Ancient Greek Gender Roles

Words: 680
Pages: 3
Open Document
Gender roles in the ancient worlds are known for having the women as nothing but wives and childbearers. This leaves the men as the leaders, hunters, and other roles of importance. This was how gender roles in ancient Greece were set up, women on bottom with no power and men on top with all the the power. Though one play was ahead of it’s time. They play Lysistrata by Aristophanes took liberties with the woman’s gender role in that it use their normal role to hold the power over men where it normally was not. Men of ancient Greece had all the inside of their nation. They controlled the political, and all important decisions. They were the sole providers in a household, they were the head of the house, the decided who the married their daughters to, they decided what their wives would do and when …show more content…
The only seen “good” roles that women were to have was that of wife and mother. The “bad” roles were those of the rebel, adulteress, and the witch. They had no power in political matters such as wars, and important decisions. Also not taught to read or write, the only education given to them was that of domestic training as in caring for the house, cooking, and child care, “they were virtually imprisoned in their homes.”() So with their little power they had to watch the sons go off to war, their daughters be married off to create better ties in the community, and had to live at the mercy of their husbands. Though in the play of Lysistrata the gender roles of women seem to be enhanced so that the little power they do have is measured up over men in a different way. The power women have over men is the denial of sex. This would normally be cause for a woman to be punished in some way but in Lysistrata this is not the case. They use the denial of sex to control the men into doing what they normally wouldn’t do. They use this power to reach into the political world, and make a decision that changes things in their
Show More

Related Documents: Ancient Greek Gender Roles

Gays and Lesbians in the Usa Essay

society misinterprets the meanings of gender and sexual orientation. For many years, people have been judging others simply by the way they talk or the way they walk. If someone sees a male with very “girly” colors on, they will assume that this person is homosexual. This interpretation can be very misleading; many people do not know how to separate gender from sexual orientation. This may have been evident from as early as Grecian times. The early Greeks looked at love much differently than…

Words 1189 - Pages 5

Gender Roles in Athens and Sparta Essay

Candice Green April 18 2013 Gender Roles in Athens and Sparta The ancient Greek city-states of Sparta and Athens are much known and have played a big role in history. Their ways and customs have affected the United States and many other countries around. Although they are both located in Greece these two city states are different in many ways. From governmental organizations to education these two are very different. The gender roles that are played by males and females , especially females…

Words 734 - Pages 3

Ancient Greece And Rome: Gender Roles And Women

century, laws relating women were somewhere around the early century (450 B.C). These events took place in Greece and Rome. In this essay I would be analyzing the gender in Greece and Rome, comparing and contrasting the role of men and women. I will be bringing out points to see if men and women are afforded equal rights and how their genders are characterized. Furthermore, I know I have to be aware of a number of biases. The historical bias stems from the fact that almost all texts that survive from…

Words 1047 - Pages 5

Plutarch Moralia Summary

The Greek concept of homosexuality is nothing more than the idea of love until the act of sex comes into play. Not all forms of consensual homosexual behavior were approved by the Greeks. In particular, it demonstrates how the Greeks saw effeminacy in the male as degrading. The masculine status of the adult Athenian male was not jeopardized by sexual acts with other men or boys so long as he took the dominant, active role. Plutarch’s Moralia contextualizes the roles of sex very well. He states that…

Words 711 - Pages 3

World History Paper

Religion The ancient Greeks were very religious. Most of them were polytheistic. Some made arts of their Gods and Goddesses. Role of Men In ancient Greek time, men did a lot of work out of the house. They participated in politics, farming, hunting, and manufactured trade. When they weren’t doing that, they liked to have drinking parties, wrestle, ride horses, and play Olympic Games. Wives and daughters were not allowed to attend the drinking parties. Role of Women Other than Spartan women…

Words 840 - Pages 4

Essay on Medea and Othello Gender Expectations

honoured? Support your arguments with close reference to both plays and a discussion of societal values. Throughout time, it has become evident that the male sex has dominance over females. This can be due to a number of societal values, such as gender expectations, heritage and ideals vs. realities. This common theme of the status of women in society is largely explored in both Othello and Medea. In the play of Othello, Shakespeare uses Desdemona as a ploy in the game of Othello and Iago. Medea…

Words 958 - Pages 4

Course Outline And Summary, Ancient History: Ancient History

TUGGERAH LAKES SECONDARY COLLEGE YEAR 11 PRELIMINARY 2013 ANCIENT HISTORY Yearly Planner Course Outline Outcomes Syllabus Documents THE ENTRANCE CAMPUS YEAR 11 PRELIMINARY – Ancient History YEARLY PLANNER 2013 Term 1: Friday 1/2/13 – Friday 12/4/13 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 28/1 4/2 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 18/2 11/2 25/2 4/3 11/3 18/3 25/3 HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND SCIENCE Term 2: Monday 29/4/13 – Friday 28/6/13 Week…

Words 2899 - Pages 12

Gender Roles In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

This semester we studied the ancient people and what it meant for them to be a woman and what it meant to be a man. We studied five perspectives this semester: 1. the earliest people believed that female was their creator 2. The story of Gilgamesh being the alienated man and his expression on not taking part in procreation 3. How northern myths focused on female to male 4. How the early Greek established male dominance in Homer 5. How later Greeks disregarded gender roles in Sophocles. All five views…

Words 996 - Pages 4

Essay on Greek Mythology

Possible Title for Paper: Gender Roles Thesis: Even though many people believe times have changed, the gender roles have not changed much because today’s society still looks down more on women then men and both are not treated equally. Premise 1: Traditional roles were clear-cut and defined. * Women stayed home to care for children and do housework while men left to work. * This system of society was not too far off the hunter gatherer concept where women cared for the house and the…

Words 416 - Pages 2

Macbeth: Universe and Macbeth Essay

The Fall of Man The ancient Greek notion of tragedy concerned the fall of a great man, such as a king, from a position of superiority to a position of humility on account of his ambitious pride, or hubris. To the Greeks, such arrogance in human behavior was punishable by terrible vengeance. The tragic hero was to be pitied in his fallen plight but not necessarily forgiven: Greek tragedy frequently has a bleak outcome. Christian drama, on the other hand, always offers a ray of hope; hence, Macbeth…

Words 971 - Pages 4