The Role Of Women In The Book 'Trying Neaira'

846 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women in ancient literature

Women were not always treated the same way they are treated today. Decades ago life was completely different for women. Women did not have any rights to vote, to drive, and most importantly to be independent. In the book, “Trying Neaira”, a greek woman named Neaira who was a courtesan was on trial because it was alleged that she illegally married an Athenian citizen and misrepresented her daughter as an Athenian citizen. During the trial, there were back and forth debates in whether she was guilty or not. Neaira is not guilty due to the fact that she was a victim for revenge, and there were lack of evidence with no proof. Neaira was a collateral damage for the ongoing feud. If Neaira was convicted, she should had been found not guilty because she was being used for the revenge of another man. She was not the intended target, but she was the only path to get revenge. In the book “Trying Neaira”, it states “Revenging themselves against Stephanos, according to Theomnestos, was precisely what he and Apollodorus were after in bringing suit against Neaira” (Hamel, 126). Female litigants were not allowed to defend themselves, but they were to be represented by a male …show more content…

Apollodorus accused Neaira of having two sons and a daughter with Stephanos, but he could not prove it. In the book’ “Trying Neaira”, it indicates that Apollodoros was pulling a fast one and that his slippery argumentation had no proof because evidence was scarce (Hamel,52). He argues how Stephanos treat the children, but his treatment of the children could not reflect his relationship with Neaira (Hamel,50). During his arguments, Apollodorus could come up with evidence that people can not surely tell if it is true, and the arguments that he makes for them had many faults. The evidence Apollodorus presented is intended to portray Neaira in a negative way and as such is heavily

Show More
Related

  • The Role of Women in Greek Mythology

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    In learning about the feminist movement, we studied the three articles and discussed and reviewed the different authors perspectives on the topic and learned how important the role of woman in Greek Mythology. In presenting the feminist theory to the class we analyzed the three articles, Women in Ancient Greece; Women in Antiquity: New Assessments; and Women in Greek Myth, and discussed how although the three articles provided different views on Feminism in mythology, they all essentially are aiming to teach the same basic concept.

    Read More

  • Authors' Conceptions of Human Nature

    3888 Words  | 8 Pages

    Athena, however, offers a form of justice that considers the context of a person’s actions when restoring equity. In the case of Orestes, the context of his case is the guidance given to him by Apollo and the wrongs that he had suffered as a result of his mother, Clytaemestra. Athena’s understanding of human nature is that the ideas of compassion and empathy coexist with the concept of justice in the minds of most people. As a result, Athena establishes a jury comprised of the peers of Orestes so that they may judge him with an understanding of both the context of Orestes’s actions and the need for justice for the death of Clytaemestra.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Goddesses, Whores, Wives, And Slaves: Women In Classical Antiquity

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    Recently in my class, we have been discussing different civilizations and how women were treated during that time. While reading the books, I was able to read things and relate them to notes that I had recently taken. Something in particular that I found that correlated was in chapter four of the book. This chapter talked about women’s role in Athens, which was motherhood. We had just talked about this in class, and how men were able to divorce women with no public humiliation, if the wife was not able to conceive a

    Read More

  • Oedipus Tyrannus: Innocent

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Innocent until proven guilty", this expression seems very simple to understand, once proven guilty, innocence is entirely out of the picture. However, proving that an individual is guilty is not always an easy task. There are many factors to look upon and review before making a final statement or decision, many laws that may annul the fact that someone is guilty. Sophocles' "Oedipus Tyrannus" is a perfect example of how difficult it is to prove that someone is guilty, or to prove that someone is innocent for that matter. Oedipus is accused of many crimes for which he may or may not be guilty of. It is my contention that Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is guiltless of his -so called- crimes. For the crime of patricide, it was inevitable and is not really considered patricide. What others call adultery or incest could not of occurred, for none of the two involved knew what they were getting into. Perhaps we should look to blame other characters in the play for the criminal acts committed, like Jocasta for example.

    Read More

  • Justice in Oedipus the King

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    under our modern laws.  It was every Greek's duty to harm his/her enemies, and as far as Oedipus knew, King Laius was an enemy. & nbsp; Queen Jocasta wasn't exactly guiltless, either.  The great Queen had also. tried with King Laius to kill their son, and had no respect for the prophecies. of Apollo:  "A prophet?  Listen to me and learn some peace of mind:  no skill in. the world, nothing human can penetrate the future. She was also the other half.

    Read More

  • Treatment Of Women In Ancient Greece Essay

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    There isn’t enough literature from this time period from the lower and middle classes of society, and the view of women we have comes from writings of the upper class males. As much of an enigma that the women of Athens were, it is clear that “women were for the most part legal nonentities,” (O’Neal 117) that were denied any association and participation in the intellectual life of their city. The women were not involved in getting an education, and never learned to read or write. O’Neal writes, “The principal spokesmen of fifth century Athens, Pericles and Thucydides, disdained Athenian women.” (O’Neal 117) Based on their writing, and on surmountable evidence, it can be assumed that women had only two roles in Athens - a wife, or a mother. A girl was ideally married at 14 or 15 years of age, and there was necessity that the bride was a virgin, otherwise she was shamed and sold into

    Read More

  • ANCIENT GREEK WOMEN

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women had very few rights, they lived as prisoners, serving men 24 hours a day. Women were sheltered from society, restricted to their husbands and their husbands houses, crying out for help and justice but there is no one to there to hear their screams. In the play Antigone when the title character had to sneak out of the house to meet up with Ismene. Ancient Greek men ruled a lot like over protective fathers with teenage daughters. Men were also scared of women gaining confidence and begin thinking on their own or worse taking action or speaking out against men, like in the play Antigone where Antigone confronts Creon by burying Polyneices after Creon strictly stated that no one bury him. If someone were to bury him, the whole Polis would stone them to death. When Creon found out that someone buried Polyneices, he did not even consider that it could have been a women that did it.

