In the time of Ancient Greece, Greek women were restricted to living within the society 's norms fulfilling mostly guided roles like housework. While some works of the time presented women as mere housewives, others often put them in the position of political leaders, heroines, and murderers. The women that receive major roles in the stories such as Penelope in Homer 's The Odyssey, Lysistrata in Aristophanes ' Lysistrata, and Clytemnestra in Aeschylus ' Agamemnon are major characters with important roles, thus breaking the traditions of normal culture during this time period in Greek history. Not only are these women strong and well-spoken, but they wield considerable political power during a period in which women were only at the sidelines of the shot-calling leaders. Strong central female characters occur in each classic. Penelope, Clytemnestra, and Lysistrata all have significant roles that differ because of the genres and their characteristics. Mothers are persistent figures throughout The Odyssey and are seen as the sideline cheering section rather than true supporters of their sons and husbands in terms of military or personal accomplishments. The mothers in this text serve little function besides mourning their men and urging them to remain safe. Without a male to guide them, these women appear to be lost and distraught. Penelope is one outlier in The Odyssey. While she is left at home during the war and Odysseus ' trip home, Penelope is able to keep the suitors
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