HUMA250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Gortyn Code, Hipponax, Ancient Greece
Medea
What about women in ancient Greek society
- Not all Greek women were considered the weaker sex
o Sparta and Doric cities like Gortyn in Crete had more civil rights and liberal
rights
- Was the portrayal of women misogynous in Greek drama or just the comic inversion
of the times
- Medea is presented by Euripides as to highlight the problems faced by a wronged
wife – juxtaposed with myth.
- All ale Atheia juries ere preseted ith speehes i pla ourts to sustai
ideologies about family values and the status quo
- Medea shocked Euripdean contemporaries
- The play remains part of the tragedic suite
- Remained the most frequently performed Greek tragedy
Medea
- Medea is based on the myth of Jason and Medea
- Medea is a former princess of the barbarian kingdom Colchis and the wife of Jason.
He leaves her for the Greek princess of Corinth and Medea feels her position is
threatened. The plot centres on her actions
- Medea takes vengeance of Jason by killing everyone he loves; his new wife and her
ad Jasos hildren. She then escapes to start a new life
Perceptions of women by the poets Hesiod, Theonis and Hipponax
- I ritig aout oe Hesiod eplais all eils of this orld through the gods
creation of the first woman.
o Women are seductive and untrustworthy and he ars agaist a oa
ho deorates her uttoks – she is after your granary
o Trusting a woman is like trusting thieves
o Marry a girl only 5 years past puberty
o However, in his work Works and Days he is more gentle
- Theonis cautions against marrying elderly man marrying a young wife using a boating
analogy
- Hipponax wrote that there are only two days when you are happy with your wife –
your wedding day and her funeral
Spartan women and family
Unique to other women of Greece
- Trained in athletics and gymnastics
Lykourgan reforms?
- Founded of the Lykourgan regime
- Wanted Spartan women to be fit and healthy in order to give birth to healthy
children
- Women partook in choruses and festivals, but did sports training like men
Legal status of women in ancient Greece
- Always under the protection of a male member of the family and that passed to their
husband
- Considered minors and not able to large scale business transactions
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Not all greek women were considered the weaker sex: sparta and doric cities like gortyn in crete had more civil rights and liberal rights. Was the portrayal of women misogynous in greek drama or just the comic inversion of the times. Medea is presented by euripides as to highlight the problems faced by a wronged wife juxtaposed with myth. All (cid:373)ale athe(cid:374)ia(cid:374) juries (cid:449)ere prese(cid:374)ted (cid:449)ith spee(cid:272)hes i(cid:374) pla(cid:455) (cid:858)(cid:272)ourts(cid:859) to sustai(cid:374) ideologies about family values and the status quo. The play remains part of the tragedic suite. Remained the most frequently performed greek tragedy. Medea is based on the myth of jason and medea. Medea is a former princess of the barbarian kingdom colchis and the wife of jason. He leaves her for the greek princess of corinth and medea feels her position is threatened. Medea takes vengeance of jason by killing everyone he loves; his new wife and her a(cid:374)d jaso(cid:374)(cid:859)s (cid:272)hildren.
