Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Easy on Greek gods and goddesses
Gender roles in ancient Greece
Greek gods and goddesses research paper
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Role of Women in Ancient Greece as Depicted in Homer’s The Odyssey
905 Words2 Pages
The Role of Women in Ancient Greece as Depicted in Homer’s The Odyssey
Women as Citizens
For this informative report I will attempt to point out the roles women and how they are viewed in ancient Greece. I will then show how these views are present in Homer’s "The Odyssey." How are women, goddess or mortal, conveyed in "The Odyssey?"
"The Odyssey" was written around 700 BC during the Archaic period (750 – 550 BC). This was a time of great economical and social change in Greek history due to massive migration that led to the development of new city-states (called the polis) as well as laws to govern them. Citizenship and political rights give a good indication of women’s roles in Greek society. In Homer’s time citizens were apparently male heads of households (Adkins, 26). Women married to a male citizen were given the term "female citizen" and had no political rights (Martin, WEB1). The reason for this false citizen ship was to protect them from being kidnapped and sold as slaves (Martin, WEB1). All laws governing the inhabitants of Greece were written and enforced by men. Women could not defend themselves with these laws either. Men regulated the lives of women and "every woman had an official male guardian to protect them physically and legally" (Martin, WEB1). A woman could not receive an inheritance because the law of inheritance were through the male line (Adkins, 28). Although men were only married to one woman, it was not against the law for him to have sexual relations with his female slaves or other free (unmarried) woman (Martin, 69). A woman does not possess these same rights "and adultery carried harsh penalties for wives" (Martin, 69). After reading these laws and rights of ancient Greek civilization, it is ...
... middle of paper ...
...erences of ancient Greece. I hope you will keep in mind the role and view of women in ancient Greece when you read mythology stories and the poems by Homer when you come across the goddesses and mortal women in these stories.
Works Cited
Lesley Adkins, and Roy A. Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece. Facts on file, 1997
Thomas R. Martin. Ancient Greece from Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. Yale University Press, 1996.
J.P. Mahaffy. Old Greek Life. D. Appleton and Company, 1880.
Sue Blundell. Women in Ancient Greece. Harvard University Press, 1995.
Thomas R. Martin. "Overview of Archaic and Classical Greek History." WEB1 http://hydra.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/text?lookup=trm+ov+5.15&vers=english
Thomas R. Martin. "Overview of Archaic and Classical Greek History." WEB2 http://hydra.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/text?lookup=trm+ov+5.29&vers=english
Related
Chile and US Anti-Communism Affairs
919 Words | 2 PagesWhile U.S. government hostility to the Allende regime is not doubted, the U.S. role in the coup itself remains a controversial matter. Documents show that the CIA had wanted the overthrow of Allende in 1970, immediately after he took office. The CIA was notified by contacts of the impending Chilean coup lead by General Augusto Pinochet two days in advance. Immediately after the Allende government came into office, the U.S. sought to place economic pressure on Chile. U.S. National Security Council documents stated that pressure should be placed on the Allende government to prevent its success and limit its ability to create policies against the U.
The Role of Women in Greek Mythology
429 Words | 1 PagesThe Role of Women in Greek Mythology In learning about the feminist movement, we studied the three articles, discussed and reviewed the different authors perspectives on the topic, and learned how important the role of woman in Greek mythology is. 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. In order to understand the feminist theory, we have to understand the notion that although myths are invented and that they involve fantasy, the concept of mythology does not necessarily imply that there is no truth of history in them. Some of the humans may have lived while some of the events may have taken place. Most importantly, the social customs and the way of life depicted in the myths are a valuable representation of Greek society.
American Intelligence After World War II
2548 Words | 6 PagesPrados, John. Safe for Democracy The Secret Wars of the CIA. Chicago, IL: Ivan R Dee, Publisher, 2006.
Goddesses, Whores, Wives, And Slaves: Women In Classical Antiquity
1877 Words | 4 PagesThe book then talks about viewpoints of women, both real and those who face tragedy. Women during this time were very secluded and silent, but the heroines contradicted that. This chapter talks about the images of women in the classical literature in Athens, and the role they had in society. Many tragedies were ones that formed by mythes during the Bronze Age. It showed the separation in what made women heroic, rather than average. While viewing other Scholarly sourcese, Pomerory writes her own theory, she used others
Operation Just Cause
1280 Words | 3 PagesObserving the political path of Manuel Noriega from being a paid CIA operative and ally of the American government, to military governor of Panama, to ousted dictator, to convicted American prisoner, exposes a series of political interactions that culminated in Operation Just Cause on December 20, 1989. Coming in the shadow of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and preceding Operation Desert Storm, this brief military action is often overshadowed by the other world conflicts of the time. How does a county the size of America justify invasion of the tiny Panamanian isthmus? How does a dictator such as Manuel Noriega justify declaring war on the United States. Given the great disparity between these two nations, understanding these questions can help interpret their nature. In order to answer these questions, the events leading up to the violent confrontation help establish each nations’ political position and offer insight into their own justifications to engage in military action. The realist and Marxist political perspective theories can be used by analyzing and different levels the justification of armed action involving these two nations.
Role of Women in the Odyssey
1575 Words | 4 Pages“A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view” (Ibsen). This saying also applied to the times of the Odyssey, an epic constructed by the blind, eight century B.C.E. poet, Homer. As one of the few representatives of ancient Greek social order, the blind, Homer witnessed women as substandard to men, regardless of their actions; many of them existed as seductresses, prostitutes, or slaves. He engraved into his poem women’s roles; the roles of women, as mothers, wives, seductresses, and goddesses are exemplified in this epic, when shown in comparison to the men of that era.
