Bacchae and Bible
Women in literature have often been the target of aggression and oppression, illustrating the lack of importance of women and the suppression of the gender by their male oppressors. In myth, and in religious practices as well, women have been used as examples of beings bent upon distraction and destruction of the proper and God-abiding male gender. Examples of this gender bias are evident both in myth, such as in Bacchae which is an ancient Greek myth which has been translated into English by Paul Woodruff, and in religion, such as is illustrated in the book of Genesis of the Christian Bible. Bacchae is the story of King Pentheus and his mother Agave who were punished by the God Dionysus for failing to worship him because they refuse to believe that their relative can be the son of a God. It is made evident that it is hubris which makes Agave unable to see that her nephew is the son of Zeus. Dionysus states: "Well, now, Cadmus has given his rights as king / to Pentheus, the son of his daughter Agave, / and Pentheus wages war on the gods through me, / shoves me away from libations, pays no attention" (Euripides 43-46). Her refusal to accept Dionysus as divine condemns not only herself but her son as well. The god punishes both son and mother with utmost hostility, such as when Pentheus dies. "Mistaking him for a wild beast, [young women] tear him limb from limb, playing catch with pieces of him. His mother Agave, in the lead, carries off his mangled
Greek creation myth highlights how men and women differ in their status and roles. Women were the inferior sex when compared to men, they were seen as intellects, and child
For thousands of years there has been a strong distinction between the roles of men and women. Often times in stories there will be women that are only mentioned for their beauty and charisma. Hardly ever will you see pages upon pages being spent talking about the true character and accomplishments of women characters. Even though stories like The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis were written thousands of year ago, (when stories were told mostly told from a males perspective) the light shined on women in the texts show them as wise, strong, and greatly influential beings. In The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis, the writer shows the women as bringers of knowledge, guidance, and care to the men in the texts that are lacking thereof.
The stories told about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Although the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates love and devotion women had for Him. The stories of the bible describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
Gender inequality has been a controversial topic for numerous religions and cultures throughout history. Women were commonly regarded as the subservient gender, an idea that was no different in Ancient Greece. Throughout Greek mythology, women were considered inferior and troublesome symbols, while men were known for courage, leadership, and strength. While there is no argument of the flagrant sexism that is illustrated in Greek mythology, it can also be claimed that women were given a situated position of freedom, necessity, and power as well. Many popular Greek plays and myths contain several complexes and well described female characters. These goddesses themselves, partook the role of victim, heroine, and villain as it illustrated the diversity of characters in which women were portrayed and seen in both Ancient Greek society and mythology, allowing us to question “Were the women of Ancient Greek mythology equally represented as free and superior?” The creation of the Greek mythological universe, the creation of multi-gendered goddesses or deities, and the free and superior personalities accredited to women in Ancient Greek mythology to answer the question that women were fairly represented as powerful in Ancient Greek mythology.
In essence, society’s notion of female inferiority is reflected through the misogynistic views and actions towards women, as shown in the Greek society The Odyssey. These views, such as expectations of chastity towards women, continue on today. By recognizing sexist actions in literature, similar current actions can be acknowledged and
In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Genesis and the Greek play Medea, by Euripides, contain female characters that can be seen as complex and have significance and meaning in the text. There are many interpretations involving the female characters, some characters may be portrayed as weak and irrational or strong-willed and wise. I will argue that, women are portrayed in the Hebrew Bible and Medea as irrational and senseless, in order for the men to be portrayed as superior and for women to be seen as inferior. This idea of the female characters being irrational and senseless can be seen in Genesis 4, Genesis 18, Genesis 29, and throughout the Medea play.
