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Aristophanes 'Lysistrata And Euripides' Medea

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In today’s world, women for the most part have equal opportunity as men. Whether they elect to stay at home and raise a family, be the primary source of income for their household and have a career, or be independent and provide solely for themselves, American women get to decide their own destiny. The attitudes towards women and their role in society have evolved significantly since the days of ancient Greece, where most women were submissive and treated as objects. This societal change is due largely in part to feminist attitudes and ambition. These attitudes were evident as early as ancient Greek times in certain works of literature. Modern feminist ideas were not commonly shared among women in ancient Greece. However, works such as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata and Euripides’ Medea both exhibit the concept of protofeminism through their use of empowering characters, thus challenging the idea and attitude of women playing a submissive role in ancient Greek culture. …show more content…

Women were viewed as simply a caregiver, and it was their duty to bear children while being bound to their homes. Although marriage and a woman’s spouse was arguably the most important aspect of their life, women had no say in whom it was that they were married to. This same trend is common in most of the other important decisions in a woman’s life during this time period. Women had no authority whatsoever and played a very demeaning role as opposed to their male counterparts. Men in ancient Greece were superior figures and had power over almost every societal aspect such as politics and property. Due to the fact in this time period, women were constantly objectified by men, the thought of women displaying feminist attitudes by being independent or taking charge would strongly challenge the attitude of women having a submissive role in ancient

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