Women In Greek Culture

Greek culture, what are the aspects of a myth in the Greek culture? What helps a myth along? Is it the essence of the nationality that it comes from? Myths that allow for hate, incest anger and rage all in the same stance and/or paragraph brings a type of passion to the myth alive. This in turn allows us to believe that the unbelievable is true or could happen and at the same time allows us to take away from the myth what we need as a learning point if there was one. However, what about the relative roles of men and women in a myth? How they are portrayed in the myths of “The Birth and Childhood of Hermes” and “Ariadne on Naxos” are very different. In some parts of the myths men are set as growing up as gods and other parts of the myths women …show more content…
The culture is still there, the essence of “Greek” is still there, the dominance of women and the futility is there. The passion is there as seen in both myths, where a man such as Zeus as in “The Birth and Childhood of Hermes” or Theseus in the myth “Ariadne on Naxos” is craving Ariadne. He is lusting after her and then leaving her when his passion has been filled. In the end of both myths the women are left to find peace. One is left to carry on as mother the other, to just plain move on. This is the culture of Greece. The thought of the survival and how each woman will endure this way after birthing a child or being left in the manner that Ariadne was. Now I am not saying men are not left on islands, or men in Greek culture are not single dads I am just saying that in the Greek culture of myths. The ones that I have read that the women seem to be left standing with their hands open and the men left as aggressors. Men in these myths are pushed off as very controlling of the situations and very dominant of there they are and what is done. Zeus is controlling how what and when he chooses to have sex and when he chooses to leave Maia. Maia has no choice after that. “She in her modesty shunned the company of the blessed gods and lived within a shadowy …show more content…
Man is always to be served and assisted by women these myths show that. These myths show that the man is the person on point here, really these myths are lessons for women to take note on how to act. Have sex, live in a cave be docile or they will take all their riches that you have helped them amass and leave you while you are sleeping. The myth “The Birth and Childhood of Hermes” shows how “when the will of Zeus had been accomplished” (pg286) this is exactly what I am speaking of. After his “Will” where is the rest of it? Man, in the Greek culture relative to the myths is not expected to do anymore so there is no more mention of Zeus role in parenting Hermes or staying around during the