Women And The Role Of Women In Classical Mythology
1197 Words | 3 PagesThe society in which classical myths took place, the Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal one. By taking a careful gander at female characters in Greco-Roman mythology one can see that the roles women played differ greatly from the roles they play today. The light that is cast upon females in classical myths shows us the views that society had about women at the time. In classical mythology women almost always play a certain type of character, that is to say the usual type of role that was always traditionally played by women in the past, the role of the domestic housewife who is in need of a man’s protection, women in myth also tended to have some unpleasant character traits such as vanity, a tendency to be deceitful, and a volatile personality. If one compares the type of roles that ladies played in the myths with the ones they play in today’s society the differences become glaringly obvious whilst the similarities seem to dwindle down. Clearly, and certainly fortunately, society’s views on women today have greatly changed.
The role of Women in Greece
1539 Words | 4 PagesGreek women, as depicted in their history and literature, endure many hardships and struggle to establish a meaningful status in their society. In the Odyssey, Penelope’s only role in the epic is to support Odysseus and remain loyal to him. She is at home and struggles to keep her family intact while Odysseus is away trying to return to his native land. The cultural role of women is depicted as being supportive of men and nothing more. Yet what women in ancient Greece did long ago was far more impressive than what men did.
Female Role In The Odyssey
1080 Words | 3 PagesIn the era of Homer, women played a very specific role in society, and even in literature. Women of this time were basically put in a box, and expected to never step out of line. If they did go against the arbitration of men, then they were faced with serious consequences. However, female characters play a huge role in both aiding, and delaying Odysseus’s journey home. I will proceed to analyze, and interpret the actions and intentions of every major female character in The Odyssey.
Treatment Of Women In Ancient Greece Essay
1762 Words | 4 PagesIn the Bronze Age, early Greek’s political concern was largely on defense. During this time, while the men were serving in battles and war, women were expected to “bear future warriors” (Pomeroy 18), similarly to what Zeus enforced. Heroic Greek society demanded women to be married upon reaching maturity, and to begin having children immediately. The earliest writings of ancient Greece, usually accredited to Homer, show murderous arguments between men over women. Pomeroy writes, “It was a quarrel with Agamemnon over a valuable slave woman that precipitated Achilles’ withdrawal from the fighting at Troy and provided the theme for the Iliad.” (Pomeroy 25) Later, we will see how lawmakers enforced the role of women to prevent competition among
Portrayal of Women in Homer's Odyssey
451 Words | 1 PagesThe Odyssey: Portrayal of Women How does Homer portray women in the epic, The Odyssey? In order to answer this question you must look at woman and goddesses as two separate groups of people who are "people". This is because they are portrayed in two separate ways. You see, a regular woman like Penelope is looked at as beautiful but has.
The Iran-Contra Affair
1029 Words | 3 PagesThe United States has involved itself in several covert operations throughout the nation’s short history. Operations, like the Iran-Contra Affair, and the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) role in Afghanistan are just two examples of these types of secret government missions, which have become divulged to the American public. Both of these operations occurred under President Regan, who listed strict executive goals to fight the Soviet social influence, Communism, from spreading across the world. Moreover, other similarities are observed between the two covert missions, like providing armaments and training to foreign rebel forces (National Security Archive 2006, Johnson 2011). Moreover, different agencies were used in the missions for distinct
Patriarchy and Misogyny: What a Grand Ole Time
520 Words | 2 PagesWhen you think of ancient Greece, you probably think of togas, polytheism, epic heros, and olives. But do you how women were treated or veiwed? There is quite a lot of evidence displayed throughout manyplays, epics and other documents. Oedipus the King and The Odyssey are two ancient Greek works of literature that exemplify their society perfectly. Ancient Greece was a patriarchial society where women were treated as objects and sex symbols and misogyny was often present.
Marilyn Monroe
1143 Words | 3 PagesThey then married on June 19, 1942. "Grace Mckee (family friend she was living with) arranged the marriage for me, I never had much of a choice. There’s not much to say about it. They couldn’t support me, and they had to work out something. And so I got married." (Marilyn Monroe) Jim joined the Marines in 1943 and was send overseas. Norma Jeane, while working in a factory inspecting parachutes in 1944, was photographed by the army as a promotion to show women on the assembly line contributing to the war effort. One of the photographers asked to take further pictures of her. She began modeling bathing suites and, after bleaching her hair blonde, began posing for pinups and glamour photos. By spring of 1945, she was quickly known as a "photographers dream" and had appeared on 33 covers of national magazines. She then enrolled in a 3 month modeling course, and in 1946, aware ...
More about The Role of Women in Ancient Greece as Depicted in Homer’s The Odyssey
Chile and US Anti-Communism Affairs
919 Words | 2 PagesThe Role of Women in Greek Mythology
429 Words | 1 PagesAmerican Intelligence After World War II
2548 Words | 6 PagesGoddesses, Whores, Wives, And Slaves: Women In Classical Antiquity
1877 Words | 4 PagesOperation Just Cause
1280 Words | 3 PagesRole of Women in the Odyssey
1575 Words | 4 PagesEssay
705 Words | 2 PagesWomen And The Role Of Women In Classical Mythology
1197 Words | 3 PagesThe role of Women in Greece
1539 Words | 4 PagesFemale Role In The Odyssey
1080 Words | 3 PagesTreatment Of Women In Ancient Greece Essay
1762 Words | 4 PagesPortrayal of Women in Homer's Odyssey
451 Words | 1 PagesThe Iran-Contra Affair
1029 Words | 3 PagesPatriarchy and Misogyny: What a Grand Ole Time
520 Words | 2 PagesMarilyn Monroe
1143 Words | 3 Pages