Luce Irigaray's Non-Essentialist View On Women

A scorned wife spoke this in one of Sophocles’ lost plays. Sophocles has seized the essence of what it means to be a woman in Athens at this time.

The primary text, On the Murder of Eratosthenes, chronicles the speech of Euphiletus, an Athenian man, in his defense for killing Eratosthenes of Oe in Attica, after discovering him in an act of adultery with his wife. The speech begins by providing an early narration of the marriage of Euphiletus and his wife. According to Euphiletus, he kept a watchful eye on his wife, until he gradually relinquished control having gained trust in her--a fatal flaw. Whilst attending his mother’s funeral with his wife (one of the few public events attended by Athenian women), she is glimpsed by Eratosthenes; who then seduces her, and continues out his affair with her. After several suspicious events, Euphiletus, finally confronts a servant-girl who after being threatened reveals the affair. Having learned of Eratosthenes presence in his home one night, Euphiletus slips out of his house, collects his friends, and returns home, where he murders Euphiletus. Overall, Euphiletus’ testimony is an insightful document that not only illuminates Athenian law, but also the inner workings of private Greek life, and the lives of those often forgotten--women.

In Plato’s Hystera, Irigaray, through her writing, takes on the project of attempting to deconstruct the “Phallogocentrism”, the mandate of western culture of masculine ideal of exerting power by having a phallus which is the center of logos, speech and logic. The complications it faces is trying to deconstruct the “Phallogocentrism” in a culture that has been predominantly and forcefully construed as masculine. Our culture is subconsciously masculine dominated down to living, being, cosmos and everything by preserving masculinities fragile sense of power meaning our culture is filtered by masculinity. Therefore, we are already implicated in a system of masculinity in its own origins, it is an origin story without origin. The complications

Sophocles’ Theban tragedy, Oedipus the King, is not sexist. The prominent play portrays both men and women justly. The events presented by Sophocles exemplifies a level of admiration and respect for women that was not ordinary in ancient Greece. This is predominantly achieved through the dialogue of Jocasta and Oedipus, illustrating a corresponding relationship. In addition, the behavior of Jocasta, analysis of other literature, as well as the bad fortune of the male characters reaffirm that the Oedipus the King is not sexist.

Misogyny pervades the picture Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and Sophocles paint of Athenian society. In their literature, however, female characters catalyze plot by challenging this picture. Such characters--from Sophocles’ Antigone to Aristophanes’ Lysistrata--face grim consequences for acting independently. Clytemnestra and Cassandra from Aeschylus’s Agamemnon exemplify this archetype of autonomy and destruction. When they confront injustice, male characters perceive them as vindictive and hysterical. This paper will compare the standards of justice Aeschylus’s society imposes on men and women. I will argue that Clytemnestra and Cassandra are protectors of divine justice who reject subservience and thereby transcend the sexism of their society.

In classical Greece, women were widely hated. Misogyny was engraved into the vary culture of ancient Greece, in their religion, the Greek Pantheon, Pandora, one of the first women, unleashed all of the world's problems from the box containing them. Among the many stories in the vast literature of classical Greece, apparently humanity lived in relative peace and happiness until the creation of women, which, via Pandora’s treachery and women’s other shenanigans, we devolved to our current state. This trend of putting women down on a societal level is known as patriarchy and was incredibly common in Classical societies as compared to now, It is a natural progression akin to bureaucracy that becomes more common as a state ages, the small imbalance of men’s physical dominance snowballs into the state of Patriarchy we can see in Sophocles’s Antigone. We can see this kind of patriarchy in other societies, such as: China, India, and Rome. This society molded Creon into

Over the course of time, the roles of men and women have changed dramatically. As women have increasingly gained more social recognition, they have also earned more significant roles in society. This change is clearly reflected in many works of literature, one of the most representative of which is Plautus's 191 B.C. drama Pseudolus, in which we meet the prostitute Phoenicium. Although the motivation behind nearly every action in the play, she is glimpsed only briefly, never speaks directly, and earns little respect from the male characters surrounding her, a situation that roughly parallels a woman's role in Roman society of that

Gender roles play an essential part in Homeric society. Book 1 sees Telemachos’ interaction with his mother Penelope that is again repeated in a few more scenes, which put emphasis on gender role in an ideal Homeric society. However, book 7 reveals an action that goes against the principles of gender role during the interaction between Odysseus and Arete. While there exists complexity in the ways women are treated, whether by them being confined or by exercising minimal power, the Homeric society ultimately remains a male dominant society.

