Women : At The Bottom Of The Grecian Man Pyramid

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

One of the most striking differences between ancient Athenian women and ancient Egyptian women was the ability to hold positions of power. Egyptian women were monarchs and held other positions depending on their social status. (Capel 1996, 176) Women were allowed to participate in low ranking government jobs, especially during war when the men are off fighting and leaving behind their positions. However, these positions were not kept for long because the men upon return automatically earned their position back by being the superior sex (Watterson 1991,).

The #MeToo movement has brought the most recent revelations of misogyny in modern society. Sexism has been present throughout history, and the Greek society in Homer’s The Odyssey is no exception. It tells of the hero Odysseus’ journey back to his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemakhos, on Ithaka, including his delays by the nymph, Kalypso. Throughout the epic, Homer portrays that society’s perceptions of female inferiority lead to harsher expectations of and stereotypes for women, as shown by the powerlessness, sexual double standard, and seductive stereotypes of women.

In the span of our history, women have always been outcasted as “something else,” to put lightly. Cultures tend to see women in different lights, usually ending up being the assumption that all women are home goers and weak, and not as strong and willed as their male counterparts. Not to say many women do not follow this assumption. Nonetheless, women can be perceived in many more lights than only one simple assumption. The Odyssey views women as strong, but ruthless and snake-like. Wonder Woman views women as strong, but weak and useless as well. Both these pieces of literature show women in the many limelights society has seen over the years. Both The Odyssey and Wonder Woman show women in different ways, together as strong, and separate in their own ways.

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

The Greek and Roman societies were a very patriarchal society. This is reflected throughout the myths in classical mythology. By looking at the many pieces of literature involving Greeks and Romans we will see that the roles women portrayed are very different from women’s roles in today’s society. Although there are a few similarities to women’s roles in today’s society, their roles are more like those women in the past. We can see this by looking at the qualities of Greek and Roman female gods and looking at the roles women play in the myths.

In the poem written by Homer, "The Odyssey", there is evidence of these views as pointed out by Sue Blundell. In her book, Women in Ancient Greece, she gives many examples but I would like to just touch on a few. Sue suggests many of the monsters encountered in The Odyssey are unmistakably female. Woman are to be seen as having a sexual power to engulf and obliterate men if they become to closely involved with them (Blundell, 51). This might explain why women are kept in check in Greek society and why men are not to be blamed for their

It wasn’t until the Greek and Roman empires that gender roles in society really started to widen the gap between males and females. The combination of a growing belief of women as servants and the impact of mythology on culture culminated in a “gender specific code of conduct” (Evans). In Greek mythology (coincidentally written by men), the Hesiod’s Theogony (The Birth of the Gods) played a tremendous role in the status of man and woman (Mason). In Theogony (The Birth of the Gods), Prometheus lives in a world of only men where life was great. There was no work and all leisure. Prometheus makes the Gods

     Another way to look at the role of women in Greco-Roman society, as reflected in Classical Mythology is to look at women’s roles within myths. Several myths that help explain women’s roles in Greco-Roman society are The Folktale of Pandora, Theseus and Hippolytus, The story of Penelope, and the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. All of these myths help to show the roles of women in the Greco-Roman Society.

Hesiod leaves no doubt that the existence of women is on balance a terrible thing for men. Zeus ordered Hephaistos to create women as a punishment for his having been decieved.. Women were to be a poisoned gift for men, which "all shall take to their hearts with delight, an evil to love and embrace" (W&D, 57-59). In the Theogony women are called "a great plague" because they are "ill-suited to Poverty’s curse, but suited to Plenty" (592-93), among other flaws. While Hesiod offers some well-turned phrases in praise of womens’ good qualities, it is unmistakable that these positive attributes are all put there by Zeus for the sole purpose of making woman an "inescapable

Greco-Roman mythology displays a tendency toward depicting women as either radically weak and submissive or radically monstrous. In this way, Greco-Roman mythology reflects the ambiguous position of women in Greek and Roman societies. Female weakness reflects the overwhelming power of men, while monstrousness and rage seem the only ways women can rebel against the existing social order.

Women are perceived as the gender, that in which is not superior. In the epic, tributed to Homer, The Odyssey, traditional gender stereotypes of a patriarchal society are enforced. Men dominate women in a sense of roles, influence, power and relationships. In ancient Greece, the dominant role was played by men. The society, culture, government and occupations was organized and driven by men, women having little to no role in how to society functioned. Generations adapted these ways and depicted myths that in which represented this type of society, as seen in the Odyssey.

Women in ancient Greece had very few rights in comparison to male citizens. Women were unable to vote, own property, or inherit wealth. A woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was to rear children. Considering this limited role in society, we see a diverse cast of female characters in Greek mythology. We are presented with women that are powerful and warlike, or sexualized, submissive and emotionally unstable. In many myths, we encounter subversive behavior from women, suggesting, perhaps, the possibility of female empowerment. While produced in an ostensibly misogynistic and oppressive society, these myths consider the possibility for a collapse of male power and the patriarchal system. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey,

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.”

Women have frequently been one of the victims of the stereotypical and judgemental society. Every action and step that’s taken by them are critiqued by society. If women are seen to be involved in such activities that violate modesty, they get shunned and negatively viewed, whereas if a man commits the same action equal amount of critique isn’t given. In many places around the globe, women are considered inferior. They are underestimated and are always seen to be dependent on men. What some often fail to acknowledge is their significance. The Epic of Gilgamesh was widely subjected on the heroism of two friends and the journey of transformation of a mighty king, but it did convey the significance of women and the important roles that were played by them nonetheless. Without the assistance and vision of women, the Epic of Gilgamesh wouldn’t have been so epic.