Although women in fact play virtually no public role other than a religious one in the political and social life of ancient Greece, they dominate the imaginative life of Greek men to a degree almost unparalleled in the Western tradition. Greek writers used the female-in a fashion that bore little resemblance to the lives of actual women-to understand, express, criticize, and experiment with the problems and contradictions of their culture.(Foley).
How does the statement made by Foley hold true? Before one can assess the argument of "real" women versus "literary" women of Ancient Greece, it is crucial to know their place in Greek culture. .
Women in Ancient Greece were believed to have strong emotions with weak minds. Thus, they were given a kyrio, or guardian, to protect them from not only damaging themselves but from others as well. This guardian, the closest male birth relative or when applicable, husband, controlled most of her life, as her citizenship entitled her only to the possibility of marriage and to her husband's religious associations. While having the ability to own her own clothing, jewelry, and slave, as well as to procure other inexpensive items, she was forbidden to own property, buy anything of .
Schneider 2.
considerably value, cross the threshold into a verbal or written contract, or boast any political or economical benefits.
Women were married soon after puberty to a man of her father's choosing. Love was not necessary for marriage, as the only two purposes for marriage were the administration and conservation of property and to procreate. Women did not usually marry out of their class, as marriage ceremonies, for the most part, took place between close families. The rich married the rich. The poor married the poor.
As one can see, women did not play a very large public role in Greece. Their role can be summed up simply as "the best wife, according to one writer, was the one about whom the least was said, whether it be good or bad"(Thompson 1).
Ancient Greece The earliest Greek civilizations thrived nearly 4,000 years ago. ... The most important duties for a city woman were to bear children, preferably male, and to run the household. Duties of a rural woman included doing some agricultural work. ... Greek men ran the government. ... Art was important to Greek society. ...
Greek artists showed value for the individual. All people were portrayed in Greek art, from the sagging old woman to the ideal athlete. Although early Greek art focused on the human ideal, their later art shows that the Greeks appreciated all forms, and found the human body in general to be a beautiful thing. Even the gods in Greek art showed how highly the Greeks valued humanity. ... The Greeks appreciated themselves in their art as much as they appreciated the gods. ...
In The Life of Greece, Durant states, "Her education is almost confined to household arts, for the Athenian believes with Euripides that a woman is handicapped by intellect. "1To be handicapped means that someone is placed at a disadvantage. ... The Athenian men show contempt by believing this handicap defines a woman to only being a housewife. ... Gulick explains even if woman got permission to leave her house, a slave still had to accompany her in the journey. ... To insure that a woman would fulfill her duty, there was a recommendation of how often they should engage in intercourse. ... The...
The role of women in Greek society and the Greeks view of women will be exposed. ... The Greek word for woman, "gyne" was also their word for wife. No distinction was made between the two, which leads one to believe that the Greeks assumed a woman's primary role was to be a wife. ... A woman in ancient Greek society had to produce children. ... Because a woman's main role in life was to oversee the activities of her home, the Greeks believed there was limited need for education. ...
During ancient Greece women were also powerless, were ranked below a man, and controlled by men. The play by Euripides this quote tells that women knew how worthy they were: "Women run households and protect within their homes what has been carried across the sea, and without a woman no home is clean or prosperous. ... There were three main classes of women in the time of ancient Greece. ... Until a bride produced a child she had no standing in Greek society. ... The female took an important part in religion by participating in the events and playing the essential role of The Greek woman ma...
Cupid and Psyche is a tale of an elegant young woman, Psyche, in whom no man would love, only see. ... On his way back he rescues a woman by the name of Andromeda and falls in love with her. ... The Greeks were very close to their gods. ... Edith Hamilton, through the Greek myths he writes, exposes the Greek view of man and human nature. ... The Greeks view human nature with camaraderie. ...
This was definitely good for Greece's economy. The geography of Greece wasn't all that great. ... If you were to have lived in Sparta as a woman, you would have been able to do more things that you would want to do than if you lived in any other city-state. A Spartan woman would possess more freedom because the Spartan husband would be off training to become part of an efficient military machine designed to control the helots (conquered people) and extend Spartan Power. ... Greece was home to Draco who was the person who first had written laws for Greece. ...
To begin to look at the role the women represent in myth and religion, we must first take a look at what everyday life was like for a woman in the Ancient Greek world. ... Marriage was definitely encouraged in other Greek cities as well, though not to the same extent. ... There are twelve major gods and goddesses in the Greek pantheon known as the Olympians. ... In his role as patriarch Zeus shows the Greek man how to ideally treat his woman. ... Zeus denies even this power to females, their sole claim to consideration (in misogynist's mind), when he gives birth to two of his children...
Ancient Greek Women v. ... As a child a girl was property of her father and as a married woman she was property of her husband, who was chosen for her. ... The front door of a woman's home is known as the boundary of a good woman's territory. When a woman's husband is invited out he may take his children, but not his wife. ... Also, it was an offense for a woman to speak to a man who was not her near relative. ...