The Symposium in simple words is a drinking party consisting of dinner then discussion. For tonight’s party, they will decide the topic will be on the god of love. The whole group mainly focuses on the love relationship between two men. Each speaking about what they think about love. Focusing more on Pausanias speech he talks differently about his view of the lover/boyfriend relationship. To help his argument Alcibiades in some ways prove his points. Pausanias contradicts Phaedrus’s view of the lover/boyfriend relationship by looking at the meaning of love, a connection between old and young, and the outcome.

Studies concerning the lives of women in classical Athens have sparked much controversy because, despite the apparent fascination with femininity manifested in art and drama, we have no evidence voicing the opinions of the actual women themselves. This presents a

    In ancient Greece the females were considered to be conniving and deceiving whisperers, and men almost never trusted their wives.  The ideal woman was an obedient and placating wife.  They believed that the female should be strong but still yield to the power of the male in charge, whether it was older brother, father, or husband.  Euripides often used females in uncommon ways; he did not simply show them as complacent animals.  Women in Euripides' plays were used for social commentary.  They were not just simple characters; they could be both agathos and kakos.  The females in the works of Euripides were extremely strong and devious and they were loyal but at the same time

Sherrill complained about his behavior when another driver drove too slowly on the freeway. Bill would mouth the word “faggot,” before he put the pedal to the metal. If someone cut in front of him, he honked his horn. He chased the driver until he caught him. Then, he gave the driver a partial wave. According to Bill, he displayed the courage of a fighter pilot when he performed these actions, and his wife was secretly turned on by his behavior. No matter how much she complained her actions spoke loud and clear, and Bill winked at Leo as if the two shared intimate knowledge about women.

In “The Trojan Women,” there are four enduring women who dominate the play and only two men who say anything at all. Moving us with their rants and dramatic reactions, these women engulf the audience in overwhelming grief and irresistible pride. Euripides emphasizes these four women to help us understand one of his main themes. Hecuba with her pride, Cassandra with her virginity and uncanny wisdom, Andromache with her misery and heartache, and Helen with her powerful, seductive reasoning all represent superior illustrations of feminism throughout the play.

In general, female attributions in relation to patriarchal attitudes are outwardly unreserved. “Compactness, hardness and closeness were features of the male body which seemed particularly appropriate in a world where being an emotionless, fit, and skilful warrior was one definition of virtue. Female bodies were soft and expansive, and given to the production both to extra fluids…and children. Their sexual appetite was supposed to be insatiable compared to men”. It is evident in both texts of this period that men were ultimately the more dominant sex in patriarchal society, however it was the chastity and sexuality of women that proved to be a principal female virtue and something of a powerful threat to men.

In the conclusion to the case which decided Orestes’ fate, Athena, offering explanation for her final decision, notes her inherent preference towards men: “There is no mother anywhere who gave me birth/ and, but for marriage, I am always for the male/ with all my heart… I shall not value [Clytemnestra’s] death more highly than his” (The Eumenides, lines 736-40). This argument calls back to Apollo’s claim that children are not born from the characteristics of both their parents, but rather from their father’s seed: “The mother is no parent of that which is called/ her child, but only a nurse of the new-planted seed/ that grows” (The Eumenides, lines 658-60).Women are only the vessels, imparting no influence besides nurturement to their children. While this clearly biased justification eschewed the rights for her own gender, this reasoning worked within the consistency of Athens’ cultural frame. The case, in the canon of the play being Athens’ first trial by an impartial jury, was decided largely by the influences of the personal sexist biases held by most citizens in that society. The morally pure systems defining Greek democracy could only be seen as true if the moral inconsistencies derived from their cultural bias were ignored. The system of justice and democratic vote appealed to the higher ideals of human virtue, but humans inevitably let their own personal prejudices intercede.