The Role Of Arranged Marriages In Ancient Rome

The marriage of an Athenian woman and man is hard to define exactly because there has not been an exact word translated that is equivalent to the word, “marriage.” The Athenians have words that translate as physical acts for a marriage for the sake of having a child, they also have words that translate as “cohabit” or “live together.” This leads to the conclusion that our traditional connotation of marriage as a bond is not the way it was in Athens. The reasons for a man and a woman to be joined in marriage were nor for love, as we would expect, it would be for profitable and more pragmatic reasons. Usually most beneficial to the male’s in the bride’s life. Since the women were not supposed to be unattended they are assumed to have accepted what was decided for them in terms of a husband. “…A husband normally addresses his wife as “woman.” The Greek word for woman, is

Reading the Aristotle's work On a Good Wife from Oikonomikos that was written in c. 330 BCE, one may see the reflection of the leading ideas, opinions, and rules in the Ancient Greek society. This work concentrates its attention on the guidelines for the young wives and husbands, their chords, values, and relationships. Reading through a long list of the requirements the wife should meet in order to acquire the respect and understanding of the husband, it becomes clear that the wives were expected to accomplish all the monotonous routine work and keep away from complaints. The author puts a strong emphasis on the importance of the reciprocity of the appropriate treatment in order to make the patriarchal way of life seem more democratic and

The idea of marriage and family go hand in hand for most. The preconceived notion is that if someone has chosen a partner or spouse that they should be devoted and faithful to that spouse. Often times both partners are capable of remaining faithful in the relationship and are able to maintain the strength of their union. However, on occasion one or both partners commit adultery. Consequently, that betrayal often comes with disastrous consequences for everyone involved. There also tends to be some hypocrisy among male and female behaviors in regards to infidelity. More often than not a male’s infidelity is seen as acceptable while a female engaged in the same behavior is not. Adultery is committed in both the story of Agamemnon and in the Odyssey. In both of these stories, Agamemnon and Odysseus both commit adultery however their wives’ reaction to the adulterous act dramatically differ from one another. In an examination of Theano’s letter on Marriage and Family, a wife should remain faithful despite her husband’s transgressions. After reviewing the actions of both Penelope and Clytemnestra’s actions, I will test my thesis by proving why Thaeno is accurate in his description of a faithful wife.

In this time period there were several criteria which decided that a couple was appropriate for one another to get married. Among those things the most important were that the couple should be of similar age, financial circumstances, background and have similar religious beliefs. Also having similar interest was beneficial as well. The husband and wife should like, or love, and respect one and look inner qualities and not just looks. It was always believed that love came after a couple was already married instead of them falling in love which would lead to marriage.

The purpose of Aeneas’ marriage to Lavinia was not based on lust; much like many Roman marriages, this marriage was politically

Allison Glazebrook and Kelly Olson’s chapter, “Greek and Roman Marriage" the authors discuss marriage practices in Ancient Greece and Rome and highlight the importance of wives in a family structure and society. They do so by looking at what was required for a legitimate marriage over the course of these civilizations’ history. In both cultures, Glazebrook and Olson especially look at how women and girls’ bodies were policed and defined. From an early age, girls were taught that their role in life would be remain sexually available to their husbands and produce heirs. From a modern perspective, girls in ancient civilizations married extremely young. However, this chapter address the “scientific” justification society gave to promote this practice

The groom’s choice in bride was largely determined by the amount of dowry the bride would bring with her. Although the wedding was a happy ceremony, it was only the beginning of a woman’s loss of independence. Not only did women possess no independent status in the eyes of the law; she always remained under the supervision of a male. If her husband died, she was returned to her father’s or brother’s home where they would take charge of her. After the wedding, the wife’s duties were centered on the management of the home. She would overlook the slaves, mend and make clothing for her family, usually done by spinning or knitting, weave rugs and baskets for the home, or just fold and refold the clothing kept in the family chest. The wife was also responsible for maintaining her attractiveness for her husband. A proper Athenian wife would adorn herself with jewelry and use rouge upon her husband’s arrival home. Sometimes she might spend an entire evening sitting next to the couch where her husband lay reclining. Most importantly the Athenian women were seen as “fine upstanding matrons” fit to bear a race of excellent athletes” (Everyday Life in Ancient Greece, pg. 86). An Athenian man married primarily to have children. These children were expected to care for him in his old age, but more importantly to bury him with the “full appropriate rites” (Daily Life in Greece, pg. 57). Moreover, Athenian men married to have male children in order to perpetuate the family

For Romans, family was the most important thing. The whole family would all live together in one house or apartment. The family included all unmarried sons and daughters, as well as married sons and their wives. Married daughters went to live with their husband's family.

For as long as humanity has existed in its current form, we have been trying to attribute each other roles and put each other in boxes. This starts from the second we are born and are assigned a label; our Biological sex. Then this is used to base extensive generalisations upon whichever label we are given and society gives us roles to play out. All due to a label assigned at birth.

The word Marriage is defined as, “The state of being united as spouses in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law” (Marrium-Webster). Per the tales of Chaucer, marriage is so much more than that. By pulling back the layers of some of his tales, I found that Chaucer had several different views on marriage, what makes it work, and what doesn’t. I examined the following tales: “The Wife of Bath”, “The Clerk’s Tale”, “The Merchant’s Tale”, “The Miller’s Tale”, and “The Franklin’s Tale”. I found that according to Chaucer, the qualities that can make or break a marriage include: control, trust, loyalty, and age or youth. This paper will explain each tale and aim to show how each role is played out in each of those tales.

Matron patronage was not new to Rome. Most of the women followed the example of early Christian women. Caterina Cesi, founder of S. Teresa al Quirinale, came from a long line of women patrons. Her mother Olimpia Orsini, her grandmothers Portia Orsini Cesi da Ceri and Beatrice Caetani Cesi, and her great aunt Giovanna Caetani Orsini all made contributions to the architecture of Rome. It was not widely accepted that women could control great wealth, but we find that many women financed the architecture of early Rome. The women either used dowry funds, as mentioned of Portia Massimi Salviati, inheritance as we see from Maddalena Orsini, or their birthright, similar to Giovanna d’Aragona Colonna. The women of Quirinal Hill were widely acknowledged

The Roman nuclear family, composed of parents and children, shared lives intimately and influenced each other in ways outsiders did not. Livy, in a quote debating the legal status of children between patricians and plebeians, stated “Of course, the children follow the father.” In Roman society, fathers were considered the most powerful. Romans believed in a theoretical concept of a father’s absolute control, but in reality, all family had power and fathers could be challenged.

In the Middle Ages premarital sex was considered as immoral and a sin. The author brings to attention the ancient customs that condemns illegitimate relationships. As his mistress quote would” be grievously punished: tortured by the sword or sold into slavery in another land” (De France 144). This showed how greatly the wrongdoing was taken, just like a crime would have.

Most often one looks for status and wealth in a partner. However, what happens when this is not the case? When two people choose to marry for reasons of mutual love and loyalty to one another? In the 14th century, this was hardly ever the case. Of the three estates, it was most likely for a woman to marry into the first estate, then the second and rarely the third estate since the wealth reflects onto her. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s edition of, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer goes into great detail through the use of characters from different backgrounds about the role of the estates and status within a marriage. In a tale told by a Franklin, Chaucer introduces this remarkable concept of marriage for not one’s position in the community but love and

Chaucer shows different attitudes to marriage in a variety of different ways. He uses the Bible, attitudes of the time and the Wife’s interpretations to create a different view of what marriage is or should be like. He uses the character of the Wife the present multiple attitudes and ideas about marriage and its purpose.