tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097508687199514965.post5603991480799533196..comments2023-09-28T07:32:28.168-08:00Comments on Bill's Greek Mythology: Random Notes on Aeschylus’ AgamemnonAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11216523923707900157noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097508687199514965.post-86221377837926818422014-07-04T10:33:47.890-08:002014-07-04T10:33:47.890-08:00Maya M,
You know even as a child reading Robert Gr...Maya M,<br />You know even as a child reading Robert Graves I didnt buy his matriarcal society<br /><br />BillAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11216523923707900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097508687199514965.post-18026324707039284532014-07-03T12:05:44.281-08:002014-07-03T12:05:44.281-08:00The curious thing is that most of these portrayals...The curious thing is that most of these portrayals of strong women come exactly from Athens. I suppose this text may give a clue:<br /><br />"Matriarchy in the literal meaning of the term is not provable as a historical reality... Far more compelling is Bamberger’s theory of the myth of matriarchy as myth, not “a memory of history, but a social charter,” which “may be part of social history in providing justification for a present and perhaps permanent reality by giving an invented ‘historical’ explanation of how this reality was created.”<br />From a cross-cultural perspective, the Oresteia can be characterized as an intricate and fascinating variant of a widely distributed myth of matriarchy, the so-called Rule of Women, whose details differ but whose general scenario conforms to a consistent pattern... Women once had power, but they abused it through “trickery and unbridled sexuality,” thus fostering “chaos and misrule.” The men, therefore, rebelled. They assumed control and took steps to institutionalize the subordination of women."<br />https://firstyear.barnard.edu/womeninculture/oresteia/zeitlin<br /><br />I have read also that women in Sparta allegedly enjoyed much more freedom than in Athens and received education even superior to that of men. (Euripides' <i>Andromache</i> is some testimony, though heavily burdened with propaganda.) It is difficult for me to believe that women in such a militarized society could be (relatively) free. The mentality of women is, "Bring the boys back home." But education can set this right, if by "education" we mean "brainwashing". Maybe Sparta was the first case in history of mass-scale brainwashing using secular educational institutions. Women were "educated" to feel happy when their husbands and sons were killed in battle.Maya Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10877457709995369246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097508687199514965.post-66957980198702683232014-07-03T11:22:51.028-08:002014-07-03T11:22:51.028-08:00Penelope outwitts the suitors for three and a half...Penelope outwitts the suitors for three and a half years. Medea is an evil genius compared to everyone else in the world. Helen is clearly the brains in the Helen/Paris marriage. As you commented the list goes on and on. Hard to believe that a culture that in ritual and literature honors such strong women doesn't let them out of the house. I know they couldn't attend the Olympics (We know what happen when Hippolytus' step-mother saw him exerise in the nude!) But, could they even go to the plays? I know they weren't on stage at Athens. But, plenty of other places had women in ritual performances. Hmm, I wonder if our perspective on ancient life is primarily a perspective on ancient Athenian life? <br /><br />BillAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11216523923707900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097508687199514965.post-11055224392377366202014-07-03T02:43:05.731-08:002014-07-03T02:43:05.731-08:00I find it interesting that, for all the misogyny o...I find it interesting that, for all the misogyny of ancient Greek culture, women in myth and drama are not portrayed as less intelligent than men. Here, Clytemnestra is in fact much smarter than Agamemnon, and the Chorus reluctantly admits this.Maya Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10877457709995369246noreply@blogger.com