Publication Date
4-7-2016
School
College of Arts and Sciences
Major
English
Keywords
Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Euripides, Medea, Sophocles, Antigone, Aristophanes, Lysistrata, Women, Gender Roles, Athens, Classical Greek Drama, polis
Disciplines
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity | Classical Literature and Philology | Cultural History | Women's History | Women's Studies
Recommended Citation
Killough, Gabrielle, "Taking on The Man: Female Rebellion Against Gender Roles in Classical Greek Drama" (2016). Senior Honors Theses. 595.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/honors/595
Abstract
The portrayal of women in Ancient Greek drama seems at times opposed to the societal gender roles within Classical Athens. In the plays, women are strong and dynamic figures who enact change and upheaval in their world. Ancient dramas, like Agamemnon, Medea, Antigone, and Lysistrata, portrayed women with strong autonomy and minds which matched their male counterparts; whereas the women in Classical Athens found themselves in more limited circumstances. In analyzing the nature of these disparities, it seems that the constant factor is that the plays concern the violation of the household. The female characters respond in one of two ways: perpetuating the violation for the sake of vengeance or stepping into the masculine role to fill the need left by the men.
Included in
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, Cultural History Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons
