Women in Greek Mythology Essay Sample
A myth is a legendary traditional narrative. normally refering a hero or an event. and typically affecting supernatural existences and events. Informally. the term is besides used to depict false narratives. due to the usual deficiency of determinable footing or fact in most myths. but the academic usage of the word has nil to make with truth or falseness. Myths are narratives woven from the demand of holding theoretical accounts for behaviour. They are sacred narratives go arounding about sacred events and sacred characters idealized absolutely to be the suited role-models in the eyes of the society from which they spring. which makes myths a valuable resource for explicating how the human race came to what it is today. Ancient Grecian society had really specific gender functions. where work forces were expected to be commanding and tyrannizing. and adult females inactive and obedient. It was believed that if adult females were busy in their domestic places. so they will non turn to their evil nature in which work forces of that clip strongly believed in. “From her is descended a great hurting to mortal men” ( Leftowitz and Fant. p25 ) .
In Homer’s Odyssey. one of the oldest and most cardinal plants of literature to western canon. the importance of adult females in the poem’s secret plan lies in their functions as seductresses. When Odysseus’ crew arrives on Circe’s island. they are attracted to Circe’s house because of the beguiling voice of the beautiful but monstrous goddess. Homer describes her as “… vocalizing in a sweet voice. as she fared to and fro before the great web imperishable. such as is the handicraft of goddesses. mulct of weft and full of grace and luster. ” ( Homer. 850 BC )
But evil seductresses was non the lone portrayal of adult females offered by Greek Mythology. Penelope. the married woman of the chief character in the Odyssey. Odysseus. is a premier illustration of what an ideal married woman was in Ancient Greek society. She has merely one boy by Odysseus. born merely before Odysseus was called to contend in the Trojan War. Penelope remained faithful to Odysseus for 20 old ages as he was off contending. making all she can to control the unwanted attending of many suers and their petitions for her manus. She has devised many programs to detain an reply. one of which was feigning to weave a burial shroud for Odysseus’ old male parent. and assuring to take which to marry of her suers when she finishes it. Every dark for three old ages she undid a portion of the shroud until her fast one was exposed. She is a symbol of fidelity in matrimony. even though she begins to acquire ungratified and ambivalent. due chiefly to Athena’s encouragement. after 20 old ages of waiting.
As Irene De Jong remarks: “As so frequently. it is Athena who takes the enterprise in giving the narrative a new direction… Normally the motivations of person and god coincide. here they do non: Athena wants Penelope to fan the Suitor’s desire for her and ( thereby ) make her more honored by her hubby and boy ; Penelope has no existent motivation. . . she merely feels an unprecedented urge to run into the work forces she so loathes… adding that she might take this chance to speak to Telemachus ( which she will so make ) ” ( De Jong. p. 44 ) But as Odysseus comes back disguised as a mendicant. Penelope vows to get married whoever can threading Odysseus Bow and shoot an pointer. which leads to Odysseus and Penelope reuniting together. Penelope’s narrative shows what Greek work forces expected from adult females. deathless fidelity and a good. crisp and dependable head. And albeit the fact that Penelope starts hankering to demo off for her suers and finally agrees to get married whoever strings her former husband’s bow. she is still shown in a good visible radiation in Grecian myth.
On a high contrast to the inactive Penelope is Medusa. the Gorgon female monster. who is good known for hair of serpents and her horrifying blaze that turned looker-ons to lapidate. She was born an exceeding beauty. the covetous aspiration of many suers. with her hair being her best characteristic. but after she was ravished in Athena’s temple. the goddess was so angered she punished her by turning her hair into serpents and whoever looked at her into rock. She was subsequently killed by the hero Perseus. who beheaded her and used her caput as a arm. so gave it up for Athens. Medusa has become a symbol of feminine fury. she was punished for being a victim of colza. while the adult male escaped with no effect. and she had spread panic and fear as her retaliation for the unfairness of the universe. and later is beheaded. and her liquidator is labeled a hero. giving her caput to the goddess who had started it all with her expletive. Interestingly plenty. her name means the defender. or the guardian. The most interesting Grecian fabulous adult female in my sentiment is Pandora. the beginning of it all. Her name means “The giver of all” . She was Zeus penalty to mankind after Prometheus stole the secret of fire. the symbol of instruction.
Zeus ordered her to be mould out of the Earth. and he and all the other Gods joined in offering this “beautiful evil” all manners of seductive gifts. It is said that she had opened a jar. known in modern yearss as Pandora’s Box. out of wonder. and accidentally released all the immoralities of world. catastrophes and unwellnesss and uneases. go forthing merely hope inside after she hastened to shut it. The funny portion is how adult females were viewed non merely as a penalty. but a penalty for man’s efforts to broaden his head and sate his wonder. and how the immoralities of world all came to be. non as a consequence of maliciousness or malignity. but that same guiltless wonder. which is one of the natural properties of the human race.
It appears as though the Greek did non O.K. of spying about. particularly of adult females. which brings to mind the modern stereotype of nosy idle homemakers. Her other name is Anesidora. which means “She who sends up gifts” . connoting her lower position as a female. In decision. while myths might non depict existent events. they are however one of the most valuable tools to understanding human nature and ideals. they are phantasies that adult male had created and they reflect his ideas and theories and accounts and hopes and ideals. Women had took up major functions in the Greek fabulous universe. as scoundrels and victims. but seldom as heroines. which shows that the society at the clip and topographic point of the creative activity of those fables was dominantly ruled by work forces. with adult females remaining to their places and looking after their households. These gender stereotypes have continued for many old ages after the ruin of the Greek Empire. and are still popular throughout the universe even today.
Mentions
Bulfinch. T. . and Goodrich. N. ( 1995 ) . Bulfinch’s mythology: The age of fable. Plume. De Jong. I. ( 2001 ) . A Narratological commentary on the odyssey. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved Dec 6. 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Penelope Definition of Myth. Dictionary. com unabridged. Retrieved ( 2009. December 6 ) from hypertext transfer protocol: // lexicon. mention. com/browse/myth Gender in Odyssey. Bookrag. Retrieved Dec 6. 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. bookrags. com/ essay- 2005/11/23/13450/292 Graf. F. . and Marier. Thomas. ( 1996 ) . Grecian mythology. Johns Hopkins Univ Pr. Hesiod. Schlegel. C. . and Weinfield. ( 2006 ) . Theogony and plants and yearss.
University of Michigan Pr. Homer ( Florida. 850 B. C. ) . The Odyssey. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. . Bartleby. Retrieved Dec 6. 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. bartleby. com/22/10. html Homer. Fagles. R. . and Knox. B. ( 1998 ) . The Iliad. Penguin Classics. Katz. M. ( 1991 ) . Penelope’s fame: Meaning and indefiniteness in the odyssey. Princeton University Press. Lefkowitz. M. R. . and Fant. M. B. ( 2005 ) . Men’s Opinion. Women’s life in Greek and Rome. USA: The John Hopkins University Press.
Pandora. by Jules Joseph Lefebvre ( 1836–1911 ) . Oil on Canvas.
