Misogyny in Ancient Greek Literature

Special Topics in Literature

9/23/2012 Navya V

"Hero" has no feminine gender in the age of heroes. --M. I. Finley

Misogyny in Greek Mythology Navya Vibhunath 7220077221 Special Topics in Literature Assignment 1 23rd September 2012

Greece is widely known as the birthplace of democracy, freedom of speech and thought, and egalitarian life. But in ancient Greece, women had no political or social rights. This applied to ancient Rome too (Haeberle). Even today, in many societies of the world, women are not allowed access to public places unless chaperoned by a much older female or a man. What led to such treatment of females in societies, especially that of the progressive Greeks? Why is there a general hatred towards women garnered in many religions and societies? How is the procreator lesser in position than the seed giver? In sex-selective societies females are often blamed for undesired sex / sexual orientation of the child though scientifically, females play a minimal, if any, role in gender selection of the unborn child. What makes males hate or oppress females who are their own procreators? (Kimball) Female bioprocesses such as menstruation, pregnancy and the like are regarded with shame and contempt. The female body is depicted as more shameful than the male, and the modern day version of this is of females obsession with the notion of the perfect body as a means of feeling praised and appreciated. The female body is also seen as owned by some male. While polygamy is a well-known word, polyandry is not (Deborah Schooler).

In Greek myth, the creation of Pandora, the first woman, is branded as the root of all evil. But, the patriarchal interpretation of these myths can be erased to show a different picture. Zeus gave Pandora to Epimetheus, brother to Prometheus. Prometheus has warned him against accepting gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus pays no heed. As mortals have no means to procreate themselves, they have no option but to accept the first woman. According to Hesiods Works and Days, Zeus orders Hephaestus to fashion the form of the woman in clay. Athene teaches her the crafts. Aphrodite pours grace and painful lust and anxious desires on her head. The goddesses Athene, the Seasons, Temptation, and the Queen of Persuasion adorn her. Hermes, being the messenger of Zeus, instills cunning and coquettishness in her according to Zeuss plan. Zeus sends with Pandora, a jar or in later versions a box, as dowry. From inside the box a voice pleads to be freed. Though instructed not to open the box, Pandora being curious and anxious in nature, opens it. The 6 Miseries fly out into the world, followed by Hope. Here, though Pandora is interpreted to be the root cause all misery, it can also be derived that if she was provided with proper guidance, her curiosity, or that of any mans, could also be utilized for the greater good. Though given the gift of curiosity, Pandora did not know how to use it (Lowy). Hesiod suggests that the husband play the role of a teacher to his wife further on in Works and Days (Grene). Beauty, riches, comforts and craving for more luxuries lead to immorality through laziness. Comfort degrades the need for effort. This in turn leads to complacency and laziness. Laziness leads to complete inactivity in mental, spiritual, and physical energies, rendering the mind worthless. Pandora, who is gifted in every way, entered a society where women play a mostly unproductive role in society, dependent on men for all needs. Hence anxiousness, curiosity, and ignorance consume her. This again, is an effect of society on Pandora. Hence, I

think that Zeus played his cards well and chose a woman to cause havoc in ancient Greece, where the treatment of women in society was itself a precursor to its downfall (Lowy). Platos Phaedo 66 C (trans. H. North Fowler) states that the body fills people with material pleasures, fantasies and emotions. The body and its desires are the only cause of wars and factions and battles; for all wars arise for the sake of gaining money, and we are compelled to gain money for the sake of the body. Since desires are the cause of misery, they are immoral. Hesiod says that riches are better when bestowed upon by God. ..when profit deceives mens minds and shamelessness drives out shame, such men are easily punished by the Immortals. The woman (like Pandora) ideally represents desire and comfort which corrupts the morality of the mind through the body. This also disables the control men yearn for over themselves and everything else that is related to them. Pandora is also symbolic of the subconscious. She is the giver of all gifts craved for by mankind. Simultaneously, she is the cause of all ills. She represents the human subconscious which is the deep seat of all emotion, fear and feeling (Lowy). Society in ancient Greece and other patriarchal cultures also required men to rule their wives. The inability of men to directly control anything or gain the desired results in the familial realm triggers contempt towards women of the family. This is why men try to rule the family and make sure that women carry out their commands. Women have higher powers of empathy which makes them succeed in interpersonal relationships. But the methods of women may be interpreted as malevolent, and cunning, by men who might interpret female intervention to be emotional blackmail and manipulation which, could work against the interests of men. An example of this would be Gaia who turned her children against Ouranos.

Portrayal of women as evil, immoral, and sinful beings in patriarchal literature is also due to fear of sin through women. Hesiod says that men who commit sexual crimes such as sleeping with anothers wife, molesting a servant or stranger etc. are disposed to ill fate. The risk of experiencing sensual feelings which make one lose control over ones own mind, actions and surroundings represents a takeover of power by the weaker sex which is unacceptable to males. This resentment is the basis of misogyny as shown in Greek literature and mythology.

Works Cited
Deborah Schooler, L. Monique Ward, Ann Merriwether and Allison S. Caruthers. "Cycles of Shame: Menstrual Shame, Body Shame, and Sexual Decision-Making." The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 42, No. 4 (2005). 23 September 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3813785>. Grene, David. Hesiod: Works and Days . n.d. Haeberle, Erwin J. Historical Roots of Sexual Oppression. n.d. 23 September 2012. <http://www2.huberlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/oppress.htm#a03>. Kimball, J. "Sex Chromosomes." n.d. 23 September 2012. <http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/S/SexChromosomes.html>. Lowy, Jill. Looking Inside Pandora's Box . n.d. 23 September 2012. <http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/l/looking_inside_pandora's_box.html>.