Role of Women in Greek Myth Essay - 874 Words

The role of women in ancient Greek life was insignificant compared to that of Greek men. A womans 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 â€Å"her wits, her beauty, or her bad deeds.† To start off we have Helen of Troy, a mortal woman, thought to be one of the most beautiful in her time. She left her husband Menelaus of Sparta for Paris of Troy and because of that and her beauty a 10 year war surged between Sparta†¦show more content†¦Another woman who also became strong and fierce with her vengeance was Medea, â€Å"her glare [was] as fierce as a bull’s†¦ [and she was] wild like a lion [who’d] just given birth...† Medea was a powerful witch and when she was wronged by her husband she used her powers for revenge. Medea’s husband, Jason, left her for another woman; he left her for a princess. And to that she stated â€Å"Most of the time, I know, a woman is filled with fear. She’s worthless in a battle and flinches at the sight of steel. But when she’s faced with an injustice in the bedroom, there is no other mind more murderous† (Medea 267-271). After lots of grieving for her husband’s treacher y she decides to pretend to be on good terms with him and sends his new with gifts; an embodied robe and a golden crown. She sent these gifts to her with her children however, using her powers she poisoned them so that the gifts would kill the new wife. Jason’s new wife â€Å"took the intricate robe and wrapped it around her body, and set the golden crown upon her curls†¦what happened next was terrible to see. Her skin changed color, and her legs were shaking†¦white foam at her mouth, her eyes popping up, the blood drained from her face†¦the gold gripped tight, and every movement of her hair caused the fire to blaze out twice asShow MoreRelatedThe Amazons Were A Group Of Warrior Women Who Fought Many Of The Great Greek Heroes1596 Words   |  7 Pagesgroup of warrior women who fought many of the great Greek heroes. They consistently went against what was considered the normal female role and led lives like their male counterparts. Unlike some myths in Greek m ythology, the myths that involve the Amazons are spread out over time and often have multiple variations of one myth. 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