Many different interpretations can be derived from themes in Euripides's The Bacchae, most of which assume that, in order to punish the women of Thebes for their impudence, the god Dionysus drove them mad. However, there is evidence to believe that another factor played into this confrontation. Because of the trend of male dominance in Greek society, women suffered in oppression and bore a social stigma which led to their own vulnerability in becoming Dionysus's target. In essence, the Thebian women practically fostered Dionysian insanity through their longing to rebel against social norms. Their debilitating conditions as women prompted them to search for a way to
Throughout history, there have been certain gender roles established for both males and females. For ages, many held the belief that women must fit a certain mold— good wife, housekeeper, caretaker, etc.,— solely based on the notion that "that 's what women are supposed to do". These societal standards that women are held to are prevalent in all kinds of literature, ranging from works from biblical times to the late nineteenth century. Through her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin shows a contrast between the characters of Mademoiselle Reisz and Adèle Ratignolle versus that of Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of God as seen in the bible. This contrast pits the image of
In many rituals and myths males are depicted as more superior and strong. They were known for their strength and powers while women were considered sneaky and cunning temptresses that use their sexual appeal to confuse men. The attributes of women were justified as subordinated to men. In the Iliad and the Odyssey Homer explains these concepts in order to distinguish between the two genders roles. The Iliad focuses mostly on the barbarian archetype, its squeal, the Odyssey, is a poem of scheming. Throughout the Odyssey, many women are used as a symbol of temptation that tried to attract Odysseus. Cassandra is one of the goddesses that was raped, which angers the female goddesses and prevents Odysseus and his crew from safely going home. There were many women of temptations which posses a burden throughout the poem.
Women have played a significant role throughout time and this is portrayed in many works of literature, including Thousand and One Nights and the Canterbury Tales. In both of these works, women are shown to be very intelligent, experienced, manipulative, lovers, and fighters. Women since the beginning have been thought to be liars and both characters in Thousand and One Nights and the Canterbury Tales have all these characteristics and similar themes. The main characters are Shahrazad and the Wife of Bath, Shahrazad is fighting to live while the Wife of Bath is simply on a journey playing a story telling game. Although in very different situations they both have the same strengths and similar characteristics, and this adds up to show the
From the beginning, Dionysus and Pentheus personalities clash. Pentheus refuses to acknowledge that Dionysus is a god, which is made clear in the first passage “he’s dead, burnt to cinder by lighting”. This passage also shows the audience what Pentheus thinks about people who express their natural desires openly through Bacchae worship “Sir I am ashamed to see two men or your age with so little sense of decency”. By using language such as “ashamed” and “decency” he is showing his distaste for such behavior. Pentheus sees Dionysus epicurean disposition as a threat and therefore ridicules him for it “Is his arrogance not an outrage?” but by saying this he is unintentionally
The role of women in Greek literature has demoralized them and showing them in a maligned light. The women are portrayed as frail, cruel, insensitive, or as seductresses. These characteristics have been integrated into today’s society and [have] built the standards and defined the moral outlook of women. However, in Greek mythology, powerful and strong women are not as well celebrated, such as Athena. Homer’s The Odyssey construes the positive and negative role of women through the epic poem. The women in the poem are depicted through the contrasting actions of Penelope and the maids, in addition with the opposite personalities between the goddess Athena and the nymph Calypso.
The role of women in ancient Greek life was insignificant compared to that of Greek men. A woman's job was to take care of the children and to cook and clean unless she had servants or slaves that would do it for her. Yet, in Greek mythology, women were often written as major characters. Well-known Greek plays contain many well-written, complex, female characters. Female individuals in Greek mythology were often seen as very powerful and fierce and were depicted by “her wits, her beauty, or her bad deeds.”
In most early British literature a woman is often presented as only one thing: an object. They can be objects of desire, objects of beauty, or merely objects to be owned, but it is rare that a woman is anything more than that. It is even more uncommon to find a female character in literature that is presented as an equal to the men around her. In William Congreve's The Way of the World he plays on the similarities of both his female and male characters to establish just how much of an issue gender really is because though their actions might be similar, the consequences are not.
“Women as Vessel” quote was used in the Bible to describe the role of early women in the Christian era. That period tells that tells women that God set them under the power of men for their security because they are weaker than the men. In any case, a more careful examination of this statement will uncover that it is not alluding to more fragile edge or constitution of the woman, yet to more uncertain status in the Christian era. It is in this way alluding to a common shortcoming wherein the woman is minimized and not given the chances to completely express her blessings and capacities.