Women in ancient Greece are still a mystery to me. How are we supposed to know how their lives actually were if the only accounts we get of women come from ancient Greek men? I really don’t think that husbands that are away for ten years at war have any right to definitively say what life is like for a woman they married then left. According to the authors that we have read thus far, women should stay at home, be faithful to their husbands, bear sons, and not interact to much with the men folk. Weaving is also allowed. But beyond that, it seems as if they were considered much the inferior of the opposite gender. As shown in Agamemenon, it’s ok for a man to kill his daughter, but not alright for a wife to kill her husband in retribution, so the son must then avenge his father by killing his mother. Confusing?
However, I do see there is some respect for women, especially in Homer’s play, The Odyssey. Odysseus does have a couple mistresses on his way back to his wife, but he still continues to try and get home. And when he does, he finds a wife that isn’t rash and ruled by her emotions like most females portrayed in ancient Greek literature. She is just as wily and witty as her male counterpart. And in my eyes, she’s even better than Odysseus for having remained COMPLETELY faithful during his absence.
Today, we see great changes in the treatment of women. Thank goodness women are now allowed to attend and participate in theatre and the arts. In the United States women are allowed to vote, have their own bank accounts, swipe their own credit cards, and work their own jobs and careers. But some aspects still remain the same. According to the “Proclamation to the World” sent out by the First Presidency of the LDS Church, “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” Sounds an awful lot like the roles that males and females had in ancient Greece, just softened down a bit from the very segregated society that it was back then.
Times are different, but many of the same roles are still expected of men and women. Men, protect and provide, women, comfort and nurture.
I love that you showed the example of Odysseus and Penelope as an example of respect for the women in Ancient Greek times, it definately wasn't the case for everyone (ahem, Agamemnon). I agree as well that the roles of men and women in the Proclamation are similar to those of Ancient Greece, just not nearly as oppressive... more of a on your own terms kind of thing now :)
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you included that the only perspectives that we have for women are from men. I never thought about it really, probably because I am one. I like how you used the example of Odysseus and Penelope. It is one of the only times that we get to see through the eyes of a woman in Homer's works.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Schaffer. I really enjoyed your thoughts of how the perspectives are not from the source. I am also glad that times are not as oppressive as they were then and that in many ways women are given a lot more respect for the roles they fill whether it be at home or in the workforce. I almost think, though, that now a days the role of women being at home is starting to be scoffed, outside of the church I mean. Just a little ironic I think.
ReplyDeleteI loved your observation that any insight on women comes only from men. It gives such an interesting perspective to what we understand - we see women as the men viewed them, but have no idea how they viewed themselves. I would love to be able to read an account given by a woman in ancient Greece, because we would be able to see if they felt inferior or if they agreed their roles were different but still equal. To me, gender roles can be different, as long as they are mutually respected, so it would be interesting to see how they felt.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about how the men in the trojan war have no right to supply the basis of our knowledge of women. I do agree that there is some inequality, but to a large degree (which wasn't present in our readings) women in ancient greece had a ton of spiritual power. Priestesses like the Oracle at Delphi helped to bridge the gap between the sexes and balance the power. I wonder if our family unit is oriented around the greek gender roles or if greek gender roles came from what god told them to do (indirectly of course).
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to note the piece of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" that immediate follows your quote:
ReplyDelete"In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation."
This makes for a very liberal definition in what the roles of men and women are supposed to be according to LDS theology.
D
P.S. My wife wanted to comment; here is what she has to add:
I mostly liked your analysis. I have noticed that most people who wrote on the topic of women in Ancient Greece cite the Proclamation on the Family as an example of what "society" currently expects of women. Perhaps it is a good example of our small pocket of LDS culture, but nationally speaking, stay-at-home motherhood counts for less. I cite as an example Hilary Rosen's recent comments regarding Ann Romney's contributions to her family's well-being. I also cite this article about human trafficking from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18514626.
I still wouldn't compare today's stay-at-home Mormon moms with 5C Athenian women. Today's stay-at-home moms (of which I am one) may wear torn jeans instead of powersuits, and may not have an opportunity to shower until 2 pm, but they are well-educated, opinionated, and strong. Athenian women were not permitted to have any sort of life beyond the home. I go to karate class at least twice a week.