    Read More

  • An Analysis in Feminism in the Play 'Lysistrata'

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Greek classics, it is common knowledge that in that era women and men were considered unequal. Men were superior, and in most cases women were not even fit for citizenship. It is in this atmosphere and time period that Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata. The play itself is supposed to be a comedy, although the actions of the women do not seem amusing. Instead, the women’s actions, especially the main character Lysistrata, seem incredibly brave. Lysistrata rounds up her “troop” of all the women in Athens and a Spartan woman. They take charge of the acropolis and refuse to settle for anything less than a peace treaty to end the war. The only problem with this is, in ending the war, they will be bringing back the men from their duty and end up in the same social caste system as they were from the beginning. Aristophanes seems to make the point that – the only power women hold is their sexuality (Rex Par. 7). The Athenian women can withdraw from their husbands for however long they like, they still end up givi...

    Read More

  • The Oresteia by Aeschylus: Guilty or Innocent

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    When a person is accused of a crime they are either found innocent or guilty. This is the basic idea of justice and it is what many feel needs to happen if someone has done something controversial. In the play The Oresteia by Aeschylus, the story of Clytemnestra guilt or innocents is questioned. She does many things that people are not too happy with and those controversial actions throughout the story, mainly in the first part Agamemnon get her into the trouble. As we explore the case that builds against her innocents by exploring the killings of Agamemnon and Cassandra and the boastful expression about the killings.

    Read More

  • Analysis From Feminist/Gender Critic Of Book Wicked

    1930 Words  | 4 Pages

    Picture a child sitting in front of a television watching the Wizard of Oz. To them, it is an assortment of magical beings, a land filled with wonderful places, with varieties of different colors. They do not picture it as something with far more meaning than just a plain fairytale. On the other hand, gender/feminist critics have been able to analyze the Wizard of Oz as well as Wicked, in order to find a more elaborate meaning behind the story itself. They have discussed what lies behind the story when it comes to the issue of sexism and masculinity towards the book itself as well as the characters. There are many concepts as well that help to further explain feminism and gender criticism. The four concepts that will be discussed later on are gender, feminist writings, patriarchal society, and gynocriticism. These concepts will then be reviewed as to how they play a part in the book Wicked.

    Read More

  • Differences and Similarities of The Women of Athens and Sparta

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women in the ancient world had few rights, they differed from country to country or, in the case of the women of Athens and Sparta, from city-state to the city-state. The women of the city-states of Athens and Sparta had profound differences in their roles in the political and the daily lives of their families and their cities. When it came to the difference in levels of power and the rights of women, Sparta was a leader in its time. At the same time, their rights as citizens were almost the same. While they did not take an active part in politics, they had opinions and ideas like women all over the world. Their thoughts, deeds, and opinions rarely recorded or if they were, the male historians or philosophers of the time recorded them. What were roles did the women in ancient Athens and Sparta? Were they citizens, did they have personal freedoms? On the other hand, did they in a time when the beginnings of democracy were happening were they less than a second-class citizen? The misogyny and patriarchal societies continued throughout the ancient and classical periods only beginning to change in the Hellenistic era.

    Read More

  • No Freedom for Women in Ancient Rome

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    When in Ancient Rome, women were granted barely, if any, freedom at all. These women were not viewed as their own person or respected as a part of society or even a human being. They were not even granted their own proper authority to a nice strong household. The conceiving of a child and the expectations of an ideal woman stayed the same throughout most of Ancient Rome’s history, although some did improve after a while. The rights among the Ancient Romans were unequal and very unfair to women in their empire.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Girl By Jamaica Kincaid

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the very beginning of history, women were portrayed to be insignificant in comparison to men in society. A woman 's purpose was deemed by men to be housewives, bear children and take care of the household chores. Even so, that at a young age girls were being taught the chores they must do and must continue through to adulthood. This ideal that the woman’s duty was to take charge of household chores was then passed through generations, even til this day. However, this ideology depends on the culture and the generation mothers were brought up in and what they decide to teach their daughters about such roles. After women were given the opportunity to get an education and treated as equals, society’s beliefs undertook a turning point on women’s roles in society. Yet, there still seems to be a question amongst women in search of self identity and expectations from parents.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Oedipus Rex

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    For centuries women have fought to obtain basic civil rights and today, they are still fighting to obtain equal rights. From the right to vote to their right to birth control, women have always been trying to assert their own independence in order to expand their freedom. While much progress has been made, there is still room for improvement. However, the evolution of women’s rights and the role of women is mirrored in literature and can be used to illustrate the progression throughout history. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is no different. Through the character Jocasta, Sophocles creates a counterpart to Oedipus and uses her to reveal the oppression of women by contrasting her and Oedipus’ relationships and reactions to the prophecy. Throughout the play Oedipus Rex, Sophocles illustrates Jocasta’s vulnerability and supportive nature in order to women as fragile, doting, and obedient wives and mothers to facilitate the necessity of self-assertion.

    Read More

  • Representation of Womens Roles in Society- Medea

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women’s lives are represented by the roles they either choose or have imposed on them. This is evident in the play Medea by Euripides through the characters of Medea and the nurse. During the time period which Medea is set women have very limited social power and no political power at all, although a women’s maternal and domestic power was respected in the privacy of the home, “Our lives depend on how his lordship feels”. The limited power these women were given is different to modern society yet roles are still imposed on women to conform and be a dutiful wife.

    Read More

More about The Role Of Women In The Book 'Trying Neaira'

Open Document