaten men's power, the feminine monster becomes a misogynistic representation that shames female sexual behavior and independence in order to cover up patriarchal anxieties and fears. First, I will explore the ancient Greek perspective of female sexuality, the perceived danger of reproduction, and monstrous births by looking at Aristotle's Generation of Animals. Then I will discuss the male versus female conflict that arises in Hesiod’s Theogony as Gaia establishes herself as a force of nature and a threat to male dominion because of her parthenogenetic abilities. Following this, I observe two other representations of feminine monsters, Scylla and Circe, to discuss first how monstrous representations of female sexuality can be depicted in Greek literature in a way that is impure and undesirable. Lastly, I will explain how men in stories like Herodotus' Histories and the Odyssey attempt to use women’s sexuality for their own gain to tame and control …show more content…
In Aristotle’s Generation of Animals, Aristotle writes that through the process of procreation, males take after their father more than their mother, females after their mother. Aristotle reasons that if one person does not look exactly like either parent, then they must take after another human being. For those who “do not take after a human being at all in their appearance,” they have gone so far that they resemble a monstrosity. Aristotle follows this up by saying that “Nature has in a way strayed from the generic type. The first beginning of this deviation is when a female is formed instead of a male” (Aristotle, passage 3). Aristotle describes fetal development as the make or break moment when it’s decided that a baby will be monstrous. He writes that “a creature… really is male or female only from the time when it has got the parts by which female differs from male” (Aristotle, passage 2). This suggests that the natural state for humans is male. To Aristotle, this “female deformity” also effects the womb and reproduction, thus he proceeds to blame females for “monstrous births”. Aristotle claims that men have the ability to create and master creating more men. However, he blames women for creating the “deformity” that is more women. He writes, “If the seminal residue in the menstrual fluid is well-concocted, the movement derived from the male will make the shape after its own
In this essay, I argue that when women threaten men's power, the feminine monster becomes a misogynistic representation that shames female sexual behavior and independence in order to cover up patriarchal anxieties and fears. First, I will explore the ancient Greek perspective of female sexuality, the perceived danger of reproduction, and monstrous births by looking at Aristotle's Generation of Animals. Then I will discuss the male versus female conflict that arises in Hesiod’s Theogony as Gaia establishes herself as a force of nature and a threat to male dominion because of her parthenogenetic abilities. Following this, I observe two other representations of feminine monsters, Scylla and Circe, to discuss first how monstrous representations of female sexuality can be depicted in Greek literature in a way that is impure and undesirable. Lastly, I will explain how men in stories like Herodotus' Histories and the Odyssey attempt to use women’s sexuality for their own gain to tame and control …show more content…
In Aristotle’s Generation of Animals, Aristotle writes that through the process of procreation, males take after their father more than their mother, females after their mother. Aristotle reasons that if one person does not look exactly like either parent, then they must take after another human being. For those who “do not take after a human being at all in their appearance,” they have gone so far that they resemble a monstrosity. Aristotle follows this up by saying that “Nature has in a way strayed from the generic type. The first beginning of this deviation is when a female is formed instead of a male” (Aristotle, passage 3). Aristotle describes fetal development as the make or break moment when it’s decided that a baby will be monstrous. He writes that “a creature… really is male or female only from the time when it has got the parts by which female differs from male” (Aristotle, passage 2). This suggests that the natural state for humans is male. To Aristotle, this “female deformity” also effects the womb and reproduction, thus he proceeds to blame females for “monstrous births”. Aristotle claims that men have the ability to create and master creating more men. However, he blames women for creating the “deformity” that is more women. He writes, “If the seminal residue in the menstrual fluid is well-concocted, the movement derived from the male will make the shape after its own