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Impact of Theodora on Byzantine culture
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Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine Emperor. She had immense power, as she was her husband's steely adviser. Theodora had restored icons to Eastern Churches in 843. Theodora had become an actress and had been well known in her teens. The Byzantine’s future ruler had met her and had fallen in love, but she had been an actress, it had meant that they could not marry because there was a law that said actresses could not marry. He had her named as a member of the noble class, and it had changed so it no longer applied to former actresses. They had married and then two years later they had become Emperor and Empress of the Byzantine Empire. She had worked alongside him for more than 20 years. She had made divorce laws more favorable for women.
First, Empress Theodora was a person of great importance to her empire. For example, she helped build, “hostels to shelter the homeless,” (Almanac 7). This shows Theodora was not only concerned with the upper classes. This allows her to improve living conditions for her people. In addition, she helped improve equality for women, “Divorced women were granted rights such as the ability to remain guardians of
Hill, Barbara. Imperial Women in Byzantium 1025-1204: Power, patronage and ideology. New York: Longman, 1999. Print.
Procopious specifically in the text signifies the role of women in men’s lives such as an advisor and as well as they were seen. As told before Theodora played role in Justinian rule as being an advisor, but signifies that women had as much power as the emperor even in some cases even more. As a result many decisions were a result of Theodora’s advising which reflected upon on Justinian. However, in some instances, it is shown that women were very manipulated and always getting what they desired. Procopious mention such act when his general Belisarious caught his wife,Antonina, having an intimate relation with Theodosius he didn 't do anything as far punishment. In such a weird way he accepted this because he saw that his wife was happy and didn 't want this news to surface in the public(Procpious,2).Even so he was unwilling to do so because he a strong attachment with Antonina. Which comes to another thing that Procopious touches upon and is the image that elite individuals. Belisarious although keeping this a secret surfacing to the public was still seen negatively from the people around him. This gave Belisarious a reputation of a coward and was even called by the Persian a man who does what a woman asks him to do( Procopious,6). Another thing in the culture of the Byzantine Empire was the acceptance of prostitution. Procpious reveals that most of the elites where involves with
For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman. Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks.
2. Procopius starts this document stating that Theodora is nothing more than a prostitute. He goes on to say that she was not of class or had any dignity, because she would perform on stage almost completely nude. Procopius portrays her as someone who is ruthless and will do whatever she needs to do to accomplish her goals. Justinian would fall in love with her, but was not allowed to marry her because of his social status, because
Dating back to 500 A.D, the future Empress of the Byzantine Empire, Theodora, was born. Theodora was born into a circus family for the Greens. The Blues and greens dominated public competitions that were organized by birth and association. These factions also competed for popularity in the arena. When her father, Arcacius, the Greens’ bearkeeper died, the Greens were about to expel her family. In order to save their family, her mother brought her and her three sisters into the arena as suppliants, where the Blues took them in because of their appeal to the crowd. From an early age, Theodora was required to contribute to the family’s financial fortunes by working as a seductive dancer and actress. Theodora financially grew because of her willingness to share sexual prowess with others. Theodora of the Byzantine Empire was determined to rise to power, and when she did, was a ruthless Empress who persuaded and influenced Justinian I and the government to benefit not only herself, but also her beliefs and opinions.
This paper will discuss the well published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomerory uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomerory uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses. She then talks about some common roles, the whores, wives, and slaves during this time. Pomerory enlightens the audience on the topic of women, who were seen as nothing at the time. Men were seen as the only crucial part in history; however, Pomerory’s focus on women portrays the era in a new light.
...marriage and in her careers as a courtesan and actress led to laws that gave women in the Byzantine Empire more rights than other females in Europe. Her transformation from a courtesan to a saint models not only her change in character, but her rise to power.
Lefkowitz, Mary R., and Maureen B. Fant. Women's Life in Greece and Rome. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2005.
of the book. USA: Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2000. The.. Print. The.. Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece.
SYLVESTER, Christine, The Emperor's Theories and Transformations: Looking at the Field Through Feminist Lenses', in
Women, for the longest time, have been under men in the social hierarchy, society, and in politics. Even now, women are thought to still be under men in certain ways, but in the 19th century it was very different from now. “The Birthmark” shows a good example of how women were thought of back then. Georgiana, wife to Aylmer, is that example. Based on 19th century standards, Georgiana is the exemplar of a successful wife, based on her obsequiousness.
In the 'Odyssey' women can easily play the role of a wife, a mother, caretaker and a loyal lover. These roles do not show many positive implications than the roles that men play in society, yet it is proved that women and their roles in society contributed a bigger picture. The power and authority of women lies within her at the same time using the combination of wit and incline attributes, they seem to fulfill their feminine roles. Even though the role of a man might be to lead, women seem to fulfill the roles of a leader.
She was from lowly birth of an animal trainer and had been an actress and a brothel worker, but later in her life took on the role of an empress. She was Theodora, the wife of the byzantine emperor Justinian and an influential figure during the time of his rule. His wife through the eyes of history, seen as unimportant from the writing of early historians, however the opposite is true. She helped reform the Byzantine empire with laws protecting women, and helping their lives. Empress Theodora was intelligent and a political genius, this had allowed her to be Justinian’s trusted advisor and queen of the Byzantine empire.
‘ The major disabilities of women, in fact, were more straightforward. They had minimal rights with regard to property and the like: hence Pope’s longs battles on behalf of his half-sister...